Travel with JoY

 We've just finished up day one of the Fresh Art Tour where art collectors of all stripes have had a wealth of art to peruse, absorb, enjoy and purchase. The fifteen sites on the tour here in Western Wisconsin, Pepin, Peirce and Buffalo Counties, have opened there doors to folks from as far as St. Louis (and possibly further) in large part due to a very nice article in Midwest Living this last year. We may be able to print tshirts bragging that we 'Survived the Fresh Art Tour of 2014' due to reports of snow overnight. Will you be one of those intrepid visitors? Four paintings, two watercolors and two oils found new homes today. Thank you Adoptees/Collectors, Sharon M and Betty R.

Paris, mai oui! We loved it. Our little apartment in St. Michel, just a half a block from the Seine and one between Notre Dame and the Louvre. We loved the food: Tipoly's Lebanese Moussaka Manouch, the chocolate shops, the macaroons flavored with lavendar, mint, lime, chocolate, raspberry and more. We loved dinner at the Restaurant on our corner where Yata had grilled duck breast with a honey pear sauce and I had the Sea Bass with Beuree Blanc (white butter, lightly toasted). They served wine in little ceramic pitchers that you then poured into your wine glass to share. Then in Montmarte the Creperie Lepic that served, beside Yata's gluten free savory crepe and regular dessert chocolate crepe, the best salad Montmartoise; red green bib lettuce with bacon, wonderful waxy yellow potato slices, boiled egg and toasted walnuts. Not sure what the dressing was, it was subtle. Oh, they also serve on top of the salad, a soft cooked egg. So the yoke can serve as so...

Safaa as learned from Samila at Villa Gonatouki in Essouira, Morocco February 2014 J. Accola 1 whole chicken olive oil angel hair pasta, one pound 1 cup of golden raisins 1 cup of almonds 1 red onion chopped 3 cloves of garlic minced 1 cup cilantro 1 cup parsley 2 cups chicken broth 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground tumeric 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper pinch of saffron powdered sugar and cinnamon to garnish Pasta: Prepare angel hair pasta by breaking up into 1in. Pcs. Drizzle pasta with olive oil Prepare steam bath Set noodles over steam and cover. Steam for about 10-12 min. Remove, sprinkle with salt mix and return to steamer for another 12” Remove and add golden raisins Sprinkle with water, mix and put back on steamer another 12” or until soft. Chicken and Veggies: Cut up chicken and remove skin and any excess fat. Saute in olive oil: red onion, garlic, chopped cilantro and parsley Sprinkle ...

The Sahara, a small most Western finger of it which reaches into eastern Morocco is a favorite tourist destination for visitors to Morocco. We booked a three day, two night tour with our guide Abdul who drove us first into the High Atlas Mountains where we stayed overnight one night in a venerable chalet-like hotel up in the mountains. The next morning we woke to drive down into the Valley of the Dades and got some great photos of an old casbah (sort of an ancient castle) in the morning light.  The day before on the way up the mountain we stopped at a famous casbah where many Hollywood films have been shot. In fact there was filming going on while we were there, a new one called the Queen of the Desert to feature Nicole Kidman. We didn't see her but we did take some photos with some of the extras. Abdul, our guide with the film extras Yata had the opportunity to share some tunes with a Berber musician.  His instrument was similar to a banjo....

Arrived to the contrast of the Nouvelle City, outside the walls or Medina of the Old City. Modern, banks and hotels line Mohamed V Avenue. Abdullah met us at the train station and delivers us to Bab Aylen (Bab is Gate) on the east side of the Medina. He then guides us by foot into the Medina about two short blocks to a small alley where we are greeted by Sayid of Riad Shaden. Sayid and Youssef, the managers are always 'service with a smile'. They tell us to 'ask for anything, we can help you'. In typical Moroccan tradition we are served sweet warm mint tea upon arrival and placed in our tiny room on the first floor of the Riad (Moroccan home with inner courtyard). Breakfast each day is strong coffee and warm milk with an assortment of breads such as corn bread, semolina bread and crepes. We asked for boiled eggs each morning to have some protein with all the carbs. We've met fellow travelers mostly from Europe, especially Netherlands. Always fun...

We arrived at the Moroccan International Airport today at Casablanca. No driver appeared as we had hoped. When I called the hotel they told me that the driver had a 'very bad problem with the police', so we were directed to take a taxi and not spend more than 280 Dirham. The driver got 300 out of us. It was a long drive and during the last half hour wound slowly through narrow inner city streets. After being in Cape Town, Casablanca it very scruffy. Everything is dusty and quite a bit of garbage lying around. We finally reached the hotel, a once fairly opulent hotel with the classic Arab tiles, and ornate wood trim and moulding. We were starving so begged the hotel restaurant to open a bit early for lunch. I had my first Moroccan tagine, fish with olives backed in a very flavorful sauce in a clay pot. Quite nice. Everything appeared clean here but it looks like they don't believe in using bleach. In the well dressed restaurant each table was formerly whi...

Being Tourists We've been hitting all the high spots, the V&A Wharf (similar to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf), the Hop on Hop off Bus Tours. In fact we took the bus half way up that mountain in the background to a beautiful overlook of the city below.  A taxi driver took us on a daylong trip to the Cape Point or Cape of Good Hope.  Along the way we saw the charming little, but endangered African Penguin. Liam has been a great little travel buddy.  He loves attention and just lights right up when you give him a smile.  He 'talks' and coos.....and poos!  Time to take off for a wine tour today to Stellenbosch.  The wine is the most pleasant surprise.  I knew they grew grapes, but had no idea the quality and with a good exchange rate, good prices.  Cheaper than soda and juice!  They're waiting for me, gotta go.

Capetown Here we Come! We leave tomorrow for Africa.   Africa, three times in one year, who would have predicted! We meet Ella and Liam there.  I hear it's beautiful.  We dropped of Randy the cat today with Terri.  Almost finished packing.   It's 80 degrees there during the day. Twelve days, then on to Morocco.