heavy loads

before Skoura (Ouarzazate), Morocco

along the Dades River...

spices by weight

Boumalne Dades (Ouarzazate), Morocco

Local markets in Morocco wouldn't be complete without these emblematic bags of spices.

 

local markets

Boumalne Dades (Ouarzazate), Morocco

Dades River Valley, Morocco

Dades River Valley, Morocco

The Dades River Valley and Gorge area is unbelievable!  The distinctive patterns in the rock formed from water and wind erosion are curiously called "monkey fingers".  The rocks and red earth are beautiful themselves, but the deep green of the Dades River Valley makes this a very special place to visit, one I will never forget!  

This is the area of a 1000 kasbahs.  One can be seen in the distance to your left.  Click here for a closer look!

life

Ziz River Valley, Morocco

The river of green gives life to this area...

Ziz River Valley

Ziz River Valley (Errachidia), Morocco

a river of palm trees

Ziz River Valley (Errachidia), Morocco

The Ziz River valley, tucked away between the Atlas mountains, is a river of green going for miles that will make you say "wow" more than once!

when the sun goes down

Merzouga (Erg Chebbi), Morocco

golden

Merzouga (Erg Chebbi), Morocco

that magical time of the day when the sand turns into many different hues of orange, red... a color difficult to describe...

 

camping among the dunes

Merzouga (Erg Chebbi), Morocco

Fès el Bali

Fès, Morocco

Fès el Bali (Old Fes) - ONESCO World Heritage Site

 

the streets of Fes

Fès, Morocco

color in the medina

Fès, Morocco

one of many mosques in Fes

Fès, Morocco

street art

Fès, Morocco

orange juice, anyone?

Fès, Morocco

bread, anyone?

Fès, Morocco

details make all the difference

Fès, Morocco

ceramic beauty

Fès, Morocco

Ceramic pottery and tiles are an integral part of decorating in Islamic cultures.

perfect displays

Fès, Morocco

Fès el Bali (Old Fes) dates from the 9th century with a medina as busy as ever before.  It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.  Here we can see a proud shop owner with a perfect display of dried fruit.

hand of Fatima

Marrakech, Morocco

The hand shaped figures, known as hamsa or khamsa, were used as a sign of protection in many societies throughout history.  In Islam they are known as "the hand of Fatima".  This open right hand is a sign of protection, represents blessings, power and strength and is thought to ward off the evil eye.

a door in Arabic

Fès, Morocco

The inhabitants of Morocco were originally the Berbers, but in the 7th century the first Muslims arrived and brought their language, their government and their religion, which remains the predominant religion of the country today.

detailed patterns

Tamdaght (Ouarzazate), Morocco

camels and dunes

Merzouga (Erg Chebbi), Morocco

The picture speaks for itself...
 

lighthouses on a rocky coastline

Cudillero (Asturias), Spain

serendipity

Luarca (Asturias), Spain

Some of the best moments are those than just happen without any planning and that happen by chance.  Serendipity.  That is exactly what happened to us on a beautiful Sunday morning in Asturias.

I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning than listening to live music outside - and better yet - in this beautiful fishing port as a backdrop.  When walking to this area of Luarca, we heard a voice from the other side of the port singing Johnny Cash's signature song "Ring of Fire".  I thought to myself, "Wow, they're really good.  Let's get closer and check this out."  The closer we got, the more impressed I became.  It turns out, it was a group called the Strangers made up of Silvia Fernández and Lee Wolfe, but I didn't know their names at the time.  The more they sang the more I thought they had to be native English speakers, based on their accent singing.  However, hearing this duo speak between songs, I realized the man must be American and the woman Spanish, which was confirmed after the concert talking to them.  It turns out he was from Pennsylvania and she was from Asturias.  I absolutely loved the concert full of American roots music with songs as varied as Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, etc.  

