The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

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

Mount Toubkal, Morocco

In August 2019 I posted photos from a two week trekking trip of the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco, on which our KE group attempted four 4000m (13,130 ft) peaks, including Mount Toubkal, the highest point in North Africa. Although I summitted the other three, Mount Toubkal eluded me due to an untimely gout flare up. Four years later I returned for a weekend (!) of hiking to complete that unfinished business. . .

Friday: Arrival in Marrakech

Flying from Milan via Lisbon required the best part of the day. Having no checked luggage, my biggest worry was having my trekking poles confiscated by the security. However, they – and I – made it to our Riad (traditional inn) located just outside of the Medina (walled city). An oasis in this chaotic city.

Riad Alida courtyard, Marrakech
Dar Marjana terrace, where I had my first Moroccan dinner and a glass of chilled white wine, about a two minute walk from Riad Alida.

Saturday: Approach hike to Mouflons Refuge

Following the path nearly everyone takes who wishes to climb Toubkal, we left the road head at Imlil Village late morning following a two hour drive from Marrakech. Our strong group of four clients and one guide had about 11km and 1500m of ascent to accomplish.

The hillside hamlet of Aroumd, near the start of our trek, heading up the Ait Mizane Valley
Hiking towards the Shrine Sidi Chamharouch (white dome in the middle of the photo). Our cook prepared a traditional Moroccan lunch for us here (the halfway point), with a salad and tagine – vegetable in my case.
Cascade Sidi Chamharouch. There was a lot more water flowing than 4 years ago, due to a relatively wet winter.
Mouflons (left) and Neltner refuges with the start of the Toubkal summit route seen here. The actual summit is far above to the left.
Toubkal as seen from the summit of Ouanoukrim (4089m). The climbing route is not visible here, off to the left. I took this photo in 2019.

Sunday: Summit day and return to Marrakech

Many summiters start at a reasonable hour, say 7 AM. However, this compressed weekend trip meant we had not only to summit – about 1000m of ascent on an often rough, bouldery trail – but trek back all the way to Imlil. A wake up call at 3 AM and departure before 4:30 was the solution.

Dawn on the flanks of Toubkal. By this time we were almost to the top.
Alpenglow on Ouanoukrim at dawn
The Vagabond Hiker on Toubkal summit (4167m). It was a chilly, windy hike in the pre-dawn hours, but probably not below freezing.
Goats and goatherd on descent. My biggest concern was my knees on the 2500m (8000+ ft.) of descent, but that proved unfounded.
Our group back in the shade, approaching Imlil after a long day.
Koutoubia Mosque at sunset from our Marrakech terrace restaurant where we celebrated a 100% success rate.

Monday: return home

After any endeavor of this nature, a let down is natural, and so it was with me as I headed home, a long day of travel back through Lisbon to Milan, followed by a 3 hour drive to my apartment above Riva del Garda. After a couple of days to decompress and wait for the weather to improve, I am back hiking and climbing Via Ferrate for another week before my summer adventures continue from my base near Windsor, England. I may do a short post at the end of my sojourn in Italy as it has been nearly three years since I’ve been in the Lago di Garda region, and then not during the spring flower bloom.

The Vagabond Hiker

Trekking Morocco’s High Atlas

Last week I returned to England after a two week trekking journey through the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. In addition to the summit of North Africa’s highest peak, Mount Toubkal (4167m, 13670 ft), the KE Adventures itinerary included the summits of Ouanoukrim (4089m), Adrar n’Dern (4001m) and Bouiguinoussem (4025m). Apart from the demanding summit climbs and wonderful trekking through breath-taking landscapes and over high passes, our group of 13 got to experience some of the culture of the remote Berber villages nestled in picturesque valleys of the Central Atlas range.

