Our European adventures thus far (Bordeaux in particular) have sparked my interest in architecture. The variety of buildings and designs - from the grand to the seemingly mundane - stand silent testament to a fascinating history; and as yet I haven't understood what secrets of the past these carved walls contain. So like all good researchers, I turned to Google for answers. What I learnt was that the buildings invariably reflect the era in which they were desi...

No, I haven't picked up an inflammatory skin condition on our travels (yet - touch wood...). The title "Hives" refers to the effect one experiences when you visit Barcelona for one day only, plan to visit each of the major sights during that day, and that day just so happens to fall on the first Saturday of Summer... and during a long weekend. Ant farms, bee hives, kicking the hornet's nest... call it what you will. Our day in Barcelona was a combination of walki...

I've often wondered how poets, writers, photographers and artists can say that they've been "inspired" by a place. Our arrival and subsequent days in Ronda have made me understand. How can you communicate a place in words that is beautiful beyond the limits of words and language? How can you capture the perfection of a place through one image (be it photo, painting, sketch), when it is so much more than that? It's like the ultimate challenge; to share your experi...

After a warm and accomodating welcome at our riad in Rabat (Sjane booked us in for September instead of April and they still found us a room), we instantly felt more at ease than we did in our time in Marrakech. Whilst there, we were constantly accosted by locals wanting to make a quick buck through scams or lies. None of this was new to us: Westerns in developing countries are often perceived as money bags, and therefore a target. A bit of poking and he/she will...

Visiting Marrakech for us was all about the food. Sure, wandering the human-sized maze that is the medina souk is entertaining. Yes, the historic and architecturally beautiful riads are an eye opener. And of course visiting designer Yves Saint-Laurent's Majorelle Gardens and taking in the variety of cacti collected from around the globe is nothing short of captivating. But for years now Sjane and I have loved tagines, couscous, eggplant salads, pastillas and libe...