Any Excuse to Travel

Stories from travels in

January 2016

India: a matter of opinion and I’m convinced

The most famous story I know that has its origins in India is that of the blind men and the elephant. It’s a parable that

Recommended without reservation

I love my food. I’ve always loved my food. I love the way it looks, the way it tastes, the way it complements a mood.

Scrubbing down in Morocco

It’s been a long time since anyone scrubbed me down and washed me. The last time was most likely during a hospital stay in Cherry

Essaouira doors

Opened or closed?

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live. So said Flora Whittemore, an American woman who lived till 103 and

Sleepy or stormy?

After the hustle that was the souks of Marrakesh, it was a refreshing change to wander about the souks in the medina in Essaouira where

Surf or turf?

I’d be hard pushed to choose between a day by the sea or a day at the races. So any day that I can have

Pop culture or traditional culture?

The Man Who Knew Too Much, Hitchcock’s 1956 thriller, with Doris Day and Jimmy Stewart opens in Marrakesh. Ten years later, in 1966, Our Man in Marrakesh aka Bang!

Berber village high atlas

Day trippin’ in the Atlas Mountains

The High Atlas are something special. Yes, the valleys and the rivers are spectacular and the scenery is jaw-dropping, but it’s the Berber villages that

Street food or restaurants?

I wouldn’t think twice about eating from a market stall in Dublin or Budapest or London or anywhere in Europe, but move me to another