Here’s a map of Morocco. Toubkal and the Central High Atlas are to the east and south of Marrakech, our starting and finishing point on this adventure. When I trekked in Morocco in the winter of 2014, it was further south in the Anti Atlas, bordering the Sahara.
Above the village of Oukaimeden on Day 1. The haze (particulates from the Sahara?) was persistent throughout the trek, with the exception of a couple of days following strong winds.
A remote Berber village house in the morning light on Day 3.
Jeep track descending to the valley of Setti Fatma, Day 3
The valley of Setti Fatma. Our camp was set up in the nearest village seen here.
River Cafe, village of Setti Fatma. Many locals visit this mountain village at the road end to escape summer heat and enjoy the rivers and waterfall.
The Vagabond Hiker enjoying a Power Shower in the Setti Fatma waterfall. Photo courtesy of our guide, Rachid.
A pleasant riparian path at the start of Day 4. Our longer days started at dawn or even earlier to avoid the afternoon heat and potential of thunderstorms.
A gnarled Spanish Juniper seen on Day 4. Some of these amazing trees are more than 400 years old.
A remote Berber hamlet perched on the side of a mountain which we passed Day 4. Talk about a hard life!
Our shady lunch spot on Day 4. On many days the cook crew would set up our lunch of salad, a grain (pasta, couscous, rice), tinned fish, and fruit. A pleasant two hours spent spent eating, reading, soaking our feet in a stream, and napping would pass quickly enough.
A typical salad our hard-working crew prepared for us at lunch. Although this photo was taken when I visited in 2014, the lunches on this trek were very similar.
Goats seen while we were heading up the Tizi n’Boukchoud pass (2976m) on Day 5. As fun as they are to watch, they do devastate the landscape.
A young goatherd and one of her charges on the Jbel Amlal.
Our group in the early morning to the summit of Adrar n’Dern on Day 6. The moon was full a couple of nights previously.
Our group climbing to summit of Adrar n’Dern. Lots of boulders but no real scrambling on the first of our 4000m peaks.
The Vagabond Hiker on the summit of Adrar n’Dern (4001m). The high point in the distance on the right is Mount Toubkal. Our ascent route a week later on Toubkal would be from the other side.
Some of our group on the scree descent of Adrar n’Dern. The boot skiing here was fantastic!
View across the Tizi n’Ourai to the Berber village of Amsouzart on Day 7
A rare trailside flower not covered in thorns that escaped the goats, near the Tizi n’Ourai
Green valley near the Berber village of Amsouzart, where we spent a night in a basic gite and enjoyed hot showers.
Day 8 morning view looking back on the green valley near the Berber village of Amsouzart that we first saw on our descent the previous day.
Lake Ifni, our lunch and swim spot. It is the largest lake in the Central Atlas and our three hour break enabled some of us to enjoy a swim and sun bathing.
Our camp at a stream confluence in a gorge above Lake Ifni. Our orange tents are in the bottom center of this photo.
Looking back on the gorge we ascended to start our climb of Ouanoukrim on Day 9
Mount Toubkal from the summit of Ouanoukrim (4089m)
Neltner (Mt Toubkal) refuge and our camp (orange tents to the right of the refuge compound). Located at 3200m, it was our highest camp. Hot showers in the refuge were greatly appreciated after a long day.

The following day, Day 10, was our ascent of Mt Toubkal. While it is the highest mountain in northern Africa, Toubkal was also the easiest (and by far the most crowded) ascent of the trip. To avoid the long scree ascent and the crowds, The Vagabond Hiker had his gout flare up, ensuring a restful day in camp. All the other clients successfully summitted. For several, it was their personal high point.

On Day 11 we attempted our most technically challenging peak, Bouguinoussen. Here two guides and some of our group are ascending above the Tizi Tadate (Pass of the Finger). The scrambling actually wasn’t all that hard, but fun nonetheless.
The Vagabond Hiker on the summit of Bouguinoussen (4025m) with Elizabeth and Ruth. Only five clients made this summit.
View from the summit of Bouguinoussen. The haze had returned after a couple of days respite.
Part of our 1600m (one mile vertical) descent route to our final camp after summitting Bouguinoussen. Amazingly my knees held up alright.
A waterfall on our descent from Bouguinoussen. No Power Shower here, but a kiosk with an enterprising young man selling cold drinks was welcome.
Sunset view from final camp with tents. Our muleteers set up and took down all the clients’ tents at every camp and the cook and mess tents at most camps.
Morning valley view with fields on the final day (Day 12 of the trek). The terraced farms are irrigated from the mountain streams. The farmers grow barley and wheat, typically with a second crop of corn or potatoes each year.
Spanish Junipers on the final morning of trek.
A few of our eight mules passing us on the final morning of trekking. The muleteers always arrived at camp and set it up before we got there. While they didn’t always follow the high trails and of course did no summits, their strength and stamina were amazing. (That goes for the mules, too).
Some geological folding seen on final morning entering Imlil village. For those geologists among you, I can recommend the open online book chapter entitled “Structural Geological Analysis of the High Atlas (Morocco): Evidences of a Transpressional Fold-Thrust Belt“
Imlil Valley vista. The village of Imlil is the starting point for more than 90% of the visitors that climb Toubkal. For us it was the end point of our 12 days trekking. We stayed the final night in a gite with hot showers and comfortable beds. It was with decidedly mixed feelings that we arrived back in civilization.
Having a morning free in Marrakech at the conclusion of the trek, several of us visited the Majorelle Gardens, an oasis of tranquillity and shade amidst the frenetic heat of the city. I took this photo and the lunch photo when I visited in 2014. There is also another out of place trekking photo from 2014. Did you spot it?

One week from today I fly to Verona, Italy to enjoy the next 6 1/2 weeks in the Italian Alps, Dolomites, and on Lago Garda. I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there! Until then, “Keep Hiking, Keep Living”

The Vagabond Hiker

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