The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Northern Morocco town and country walks

Happy Holidays from Singapore!

I had previously been to Morocco three times with the sole focus on trekking and climbing, the latest in 2023 when I summited Mt. Toubkal. In contrast, my one week visit to northern Morocco in October focused almost exclusively on culture, archeology, and history. Nevertheless, as with nearly all my travels, a walking component was not neglected as our Intrepid Travel group explored on foot: Cape Spartel north of Tangiers, the Blue City of Chefchaouen (and nearby hills), the sacred town of Moulay Idriss, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, and the frenetic Medina of Fes, before finishing in Marrakech.

Join me on a short journey through northern Morocco.

Our 8 day itinerary from Casablanca to Marrakech.
Cape Spartel lighthouse, Tangier. While our trip started in Casablanca, to my mind it is not a city worth exploring and the 2 hour high speed train (300 kph!) quickly brought us to Tangier and the northern coast.
View towards Spain and Gibralter at Cape Spartel. Northern Morocco was far greener than what I have experienced in the more arid southern part of the country.
Hotel Dar Mounir in Chefchaouen. My windows are directly above the entrance. Earplugs required!
One other guest and I took a half-day guided hike along some trails into the Rif Mountains. Here is a view back to the Blue City of Chefchaouen, easily my fave on this trip.
Goats along the trail
A street in Chefchaouen
Lush foilage outside the Kasbah of Chefchaouen
Another Chefchaouen street. Though hardly undiscovered by tourists, I never grew tired of walking around this town.
Colorful steps in the sacred town of Moulay Idress Zerhoun. Non-Muslims have only been allowed to visit since early this century.
Sunset over Moulay Idress Zerhoun. The town is named for the father of Islam in Morocco, Idris (I) ibn Abd Allah.
Basilica of Volubilis. Spot the moon. Despite being better known, these Roman ruins were not as impressive as either Dougga or Bulla Regia that I recently visited in Tunisia.
Volubilis in-situ tile mosaic
Intricate zellige tilework on a Royal Palace door in Fes. I had no idea that Fes has about the population of Tangier, the 2nd largest city in Morocco after Casablanca.
Unusual in Morocco are the wooden balconies in the Quartier Mellah, the historic Jewish Quarter of Fes.
Fes Medina. This monstrously large warren of more than 10,000 streets definitely required a guide to explore!
Squeezing down a narrow alley in the Fes Medina
Medina market stall in Fes. Gorgeous!
Jardin Majorelle, Marrakech. Since my last visit in 2019, the Private Garden of the Villa Oasis, where Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent lived, has been opened to the public.

I am working on my next blog post, Walking on Tenerife and Gran Canaria, another in my long-running series on the Canary Islands. As it will be my first post of the New Year, I hope to further update my readers on my 2026 plans at that point.

Meanwhile, enjoy your Holidays with friends and family,

The Vagabond Hiker

A Short Visit to Tunisia – Archeology and Culture

Returning to London from Uzbekistan, the airfare was actually cheaper to go by way of Tunis(!). Tunisia had been on my radar since having to cancel my April 2020 trip there for you-know-why. I spent two days on guided tours: the first of Tunis and its environs, including exploring the village of Sidi Bou Said, the Medina of Tunis, and the ruins of Carthage, as well as visiting the Bardo museum; and the second exploring the farther afield Roman towns of Dougga and Bulla Regia.

Sidi Bou Said

Named after a 12th century Arab Sufi scholar who lived there, this town about 20km northeast from Tunis, is known for its extensive use of blue and white. Wildly popular with tourists, my guide and I got an early start. . .

A typical cobbled street
Bougainvillea and blue doors
Café view with port and Mediterranean Sea

The Medina of Tunis

The advantage (for me at least) of wandering the Medina on a Sunday was that many shops were closed, and the chill atmosphere stood in stark contrast to what I presume is its usual frenetic pace of life. . .

