Free Derry

So I went to northern Ireland with an interest to learn more about the political issues. Admittedly, I knew little more than the Catholics vs Protestants thing. I was pretty green about it all. Bad unintended joke, am turning into Crudd.

Spent the day in Derry, place of the infamous Bloody Sunday murders. There were bombings in this town just last week and still frequent fighting, vandalism and agression between the two sides - those who align with the british and those who consider themselves Irish.


I am told they don't appreciate Bono or their song in Derry. They said U2 have never been there nor has Bono ever done anything towards the cause of bringing the Brits to justice.

It's heavy stuff. But to lighten the mood, I saw some dumb, drunk Aussie chicks kiss this pigs head in a pub in Derry:



Idiots.

Location:Castle Pl,Belfast,United Kingdom

It's true what they say...

...there are a lot rangas in Ireland. There's also a lot of bloody Aussie bogans. Jesus Christ Superstar, seriously. I'm adopting a fake accent and sitting on the furtherest side of the room. Idiots.

Infamous Temple Bar


Some other crazy pub, Flaggy McFlags. (I made up that name.)


Dublin city center, featuring the famous pointy stick monument:


The Liffey, taken from the bridge:


Some gorgeous (and largest in the world) Celtic crosses in Slane cemetery:

Jemaa El Fna - The Assembly of Dead in Marrakech

The heart of Marrakech pulsates at night with food stalls, performers, snake charmers, monkeys, henna ladies, more souqs and thousands of people:





The mosque:

Looking down on the square:





The mish mash of pedestrians, motorbikes, cars, horses and crazy:

Mini white whine redux plus more Marrakech

Right now I'm at Luton waiting for my connecting flight to Dublin, hating on smarmy, whingy Brits echoing in ears - possibly the most whiney accent of all time. It just takes me back to early episodes of The Bill, when they had to bust in on the Jasmin Allen housing commission flats like, every episode...

Having said that I quite like the sound of the Irish accent! Or Scottish. Esp when David Tennant speaks in his native tongue...hello, doctor! Anywho....
To kill time - so many pictures of Marrakech, so little time!

The Qu'uranic school/Medrasa in Marrakech:






The museum of Marrakech:


The amazing souqs!!! I spent hours looking through these and didn't even cover half!!

















Attack of the henna ladies! (nb I probably could've done better with a texta using my left hand but hey, when in Marrakech!)


The heart of Marrakech - Jema El Fna to come!

Majorelle Jardins

Firstly - Marrakech is amazing, my most favourite place in Morocco, I'm a little sad to be leaving here tomorrow after only 3 days.

This morning I took a walk to Majorelle Jardins, a large garden and home designed and established by frenchman Jacques Majorelle. It was left to ruin, then saved by Yves Sant Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé who established a fund to maintain the gardens and now YSL's ashes were scattered here after he died in 2008.



The gardens are a tranquil and cool respite from the heat of Marrakech, composed mostly of sub tropical succulents and palms.









To my pure childish delight, I discovered turtles and frogs swimming in the pond... I get easily excitable seeing turtles so closely!


There's a frog in there somewhere:





I really dig the cactus. Sorry!

The blue of Chefchaouen

For a totally different pace, in the Rif mountains lays Chefchaouen. Although the temperature today reached 50C (and I'm still alive!!!) the blue of the village seemed to keep the place cool.... This place feels like it's stuck in a time warp of some time period I'm totally unaware of, not moving anywhere in particular but I love it.


A few gorgeous doorways:






The passages through the village all look the same:








Rugs for sale:


A familiar sight:

Fes

Amazing, sweltering Fes....... Another crazy day in a different world, I loved it.

Looking over Old Fes


The Royal Palace








Hi Brother J!


Entrance to the old medina, mosque visible. This medina is made up of 10,000 unmarked streets..... Crazy!


The Q'uuarnic School inside the medina





Dying pits in the tannery inside the medina..... These men work in this sweltering heat with an unbearable stench, all day every day


Busy busy souks line the medina, along with 50,000 cats








Oh yeah, of all people - I bought a rug! Not just any rug, a traditional hand made Berber dowry rug, (it's not like a traditional Arabian rug at all, please) It's beautiful!!! I guess there's a sucker born every minute....