The Lygon Gauntlet

A while ago Sharon had to travel to Melbourne for a trade show, so I stayed the weekend as well so we could explore a bit (and actually spend some time together since I was working in Melbourne five days a week). This was her first time in Melbourne so I was excited to show her around; I knew she'd love the city.

She was staying Carlton, a neighborhood just north of the CBD (Central Business District for the uninitiated) that is home to Melbourne's Little Italy, which is centered around Lygon Street.

To walk up and down Lygon at dinner time is to run a gauntlet of Italian restaurants, each with its proprietor standing in front trying to herd people into his place. The more polite ones simply asked "Have you had dinner yet?" or "Would you like to have some dinner?" But some were pushier. One big guy literally blocked the sidewalk with his body and shoved his menu in the faces of his captives, all but intimidating them into choosing his restaurant. It reminded me of Little Italy in New York, except these people were actually Italian.

We decided to pick the busiest restaurant we passed, Teamo, on the logic that a full restaurant is a good restaurant. The waitress came to take our order and replied with a "No worries" remark after each dish we ordered. This entertained Sharon and me to no end and we began having hypothetical conversations.

"I'll have the spaghetti bolognese."

"No worries."
"Well, yeah, I'd hope not. It's your job to take my order."

"I'll have a glass of the pinot."

"No worries."
"I'm not worried. Are you worried?"

The restaurant turned out to be merely passable and as we walked back to the hotel we saw that all the restaurants had filled up. Clearly our "Full restaurant/Good restaurant" logic wouldn't suffice here. "I'll just have to try every one until I find the best," I told Sharon. 

Not a bad challenge to take...

Australia doesn't get out much

What do COPS, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch have in common? They're still found on Australian television. And I'm not talking about obscure cable channels, I'm talking about major networks.

"I'll shoot you if you change the channel!
This is the only country where we still get
air time and I need those royalty checks!"

Before moving to the Land of Oz we'd often been told, "Oh, it's just like the United States was twenty years ago." For the most part there was nothing that stuck out in my mind as a blast from the past. Except for television.. 

It seems like Australia doesn't get out much, so they don't know that the people who make TV shows didn't die en masse in 1999. There are, in fact, new shows that come and go every year. 

But the good people of Oz continue to watch the drama of Dr. Quinn treating an injured horse even though she wasn't trained in veterinary medicine, or teenage Sabrina learning that using spells to get a boy to like you is the Hogwarts version of a date rape drug. 

But while Australia doesn't get out much, it seems that all the actors do. In fact, they get out of the country completely. Aussie thespians are invading the States. 

Sure, pre-crazy Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Cate Blanchett have been around a while. They were the vanguard and now they're the old guard.

Now all the newbies hitting the screen are Aussie: That dumb guy from True Blood. The woman from X-Men: First Class, Eric Bana, the guy from Thor, that Thor guy's brother, Isla Fisher, the late Heath Ledger, Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator), the guy from The Mentalist, the guy from Hawaii 5-0, the guy from Nip/Tuck, absolutely everyone who had a speaking role in Animal Kingdom. And most of the time they're putting on American accents. 

What's ironic is that these Australians are coming to the U.S. to make the very TV series and movies that will probably air on major Australian networks in about a decade. 

So Australia, don't worry about leaving the house to find out what's going on; we'll come to you.

East v. North

Manly.

I'm talking about the town here, not my disposition. It's only a mile from Bondi as the crow flies, but some might say it's a world away. You see, there's a great divide that runs through Sydney. It's called the harbor. And it separates Sydney from North Sydney. That's just geography. More importantly, it separates Bondi Beach in the Eastern Suburbs from Manly Beach in the Northern Beaches. The harbor is full of bull sharks because we're meant to be separated. Because Bondi is better. But the Manly people...they think they're better. And so we're locked in a bitter battle over who's beach is better.

Some might say this is one of those superfluous arguments that can never be resolved. Paris versus London. Melbourne versus Sydney. Coke versus Pepsi. There's no right answer, these people say: just what's better for you. My mom once expressed a similar sentiment when she declared that she liked tie games because it meant nobody lost. She was promptly kicked out of America.

As an unbiased person I thought I'd compare the two combatants across a number of areas. This is a completely impartial comparison even though I lived in Bondi*.

Name: I have to give this one to Manly. After all, the name of the town is Manly. It was actually named for the manly comportment of the aborigines by an officer of the First Fleet. There are only two places that can outdo that name, and they're called Manlier and Manliest. They don't exist yet but I've got my eye on some cheap land in North Dakota and will someday become the Manliest Mayor. Has a ring to it. Bondi, an aborigine word, roughly translates into "the sound the waves make crashing on rocks." Poetic. But not manly. +1 Manly

Beach: Bondi is like the spokesperson for Australian beaches. It's famous and it's got an amazing setting -- curving from the cliffs of North Bondi south to the start of the beautiful Bondi-to-Bronte ocean walk. Whenever an advertiser needs an urban beach scene for a commercial they film it at Bondi. Manly also has a nice beach but it doesn't have quite the iconic setting. It also has a sewage pipe jutting out in the middle. It did have a whale and her calf stop by to play with some swimmers, which is cool, but the calf probably has developmental issues from the sewage now. +1 Bondi

 

Food/Bar Scene: Manly has a few winners. Some friends are constantly at one of three bars by the wharf and it's got a microbrewery that makes some solid beer. Bondi has actually changed a lot just in the years we've been there. Quite a few small, funky bars and new restaurants have opened up shop. We don't have a brewery but it's only a matter of time before some hipsters open one. Plus we've got Icebergs, which might have the best view in Australia for a bar.  +1 Bondi