Tunis Medina street with the minaret of Hammouda Pacha Mosque
A fish mosaic in a Medina madrasa. As you shall see, I really love tile mosaics!
Street view of the minaret of Al-Zaytuna Mosque, the main mosque in the Medina of Tunis

Carthage

The ancient Punic (aka western Phoenician or Carthaginian) civilization had Carthage as its capital. The Romans built over the city and little remains from its Punic period. While overall Carthage was a disappointment, it is nonetheless a must-see destination. . .

. . .but first it was time for lunch at a La Goulette (port of Tunis) seafood restaurant! After two weeks in the pescatarian desert that is Uzbekistan, it was a great relief to be on the Mediterranean coast.
The Punic Tophet, dedicated to Tanit and Baal. It is not clear whether the graves are a result of child sacrifice or from other causes such as high infant mortality. It is one of the only areas of Carthage not built over by the Romans or destroyed in later urbanization.
A ground level view of the Baths of Antoninus, one of the largest such complexes in the Roman world

Dougga

The Roman town of Thugga, partly built over Berber and Punic settlements, is one of the best preserved Roman towns in north Africa. In 1997 it achieved UNESCO World Heritage Site status (and consequent flood of funds and tourists!). Most of the mosaics and other artifacts from Dougga are on display at the Bardo Museum in Tunis.

Dougga Amphitheater. The clouds and morning light make this my favorite photo in this blog post.
View from the cheap seats at the amphitheater
The obligatory wildflower photo, a squirting cucumber (Ecballium elaterium). Its fascinating method of seed dispersal had recently been elucidated by researchers at Oxford University.
The Capitolium of Dougga, its most iconic monument
A 600 year-old olive tree at Dougga
The Vagabond Hiker under the Arch of Severus Alexander. The twin forks of an ancient olive tree are in the foreground. In the background in the Capitolium.
A Roman road built over an older Numidian road. Due to the irregular topography, the town was not built to the usual Roman plan.
The Trifolium Villa, the largest structure in the residential area of Dougga. Why doesn’t Wiki, in their otherwise extensive article on the town, call it what is clearly was: a brothel?

For those readers interested, much more of Dougga’s architecture and a bit of its history can be found on this fascinating website.

Bulla Regia

After another 90 minute drive we came to the Roman town of Bulla Regia. That it is not listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a mixed blessing: while much has not been excavated, I had the entire site to myself!

A portion of the residential area of Bulla Regia. The olive trees here and at Dougga are emblematic of much of the northern portion of Tunisia. It’s olive oil industry is extensive, though most is exported to Italy or Spain for blending.
The House of the Hunt, featuring its unusual hexagonal windows. The ground floor of these residences was in fact built underground, likely to keep them cooler in the intense summer heat.
House of Amphitrite floor mosaic. Houses here are named after their major mosaics, many of which are still in situ.
Detail from the Amphitrite House floor mosaic of Cupid riding a dolphin while admiring himself. An interesting and more extensive photo journal blog from another American Abroad can be viewed here.
An emperor sans hands and head at Bulla Regia. Detachable heads – and sometimes hands – made statuary easily modifiable when a new Roman emperor was crowned.
The large bear mosaic from the orchestra floor of Bulla Regia’s theater. From here, in 399 CE St Augustine of Hippo famously excoriated the townspeople for their lack of faith.

The Bardo Museum

Known for one of the world’s largest collection of Roman mosaics, to fully appreciate the extent of the collections in The National Bardo museum would require days. I had about two hours, mostly spent amongst the mosaics. . .

A Punic feeding vessel from the 3rd century BCE
An amazing, though incomplete, fish mosaic. . .
. . . and a single fish detail from the mosaic. Most of the fish can actually be identified with some certainty.
Continuing with the piscine theme of this post, a fisherman mosaic detail
Triumph of Neptune mosaic detail, from Neptune and the Four Seasons
The famous mosaic of Virgil, along with the muses Clio and Melpomene. It is the oldest portrait of the poet.

After my short visit to Tunisia, I headed back to London. . .

