It has been a week since I have been back from my 4 week trip and it feels like it is all a dream as it went by so fast! I had a blast and enjoyed every minute of it. The stories I hope I will remember down the road especially with the help of the photos. I took over 2000 photos and had to really pick and choose which ones goes into each album. It took a few hours and I have yet to put all the captions. Only London and Germany has some captions. Morocco and Spain has so many photos and at this point I am tired and sick and need to nap :) I will get around to it when I have time. Until then, hope you enjoy the photos as pictures say a thousand words!

The photo albums are all public (for all those who do not have google account ... ahem) and you can get to it under the Photo Albums links on the left. Enjoy!

PS. No post production on the photos here ... it is as is my friends :)

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The morning I left to go to Germany was smoother than I thought. Depsite the 5am wake up, the whole trip was like butter. I asked the reception the night before to book a taxi going to the Barcelon Bus Station Nord to catch the bus to Girona Airport.

There were crowds of people there doing the same thing. Luckily, I bought the ticket (not dated as long as I use it in 30 days) earlier when we arrived in Barcelona so I avoided any long lineups in the morning. I am also glad that despite being there 45 min early, I had a gut feeling to get out to the platform with about 20 min before the 7am bus as they were already loading up the bus. I quickly put my bag in the bag compartment and hoped to sneak to the front somehow to get in the bus before the cut off and I was so glad I did! The bus driver scanned the ticket and at the same time it counted how many people there were so he knew when to say no to the next person. The good thing was there was another bus being loaded beside us. I am unsure how many buses there are for each time slot but it was good to know that it was not just one. So if any of you decide to do that, go early to the station and get on to the platform.

Ryan Air is what it is so let's skip on to when I landed at the Karlsruhe airport. It seemed like I was the only nonEU citizen on this flight. I heard a lot of French and German and not much of English. So I thought like any place I have landed, I needed to fill out a custom card and go to immigration etc. Well was I surprised. There was nothing like that. I pretty much grabbed my bag and left. Thorsten and Britta welcomed me at the airport and probably thought I was not on this flight as I had to stop by the toilet first and was the last to grab my bag at the conveyer belt (that had already stopped and everyone had already left). Unlike, the other places, Germany was sunny and hot at around 17 degrees!!!! Boy, was I happy. This place was so beautiful. There were green fields, mountains, clean air (esp after Spain where everyone and their dog seem to smoke) and awesome architecture. We headed to Thorsten's place where his mom Magdelina was so wonderful and gracious cooking a meal for us. It was simple and good - salad and pasta. She was so nice and I had a chance to try some poor German as she only spoke German. She also had a cute and well groomed garden and home.

After the meal, we took a side trip to Baden-Baden. I couldn't help saying how beautiful this country was and how I love it. So much space in comparison to all the places I previously visited on this trip. And it was not over crowded. I saw so many runners and the nature here is fabulous. The architecture is just simple, quaint and cute. I know I have used these words often but man alive, I really mean it here. There is something very peaceful about this place and no words can describe it. All you can do is enjoy it!

Karlsruhe was different than Baden-Baden as the population is more younger and more populated. Some random tidbits .... tried McDs and Burger King ... latter is better than in Edmonton and McDs had a McDrive as the drive through ... the mall is indeed like a mall and not just another supermarket with everything in it ... Heiniken is not German beer .... they have places for prostitutes and one was called Maxim (I thought it was the magazine!) ... the black forest has no bears ... the grass have beautiful flowers - sounds like kroka (sorry don't know the spelling and no one here at the moment to help me) - instead of dandelions and I'm sure there is more that I have missed, but know that it is indeed more than just beer :)

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It took us about 6 hours on bus to arrive to Madrid from Seville. The bus amazingly was not that bad. There was a bathroom in there which I was wondering about as I would otherwise avoid drinking so that I do not need to go at all. But people did go and Sally said it was not that bad so if any of you ever thought of travelling long distances in Spain on a bus, it's A OK.

The way Eva and I travel, we usually book places to stay as we go along and this time it bit us on the butt as most of the places we booked up and we ended up booking a place that is our of the budget but in the middle of a plaza AND ... yup... shopping! We are surrounded by shopping and even though we were excited, we may be in trouble here. We have bought stuff already that we have to find a way to pack into our packs :)

Madrid is very lively like any other Spanish city - many plazas that have fountains in the middle, lots of shopping and tapa bars, musicians playing, statue artists... Being in the a central hotel has made it more easy to get around. The metro is awesome. It is the 2nd biggest after London but so much easier to use - maybe because we had such problems dealing with the Oyster card when we were in London. Hong Kong was way easier than London.

