Travel – Page 31 – a sibilant intake of breath

Safely in Morocco

The keyboards here are the strangest I have ever seen. Expect few updates.

One suggestion to travelers to Marakesh: never ask for or accept directions from young men, no matter how lost you are. In my experience, they just lead you to their big friend who thinks one night’s hotel costs are an appropriqte ‘gift’ for their help. They then leave you at least as lost as when you started out. If you refuse such offers very adamently, the young men will just follow you up blind alleys for half an hour or so, laughing when you reach a dead end, and eventually leaving out of boredom.

Not bringing my GPS receiver was a big mistake. That said, I am doing well and have much exploring to do.

Nascent itinerary

During my week in Morocco, I am aiming to visit Fez and Essaouira. I have been strongly advised to avoid Casablanca and Tangier. Visiting the Atlas mountains or the desert would be good, but I am limited insofar as I cannot drive. Also, it is likely to be exceptionally hot in the desert. In Marrakesh itself, temperatures look set to remain between 20˚C and 30˚C all day long.

I depart in eight hours.

EasyJet, the new speakeasy?

For some reason, booking a trip a few days before it is going to happen makes it feel a lot more decadent. With regards to all this inexpensive air travel, you have to wonder how people in thirty years or so will look back on this period. It’s possible that it will be seen as a time of gilded luxury, with similar historical ‘lessons’ to those of the 1920s. It is also possible that it will be seen as just another step on the path to wherever humanity finds itself in 2037.

The psychology of my recent trips to places at the edges of Europe (Estonia, Turkey, Morocco) also bears consideration, though at a time when I don’t have to dash off to a meeting.

Marrakesh

The decision about where to take my last trip has been made. I will be going to Morocco after all (albeit not hitchhiking, as once considered). I will be leaving early in the morning on Wednesday the 20th and returning on the morning of the 27th. That will have me back in Oxford in time for Antonia’s party and my possible viva exam, and with a few days available in which to say goodbye to friends here.

Given that this is my last opportunity to travel on this side of the Atlantic for at least a year, it seemed sensible to go with the bolder option. Going to Amsterdam, Prague, or Berlin wouldn’t have involved thirty degree temperatures and a reasonable chance of getting ill, but they would also have been much less of an adventure.

Suggestions for things to see and do would be appreciated. Likewise, if anyone in Oxford has a travel book I might borrow.

Paris photos IV

These are the shots taken on film, hence their late emergence. As has often been the case in the past, getting back the photos from my expensive film camera has been a reminder of just how good a deal my cheap point and shoot digital camera was.

Getting interesting angles sometimes involves hanging out windows, alarming the guards, and looking a right fool.

Parisian coffeehouse

Boat in the Canal St. Martin

A kind of shabby encampment beside the canal.

One last trip…

Between this Wednesday and the 28th of June, I don’t have any specific obligations in Oxford. Even with the higher cost of late booking, this means that there is the possibility for one more trip to Europe before I spend a year in Ottawa. As such, I am considering my options.

One strong possibility is Berlin. Other than a visit as a young child, I have never been to Germany. I expect that Berlin has a lot of interesting culture and architecture, as well.

Prague is a good possibility, since I have family there and already know that I like the city. Likewise, returning to Dublin has a lot of appeal, though it seems a bit foolish to go back to a place that I visited so recently.

Other European places on my list include Greece and Amsterdam, though flights to both are extremely expensive right now. Despite my enthusiasm for visiting Morocco, I am put off by the high price of flights to Marrakesh and the likelihood that it will be extremely hot there. Unfortunately, neither Ryanair or EasyJet seems to fly to Moscow or Saint Petersburg. Otherwise, they might be interesting possibilities.

Any comments? Is there a European city that is especially interesting at the moment, or at this time of year? Since it doesn’t seem like anyone will be free to come along with me this time, I am looking for somewhere that has appeal for a single traveller who speaks English and increasingly faulty French. San Sebastián has already been enthusiastically endorsed.

Good news

During the past eight weeks:

My thesis was submitted
I found an excellent job for next year
I finished my M.Phil exams

As of today, the college has also replaced our broken refrigerator. It will be good to be able to buy food for a period longer than a few days at a time.

I now have 33 days to arrange my departure from Oxford, return to Vancouver, move to Ottawa, and get to work. I might be able to wheedle in one more trip within Europe before I leave Oxford on July 2nd. I am also looking forward to the third incarnation of Tristan’s Cabin Fever event, to take place between July 6th and 8th.

Lakeland photos III

Compressed walkers.

Sheep are never far away.

One third of the way around the Kentmere Horseshoe.

If you are in a proper place for walking, the landscape will dwarf you.

Dry stone walls take a lot more effort to build than to climb over.

Lakeland photos II

Once you reach a peak, a bit of a rest is surely in order. Actually, Rob and Sarah were ill during the whole trip, so their fellwalking demonstrated particular persistence.