Bubbly, Tunis Air to London. Cheers!

Now back in Hastings until early November, I am feverishly working to get another two blog posts completed, which will return the focus to more interesting hiking in Portugal’s Algarve and another section of the Southwest Coast Path in Cornwall. Stay tuned!

The Vagabond Hiker

Summer in the Cities

Loyal readers of this blog will know that most of my time is spent in the mountains and deserts of the world, hiking, trekking, and climbing. On occasion, though, I crave some culture, history, and decent vegan cuisine. With bases in Italy and Britain this past summer, I was ideally situated to visit several capital cities in Europe that were new to me. Others cities served as stepping off points for mountain adventures. In all case except one, my main means of exploring each city was by walking, in every instance including a guided tour of the cities’ more historic areas.

I trust you will enjoy this change from my usual mountain and desert photos to mark the milestone of blog post #100. Rather than present the photos in chronological order, I have listed them from my least to most favorite cities visited in 2023.

#9. Islamabad

Staying in Islamabad before and after any trekking or climbing excursion to Pakistan is mandatory. Because of safety reasons we stayed in a mediocre hotel in an area of town with nothing interesting to see, no decent restaurants, and no walking possibilities except once as a group to change money. (Speaking of which, if money is no object, the hotel to stay at is La Serena). And while it was my least favorite city this past summer, there were a couple of highlights worth sharing from our guided bus tour.

At the Faisal Mosque. Named after King Faisal bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (who funded it), this mosque is a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. Although Friday prayers were is session at the time we visited, the worshipers largely ignored us.
Daman-e-Koh. A park with manicured grounds and sweeping views overlooking the city, lake, and Faisal Mosque. Note a couple monkeys in the lower right. Their antics were amusing, though I am usually not a big fan.
A truck at a paint shop in an industrial area of the city. If you’ve never seen a Pakistani Bedford truck painted like this, they are truly amazing: a rolling work of art.

#8. Belgrade

As far as European capital cities go, Belgrade was one of the least interesting of all that I’ve seen over the decades. While I found a fine vegan cafe a block from my hotel, the city’s architecture was generally boring, the one park I found nearby to visit (around the historic Belgrade Fortress) was crowded and noisy (granted, it was a Saturday), and the botanical garden was closed for a private function. The biggest plus was that by visiting Serbia, there now remain only three countries in Europe that I haven’t seen! I was quite happy to leave at the end of the weekend.

Pioneer Park and the Presidential Palace. My very engaging city tour started here, the cleanest area of the Old Town.
Church of the Holy Trinity (Russian Orthodox). An absolutely gorgeous little church where a wedding reception was just concluding.

#7. Yerevan

My main purpose of traveling to Armenia was for hiking and trekking in the Lesser Caucasus and Geghama Mountains (see my earlier post). Yerevan seemed to me very congested (partly due to a national celebration on the day we returned). Our cultural guide was very knowledgeable, and she was determined to impart as much of her knowledge as humanly possible.

History Museum at the Republic Square, the main square of the city. The turbulent history of Armenia is never far from the surface of any discussion.
The Vagabond Hiker holding onto a Spider sculpture
Mount Ararat from the Cascade Complex, the nicest part of town. I was on my belly to capture this photo with the flowers in the foreground. Although in Turkey, Mt. Ararat is sacred to all Armenians.

#6. Baku

Having some extra time in Tbilisi, Georgia (see below), I took a 40 minute flight to Baku, Azerbaijan for a one night stay. One night and one full day was about the right amount of time to see the more interesting sites of this city, the lowest capital city in the world at 92 ft below sea level.

Sabir garden and monument, named after the famous Azeri satirical poet and philosopher. Our city tour began in this calm place, just outside the walled Old Town (note the wall in the background).
Maiden Tower. An interesting and mysterious history of this famous landmark in Baku.
The Crescent Hotel (still under construction), reflected in the Caspian Sea. The oil slicks that covered much of the water near the shore may not be evident here.