We were going to book a half day tour to Toledo but we dediced it was more flexible and less expensive to take the metro to the Plaza Eliptica where the bus station is. Again, we seem to have a knack of making on the bus right on time as we just ended going into the bus without getting a ticket. He said our Metro ticket was good (but that is if we got the combo ticket which we did not - I believe). The bus travel was about an hour and I met a wonderful woman named Sarah from Italy who was on the bus with her students. It made the bus trip to Toledo faster.

Toledo is so pretty. It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the cities that we have been in. Even though there were many tourists in the village, it was quiet enough to hear the birds singing. It was just a nice, small and cute place that I would love to visit again to even just sit and people watch. It was just peaceful altotgether. We did not visit the castle as it was under renovation but that did not matter. Just beautiful!

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Since we arrived in Spain, we have learnt the hard way about what the siestas are all about here. When we met up with Sally in Granada, she mentioned how she had to roam around the city while she waited for us to get in by train. But her wandering about lead to unopened retail stores.






We found out from Freddie (at the hostel in Granada) that siesta is between 2 - 5pm. And during that time, everyone goes out to eat. Yup ... eat! You think we would be happy hearing that but when you feel like shopping more than eating, it becomes a pain in the arse. At one point in Seville, we ended up wandering about taking photos and window shopping. There were many people doing the same thing. We were saved by a marching band who was on their way to a competition or something and amused us for a few minutes.

Our eating habits had to adjust to the siesta so by the time we hit Seville, we found our groove so to say. We would plan our day and make sure we doing some site seeing during the siestas instead and that way we can shop til we drop when the stores open up again. It´s like a love and hate relationship :)

When we do go out to eat, we have tried the tapas. Tapas are appetizers that usually come free with each drink that is ordered. The first one we chose was not so hot and after that we thought that perhaps tapas were overrated but it was not until our 3rd try that we were hooked. The tapas at Lizarran in Seville was so delicious and it was not because we were hungry.

It has been about 5 days and we are finally figuring how it works here in Spain. Now... we just need to find a bench after eating during siesta for a nice nap and we will be pros at this :)

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We left Morocco behind for Spain and hopefully better weather. We took the ferry from Tangier to Tarif and then took the bus to Algeciras before taking a bus and train to Granada. Quite the travelling involved in that one day but well worth it to reach Spain. After a couple of nights in Granada we headed off to Seville by bus. We left the hostel at 9:30 am hoping to catch the 10 am bus and it felt like we were in Amazing Race as we only had about 5 min to get the tickets when we arrived at the station. Two of us lined up while the other 2 tried the machines. We thought we got the tickets through the machines and called the other 2 over (who were next in line) only to find out by a quick second that it was for  the noon bus so we had to line up again with 2 min left and dash to the bus platform. We did make it and were so relieved!!!

Arriving on a Sunday did not give us much things to do so we just wandered around. It was so beautiful out and beautiful there. The weather was a bombing 16 degrees (yay! Esp with all the rain and cold weather we have been experiencing) and we were able to actually take off some layers instead of putting some on :)

At night we booked a flameco show to check out. It is about an hour and at one of the hotels in town (I will get that later). The tickets were about 15 Euros and well worth it. The flemenco dancing is based on the traditions of the dance in the 19th and 20th century and it was just an amazing show!

It started with the guitarist and singer warming the audience up with their talents. The singing was just beautiful. He did an awesome job and the guitarist as well. He had his own solo later on. The dancer was just fabulous. She danced with such passion that showed not only by the dance herself but her facial expression as well. At one point her right show laces came untied and she still danced like nothing happened. She added the tying of the showlace to her routine. What a professional! After the dance, it made us want to take up flamenco!!!

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We arrived late though it may be around 7pm. It felt very late as we were on the road for hours; the sun had already set and you can see the beautiful millions of stars in the night sky. The camp has to be the most beautiful camp I have ever been to.  The Auberge Derkaoua - Ras El Erg head of the Dunes is where we stayed. It is a permanent camp and can be accessed via the Auberge.

There were lamps lighted everywhere - on the main paths and in front of every tent. The desert floor was transformed by laying rugs and in the middle of the camp was a warm fire out and ready for us to warm up against with a nice glass of wine. The best part is ... there are flushable toilets - 3 of them - clean with toilet paper and all! How cool was that! This camp, by the way, is owned by a woman. She knew what we wanted :)

There wasn't too much too do as we had the camp to ourselves and we had to get up early in the morning for a camel trek into the desert.

