Adventure 2010: Morocco & Portugal |
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We're off!!!
In the past, when we've decided to take a big trip, the planning process starts about a year in advance. Not this time. We knew we wanted to go somewhere, and we'd both cleared the time off at work for September 2010.
But I changed jobs in January, and Dale's company has had erratic business (like everyone else's). With the state of the economy, we kept hearing and reading that this isn't the time to do something frivolous. So we didn't plan right away. We thought about it...we worried about it...we lost sleep over it.
Then in March, we thought, "What the hell!" and we BOOKED IT!!!
Yes, we are aware that worldwide travel is down and the "staycation" continues to be on the rise. But that's just not us! We are feeling very fatalistic these days. Some of our favorite sayings include "you can't take it with you" and "live like you're dying" (oh wait...that's an American Idol's song, isn't it??).
In 1998, I had the opportunity to go to Morocco. Dale wanted to go on that trip, but it just didn't work out. I remember the beauty of Essouaira, being in awe of the High Atlas Mountains and the chaos, frenzy and incredible history of Marrakech. I really wanted to experience some of this beautiful country together.
We will be travelling with a small group and a local guide so we can gain a more authentic appreciation of the Moroccan people and their culture. There will be a week remaining for Ramadan when we arrive, and we will be spending the bulk of our time in the mountains staying with families in homestays - should be interesting! The first half of our trip will be a bit "rustic", with lots of hiking and a bit of mountain biking.
Now, if you are going all the way to North Africa, you may as well just jump over the Straight of Gibraltar! Originally we were going to try to squeeze some of Spain and Portugal into the second half of the trip. Too much ground to cover. We opted to save Spain for another time and do a better job seeing and learning about Portugal.
We'll start in Lisbon, pick up a car, and take a self-drive tour of the small villages and towns of Portugal...the sunny plains of the Alentejo, the mountains of the Beiras, the terraced slopes of the Douro River Valley, and of course, Lisbon and Porto. If you check out our itinerary, it can look like a crazy pace...but the country is relatively small. Travelling one medieval hilltop village to another can run all of 25 minutes to an hour. It's seems very do-able...at least that's what we think now, sitting in Martinez, CA!
We hope you enjoy sharing our journey!
In the past, when we've decided to take a big trip, the planning process starts about a year in advance. Not this time. We knew we wanted to go somewhere, and we'd both cleared the time off at work for September 2010.
But I changed jobs in January, and Dale's company has had erratic business (like everyone else's). With the state of the economy, we kept hearing and reading that this isn't the time to do something frivolous. So we didn't plan right away. We thought about it...we worried about it...we lost sleep over it.
Then in March, we thought, "What the hell!" and we BOOKED IT!!!
Yes, we are aware that worldwide travel is down and the "staycation" continues to be on the rise. But that's just not us! We are feeling very fatalistic these days. Some of our favorite sayings include "you can't take it with you" and "live like you're dying" (oh wait...that's an American Idol's song, isn't it??).
In 1998, I had the opportunity to go to Morocco. Dale wanted to go on that trip, but it just didn't work out. I remember the beauty of Essouaira, being in awe of the High Atlas Mountains and the chaos, frenzy and incredible history of Marrakech. I really wanted to experience some of this beautiful country together.
We will be travelling with a small group and a local guide so we can gain a more authentic appreciation of the Moroccan people and their culture. There will be a week remaining for Ramadan when we arrive, and we will be spending the bulk of our time in the mountains staying with families in homestays - should be interesting! The first half of our trip will be a bit "rustic", with lots of hiking and a bit of mountain biking.
Now, if you are going all the way to North Africa, you may as well just jump over the Straight of Gibraltar! Originally we were going to try to squeeze some of Spain and Portugal into the second half of the trip. Too much ground to cover. We opted to save Spain for another time and do a better job seeing and learning about Portugal.
We'll start in Lisbon, pick up a car, and take a self-drive tour of the small villages and towns of Portugal...the sunny plains of the Alentejo, the mountains of the Beiras, the terraced slopes of the Douro River Valley, and of course, Lisbon and Porto. If you check out our itinerary, it can look like a crazy pace...but the country is relatively small. Travelling one medieval hilltop village to another can run all of 25 minutes to an hour. It's seems very do-able...at least that's what we think now, sitting in Martinez, CA!
We hope you enjoy sharing our journey!
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