#5. Marrakech

As it was my third time in this amazing city, I didn’t stay long, only for the two nights that book-ended a climb of Mount Toubkal. The Majorelle Gardens and numerous historic sites were outside the scope of my visit. But I got a couple of photos nonetheless. The two that follow were shown in my Toubkal climbing blog from June. Pardon the repeat.

Interior courtyard of the Riad Alida. If you visit Marrakech, for certain stay in a traditional Riad. And if you are on a budget, you could do a lot worse than this family-run establishment just outside the Medina.
Koutoubia mosque at sunset, from the terrace of our restaurant. It’s minaret was damaged three months later during the severe earthquake that struck the Atlas Mountains.

#4. Riga

The fact that I ranked this lovely capital city of Latvia outside of my top 3 gives some idea of the level of gastronomic, cultural, and urban walking experiences I enjoyed last summer.

Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral. For me a standout in a city with many interesting churches.
National Opera and Ballet, neither of which was performing in June.
An Old Town Plaza
Bastejkalna Park, a linear green space along the City Canal. The extensive Vērmane Garden nearby was also enjoyable, and not too crowded even on a warm(ish) Friday in June.

#3. Tbilisi

After my KE trek in Georgia was cancelled I quickly came up with some new plans (see my post from July), and based myself at a fantastic Airbnb in Old Town Tbilisi for 12 days. I was not disappointed. (The only downside was that the nightclubs seemed to go strong until 4 or 5 AM, even during the week. Bring earplugs.)

City view from above the Botanic Garden (behind me). The Old Town and surrounding areas were for the most part very clean and safe. I just wish the Botanic Garden had opened earlier; by late morning in July it was over 80 degrees and humid, so I saved it for a future visit.
Metekhi Virgin Mary Assumption Church at night, on a promontory overlooking the Kura River. This ancient Georgian-style church is the most picturesque in Tbilisi.
Tbilisi_Archive Restaurant entrance
The Restaurant Archive entrance, adjacent to the Wine Museum. This was the only fine dining experience I had in Tbilisi. The standard tourist restaurants were quite fine!
Night view of Tbilisi from my penthouse balcony at 5 Wine Rise.

#2. Luxembourg

My three nights’ stay in the upper town of this capital city of the Duchy of Luxembourg was time (and money!) well spent. With free public transport, several interesting museums, numerous parks and some good vegan cuisine, I found little to not like (other than the prices) about this ancient city. Honestly, it was a toss-up between Luxembourg and my chosen city for the top spot.

A panoramic view (at 0.5x) from the Pétrusse casemates to the lower city
Pont Adolphe over the Pétrusse River
A pathway along Parcs de la Pétrusse. The Alzette River joins this one a bit upstream from here. I didn’t have enough time to see all that I wanted to in the city, though I did visit an art exhibition and a local history museum.
Another view in the Parcs de la Pétrusse. A bit of the upper town, historically home to the burgesses and nobility, is seen on top of these cliffs.

#1. Vilnius

For some reason (most likely ignorance), my expectations for a two night stay in the capital of Lithuania were not high. They should have been! This city was absolutely stunning and more than deserved the European Capital of Culture designation in 2009. And the urban nature is second to none: some 46 percent of Vilnius is designated green space: parks, squares, and forests. To top it off, the fantastic restaurant, Rosehip Vegan Bistro, was a stone’s throw from my Airbnb. Whittling it down to six photos was very difficult. You’ll just have to visit Vilnius yourself!

Old Town Panorama from the Three Crosses Monument
An Old Town street
Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania
Wooden steps on a path in Kalnų park
Vilnia River view
Gediminas Castle Tower

In less than two weeks I depart California for Jordan. My time there will be divided between hiking in the Wadi Rum area in the south and enjoying some of the many cultural attractions, mostly in the north. Christmas Day will be spent exploring Petra (with about a million others I suppose). I’ll share some of the photos with you in January. Until then,

Happy Holidays!

The Vagabond Hiker

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