There was a pat-pat on our tent at about 6 am and we got up and got ready as fast as we can as the cameliere and his camels were awaiting for us just outside the tents. We each got our own camels. They were not as stinky as some people say but they are cute and temperate in nature. They really like to mind their own business. Unfortunately, I forgot the names of our camels but we each gave them a psuedo name - Eva's was Benny, Sherene's was George and mine was Harold.

We had to cover ourselves with scarves as there was a chilly wind in the air. The cameliere was gracious enough to tie it properly on our heads like a proper berber though we almost ruined it (well Eva did) when Eva and I decided to roll down one of the dunes :) We couldn't help ourselves!

Waking up early in the morning and camel riding in the desert to see the sun rise was just an amazing moment that all of us will remember from this trip. Shukran Morocco!

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We leave the city of Marrakesh behind and head off to the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco towards the Sahara.  The drive is very long but the amazing terrain that Morocco displays is a geologist's dream come true. The land varies across the vast distance that leaves you with the feeling that you have somehow touched every part of every country. You can see the lush green land with olive trees or palm trees near streams of rivers. There are times where it seems like you may have landed in Scotland instead of Morocco.  As we made our way through, I was never short of amazement for this land and the people in it.

The people here are so hospitable - even when you drive by, you see kids and adults alike waving to say hello or wish you well on your journey wherever you went. You are always greeted with smiles and curiousity of where you are from. Driving through the mountains, we stopped by Mohammad's house for lunch. It is a little Berber village in the mountains and he tells us his many stories as we sat and had mint tea and almonds and walnuts before lunch is served. Mark (Mad About Morocco) has been so great in translating French/Arabic/Berber and the like to us and have also taught us some words to at least say Thank you and Goodbye and our favourite ... please :)

The weather has been cold and rainy here and with the rain brings many possibilities of landslides up in the mountains. Mohammad knowing these mountains well (and is a guide), suggested we check out the White and Red Villages that are just a couple of kilometres near his village. Magdaz was one of our stops but it was said the road was not assessible esp crossing the river. So we opted to go to the Red Village.

The path to the village was very challenging as the roads were rocky and narrow. We kept inclining and saw nothing but some people here and there popping up once in a while. When we finally got to the village, we were greeted by a crowd of children who were curious about us. We did take photos and showed it to them on the digital camera which they loved and next thing you knew, we were like the Pied Piper. Everywhere we went, you can hear the whispers and giggles behind us. One family invited us for tea. They shared the food they grew like the walnuts and almonds. They were such a nice family and were very keen and proud to show us what they did. They grew a special root, that we have yet to find out, that is helping them.

After tackling the mountains, we headed towards the Sahara where we ended up stopping at Mark's friend's grandmother who is a Nomad but has lived in the same place since 2006. She even built a small house there. The nomads usually move when the water becomes scarce but lately there has been plenty of water due to the rains. They invited us for tea while Mark gave them some photos sent by Russian travellers that were there earlier. They were amused with the photos as many people here have never seen how they looked like. We were able to spend time with the family after tea by heading off to help one of the daughters carry jugs of water back from the well. When we got back, we saw the SUV's alarm going off and I thought I saw goats jumping off of it. Mark thought it was the children. Perhaps it was both!!!!

We did get to the Sahara and the wonderful camp there with toilets (yes toilets) and such (will write more later). We got a chance to ride on the camels in the Sahara and watch the sunrise. Beautiful!!!

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The title is from the guided tour we are on now in Morocco. Right now we are in Marrakesh and staying at the Riad Elizabeth which is so very nice. The decor is mostly black and white and very classy with a Moroccan feel. The family who owns the riad runs the riad like a family so do not expect to have keys to unlock your room because you do not have one. Instead, it is all based on trust and the staff here is so helpful in every way. The cutest thing about this riad is that they named each room after their 6 daughters :)

We wandered about in the Medina in the old section of the city to take in the souks and a religious boys school. The school was wonderfully built - the courtyard had a pool of water for them to wash the faces and hands everyday and the rooms were quite simple.

We did not expect to do any shopping but we did! Eva did some awesome haggling and is now a pro at this. The people here running the souks as well as the people in general are very friendly. The speak French if you do not know Arabic but we have made an effort to try our sad French and also learn a few words for thank you and please :) The people running the souks can be persistent but overall would not be disappointed if you left with nothing. They are super happy just to meet you. The city in general is also safe to wander about. You can get lost in the Medina but we had our guide today Omari and he was fabulous. If you are here for the first time, it is definately recommended that you would hire a local guide.