It was one of those moments you never wanted to end, with such good music, such good weather, such good company and such beauty surrounding us!

mountains, a river and the sea

Luarca (Asturias), Spain

Luarca is in a privileged area surrounded by mountains and the River Negro flowing into the sea.

Luarca

Luarca (Asturias), Spain

Luarca is definitely worthy of a visit, especially with weather like this!  It is the hometown of the 1959 Nobel Peace Prize winner in Medicine, Severo Ochoa.

fish market

Cudillero (Asturias), Spain

A tradition of fishing clings to this picturesque village in the north of Spain.  The old Lonja de Pescado (fish market) can be seen here blending in with the rest of the colorful homes of Cudillero.

 

from high above

Cudillero (Asturias), Spain

Take a walk up the hill by following any of the blue railings which lead you to impressive views from high above.  You can sneak a peek inside some of the colorful homes on the way.

pixuetos

Cudillero (Asturias), Spain

The people of Cudillero are also known as "pixuetos" which comes from the Asturian word meaning "people who make a living from fishing"  (pix = fish; ueto = activity).  This term was meant to differentiate them from the majority of the rest of the people of Asturias who made a living from agriculture and cattle raising.

colors of happiness

Cudillero (Asturias), Spain

life on the sea

Cudillero (Asturias), Spain

It really exists!

Cudillero (Asturias), Spain

This small fishing village on the coast of northern Spain is so beautiful that you have a hard time believing it really exists!

blue and green...

Nieva (Asturias), Spain

Blue and green - a wonderful combination!

surrounded by nature

Tamdaght (Ouarzazate), Morocco

This is the ideal place to contemplate nature at its fullest!  The contrast of the green and earth tones knocks you off your feet!

bare beauty

Tamdaght (Ouarzazate), Morocco

that time of day...

Boumalne Dades (Ouarzazate), Morocco

that time of day when the light is magical...

 

I love doors...

Fès, Morocco

hand painted doors in the Medina

Fès, Morocco

earth tones

Tamdaght (Ouarzazate), Morocco

satellite dishes...

Fès, Morocco

Satellite dishes where you least expect them...

 

drying on rooftops

Fès, Morocco

After the skins have dried, they are then sold for the production of various leather goods.
 

saffron yellow

Fès, Morocco

All animal skins are dyed by stomping on them in the circular vats except those that will be dyed yellow.  Saffron is used to produce the yellow color and because it is such an expensive spice, it is mixed with oil and rubbed into the skins by hand as can be seen in this picture.

drying

Fès, Morocco

Once dyed, the animal skins hang in any place imaginable to dry.

1000+ years

Fès, Morocco

In the world of handicrafts, leather is Morocco's number one export to countries like Spain, France and India.  Although factories exist today to keep up with demand, to clean, wash, treat, soften and dye the animal skins, places like this tannery in the heart of Fès are still in operation after more than 1000 years following the same backbreaking manual process that they used in the past.

Once the animal skins are cleaned, washed, treated and softened, the final step is to dye the leather traditionally using natural vegetable dyes:  poppy flower (red), indigo (blue), henna (orange), cedar wood (brown), mint (green) and saffron (yellow).  A few of these colors can be seen above. 

Check out this video by Barbara Weibel from her blog for the full process.

up close at the tannery

Fès, Morocco

Here's a look up close to see how these men work the tannery.  Apart from the man on the right, most of the men wear no protective clothing.
 

Fès and its tannery

Fès, Morocco

A perspective of the tannery from the opposite end of yesterday's picture.  It reminds me of one big watercolor palette.

natural pigment dyes

Fès, Morocco

The man from yesterday's picture brings the skins here where they are left to soak in the vats (sometimes for days) containing various acids, natural pigments, pigeon droppings and cow urine.

backbreaking jobs

Fès, Morocco

This is one of the many arduous jobs of the men at the tannery in Fès.  He is gathering the animal skins to take to the vats to be treated and dyed.  Seeing this whole process definitely gave me a whole new appreciation for what hard work really means!