Long walks exploring neighbourhoods; eating succulent meals; sipping on sangria and summer wine with a few spa days in between….this is how I would describe my recent trip to Spain and Morocco.
Late September, early October is a splendid time to travel to these areas in terms of flight and hotel rates; hot weather and lack of crowds at all of the monumental sites.
Trip Itinerary
Madrid
Madrid is a beautiful walking city with lots of cafes, galleries and parks interspersed off of the bustling streets. You enter Retiro Park and you are immediately taken up into an oasis. With meticulously manicured gardens, mazes and tended water features, you can easily get lost in Madrid’s city’s largest park. Not far away is the Plaza Mayor; a historical square with shops and cafes. The Real Jardin Botanical Gardens is filled with exotic plants and flowers from all over the world.
It ‘s disappointing that we couldn’t tour inside The Royal Palace of Madrid but they did perform a standing of the guard ceremony and the grounds are impressive with a number of monuments and statues of art in the palace gardens.
Toledo
A 40 minute train ride from Madrid to Toledo allows you to easily do a day trip. Our first site was the Cathedral Alcazar of Toledo; which is a breathtaking structure situated on the hilltop of the city and was built in the 13th century. It is said to be one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world and has made the phrase “Holy Toledo” a popular saying.
We then visited the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes which was built in 1477. The inside features the most exquisite cloister section of the monastery which has breathtaking ceilings painstakingly built. A work of art. This section connects to the inner courtyard garden.
Valencia
The IVAM Art Museum offers modern exhibits in visual arts; interactive displays, sculptures, paintings, photography and drawings. We saw artist Julio Gonzalez work (called “Constellations” ) through cubic and futuristic styled art pieces. In the afternoon, we went to Playa de la Malvarrosa to relax on the beach with Sangrias – a little piece of heaven.
Marrakech
After a 2 hour flight, we arrived in Marrakech which is a completely different world with its own unique vibe. You can easily imagine what the city would have been like two thousand years ago. The Medina district has preserved many of their ancient markets, palaces, schools, and mosques.
In the New District you will find modern buildings, western shopping malls and restaurants; even an impressive Starbucks.
Our first stop, the Le Jardin Marjorelle, is a beautiful garden and house built in the 1920’s by French painter Jacques Marjorelle, who over a forty year period meticulously planted trees, flowers and plants from all 5 continents to create a wonderful oasis in which to live and paint. Divorce and poor health from a car accident forced him to sell his share of the property in 1961. By 1980 the property was abandoned and in disarray. The French atelier based designer, Yves Saint Laurent, bought and restored the property to it’s former glory. After his death in 2008 it opened to the public as a garden and museum.
In the Medina District, one can really experience the authenticity of Morocco. The souk (market) is filled with spices, handmade slip-on shoes, dried flowers, exotic oils, straw bags and traditional foods.
We also visited the Ben Youssef Madrasa, a former boys school from the 15th century, which had the most exquisite grounds and courtyards. The Palais El Badi (built for Sultan Ahmad Al-Mansur) and the Bahia Palace (built for Is Moussa) were equally impressive with arched doorways and remnants of several private gardens and living quarters.
I end this with these lines from a famous poem by Alan Buffry who travelled to Marrakech in 1977:
Many times we’ve sat,
and watched a good sunset,
But the beauty of the skies,
Of the Marrakech sunrise!
Behind the Atlas Mountains,
There’s a desert full of fountains,
Lakes of pale blue ice,
And golden coloured spice ,
And yellow sparkling sand,
Suspended from God’s hand,
Today a brand new life,
Completely free from strife.
All sunglasses are from ShopProprlifestyle.