OK ... this will be short as we will be heading out to the Medina tonight to try some local food from the stalls. Eva and Sher were able to last night and loved it. I was a bit ill and stayed in bed so tonight I will get a chance to try this yummy sheep head that Eva raved about :)

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With a couple of days of using the tube under our belts, Eva and I ventured off to do some touristy stuff today. Sher ended up going to Hamptom court Palace instead as she missed it the last time she was here 2 years ago. The tube is so easy too use though it's crazy busy to the point where it's so full (even near the doors) that you have to push your way through going in and out. Can I get used to this? Don't know :) I am adapting to the weather more. It has been warmer the last couple of days but still a wee bit of chill in the air.

Anyways, we ended up walking to the London Tower after eating breakfast at S&M (Sausage and Mash). We did get lost a bit and had to get re-orientated. That took about 20 minutes :) All the street signs in London are located on buildings and sometimes it feels like playing "Where is Waldo" to find it. We eventually found our direction by asking a few people. People here are generally nice I find.

Tickets to the Tower was about £17. All tours within are free but we decided to go around on our own. I guess my reasoning is that I don't think I can retain all the information coming at me from the tour guide, in this case, Beefeaters/Yeoman Warders :) For some reason I retain more watching National Geographic LOL

We started the tour with the Middle Tower and worked our way around. We did end up skipping the White Tower based on time as we wanted to head to the Parliament and Big Ben. It was interesting to see the lifestyle, architecture, and learn the history of each room we went in.

After the Tower, we headed towards Parliment and Big Ben. We wanted to cross the river via the Tower Bridge. It is the most famous bridge in London as it has been used in many films and photos. Many people think it is the London Bridge but it is not. It was just wonderful walking along this bridge with the sun shining on our faces. It is busy with not only traffic but pedestrian traffic as well esp. runners. We thought we could walk all the way to Big Ben via the sea wall since it was such a beautiful day but it took so long to reach the London Bridge that we decided to tube it the rest of the way. If we had more time (we had to meet Sher later for dinner), we would definately have tried to walk it - as crazy as it may be to some :)

Around the Parliment, there were so many tourists around - perhaps not as much as in the summer time but still many are there to see the famous building as well as the famous bell tower or clock (Big Ben). Also, just around the corner was the London Eye which is basically a big ferris wheel with pods for you to see the city from up top. We spend the rest of the time wondering about the area and came across the a pathway where all these artists - mostly still artists - those who act like statues (not even sure if still artists is a name for them) are. We walked down and checked them out and on the way back we saw this massive crowd around one artist. He had music on and would dance about - even moonwalk. But the artist who really stole the show was his apprentice Noah - a 2 year old boy (about). He was sooooo adorable. He would dance and follow his moves and his charm wowed the crowd. We easily stood and watched for more than 20 minutes! Despite all the historical and beautiful things we saw today, this was hands down the highlight of our day :)

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We arrived safely to London at 10:30 pm. We were delayed for both planes due to the snow storm in Toronto (our only stopover). When we arrived, Michelle and Kendal surprised us with a "Hello" and "Ms. Lisa Tsen and Ms. Eva Bong" signs. We almost passed them by as we were so focused on getting on the train to get back to their place. Sherene who landed earlier that day, ended up taking 3 hours to get to her place due to maintenance for a couple of train stations so Mich and Kendall thought they would pick us up or else it will take us forever to get there.

During the early morning, you can hear the pitter patter of rain on the patio. We were hoping that the rain will let out by the time we headed out but alas it is London and it did not. I believe it was about 4 degrees today. I was told by many in Europe that the cold here is a different cold compared to Canada - more of a damp cold where you can feel it in your bones - and today I have experienced what they mean.

It rained on and off all day and was a bit windy and the Spitalfields Market is outside under a sheltered dome. There were times we would go into shops to warm up and I admit, it was because I am such a weakling! There were many things at the market but nothing that really caught my eye. There were many people from all over the world there even to the point of rolling their luggage around and shopping.

From all the walking and cold, we got hungry and met up with Michelle and Kendal and headed off for some dim sum at chinatown. Michelle said that there is one restaurant that still uses the trolley to serve food so we headed off to New World. It was amazingly full and I believe they have 3 levels? The food was pretty good. On the food stamp sheet, there is no price so you will only know how much things are after eating and calculating the sheet.

After eating, we thought we needed more exercise and decided to go to Oxford Street to check out the shopping. There are so many people out today even though the weather is not the greatest but Londoners are used to it and they keep doing what they do. Good for them! We even took the bus home ... crazy full ...just like the tube. Definately an eye opening experience and it's only day 1! ;)

Time to eat ... me hungry :)

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