 

People: The usual lazy dig against Bondi is that it's "full of Poms and backpackers". That's only partially true. It's actually full of hipsters. Think skin-tight jeans, plaid shirts or deep v-cut oversized t-shirts, Ray Ban Wayfarers, and beanies with a 5 day shadow. Manly seems to be full of tourists, though. And Poms and backpackers as well.  Draw

 

Wildlife: Besides an abundance of Staffordshire dogs in Bondi (all the hipsters buy them; there's seriously no originality when it comes to dog purchases in this part of the country) we've got Flying Foxes in the evening and the lovely sounds of the Kookaburra early in the morning. Manly had those whales, which is nice. But no one likes a retarded whale which is exactly what Manly will have once that calf returns next year.  Draw

And that settles it: Bondi wins with 2 points to Manly's 1 point. Sorry Manly, the East is better after all.

*This may be slightly partial after all.

RTW Trip: London

Arriving in London was a bit surreal for both Adam and I. We had both visited London in the past but this time around it was going to be our first English speaking country in a month and a half. Plus, my sister and her family live there which made this part of the trip extra special.

Adam and I knew we would have plenty of time to explore but for the first time we really had no agenda. Our only plan was to spend quality time with my nieces and help my very pregnant sister.

Getting lots of one on one time with my two nieces was great but a 4 year old and a 2 year old can really wear you out. One afternoon Adam and I played dragon with them for almost 2 hours. Essentially, Adam pretends to be a dragon and the rest of us find ways to kill him. Let me repeat... almost 2 hours!

Adam & Sienna

Throughout the week we had ample of time to play the “tourist” and got to see a number of things such as the Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, and the Science Museum.

Recommended by my brother-in-law, one restaurant stands out! It’s called “Burger & Lobster” and is a must for anyone heading to London. It has only three items on the menu -- a burger, a lobster roll, or a lobster tail -- but all of them are to die to for. We ordered their burger and their lobster roll. (Cue mouth watering)

Burger & Lobster

Burger & Lobster

Adam in heaven

Our time in London went by super fast but now it was time to head to America to the rest of our family and friends. Its been a year and a half since we were last home so this was going to be a non-stop friends and family tour.

Round the world Trip: Marrakesh

We were pretty pumped to be on our way to Marrakesh but once we arrived we'd be without a car the rest of the rip. So in the best interest of getting our deposit back on the rental car we decided to spring for a car wash before returning the car. It ended up costing us all of 40 dirhams which at the time was about $4.50. Amazing! With our baggage in hand we hailed a cab for $8 to take us into the medina to our riad.

Unfortunately, due to the very busy, very narrow streets of the medina our cab could only take us so far. We had to walk the rest of the way, which thankfully turned out to be a very short distance. We were in awe upon entering our hotel, the Riad Clementine. Owned and operated by a wonderful French couple, Antoine and Angela, the riad was beautiful and we just knew this was going to be a spectacular stay.

We quickly found out by the loud gossiping that a very large group of British women were also staying at our small and intimate riad. We knew we'd be fighting them for the riad's pool space as since they'd descend on it en masse.

Some of our nights were spent venturing out to the Ville Nouvelle or “new town” of Marrakesh. This area is full of upscale dinning, plenty of mainstream shopping, and was clearly where people with money flocked to be entertained. Since we no longer had a car, all of our explorations from this point on were by foot and our first night, as we head to Villa Nouvelle was no different. With map in hand we thought we could find our way. However, this was not the case so we asked a young guy for directions. In return we got a personal escort to walk us straight there, with no strings attached. It was quite impressive for both us.

We found many great spots for dinner and drinks so if you find yourself in this area definitely check out these couple places.

-       Café De Poste for drinks

-       Kechmara for food and drinks

Marrakesh is a lot easier to maneuver than Fez and so we opted out of a guided tour and opted in for the "Shadam self guided tour." In one day we hit up the Jewish Mellah, Saadian Tombs, El Badi Palace and Koutoubia Garden. Helpful tip from a Jew, don’t go to the Jewish quarters on Saturday, everything will be closed. 

Another day was spent visiting Majorelle Gardens, which was once owned by YSL and currently houses his memorial. Having worked in fashion for the last 10 years I was quite interested in checking it out. Plus, its just beautiful and highly recommended. Just be sure to go before 10am to beat the crowd. The rest of the day hours were spent shopping in the infamous souks (getting best Berber price), visiting a fairly small but well known photography museum and a quick visit to the Medersa.

A must see is the notorious Jema Al Fena Square. There are tons of food stalls, shopping, and even seminars on health and biology (an uneducation). My recommendation: get there around 4pm so that you can explore and enjoy during the day light, grab dinner at one of the many places (we ate at Chez Chegouri but there are much better places), then head back out as this area gets crazy when the sun goes down.

Jema Al Fena

Adam and I have always enjoyed Moroccan food and if you ever find yourself in Randwick, NSW, Australia then do yourself a favor and head to Moroccan Feast .  That being said, I had done some research and found Maison MK, a highly recommended hotel, spa and restaurant on TripAdvisor, where we could get private authentic Moroccan cooking classes. It began early in the morning with Chef Omar and went through the afternoon. It was a great experience that we continue to reap the benefits from.

Maison MK

Our last day in Marrakesh was spent having a relaxing brekkie and chilling by the pool before heading out to catch our bus that would take us to Essouira, the Moroccan beach town.  Turns out there are two types of buses that will get you to the coast one the locals call “the locals bus” and the other is for tourists. Do not take the “the locals bus” be sure to look for the one called Supratours! The ride was a no AC, painful, occasional beggar-filled, 3.5 hour ride.

We arrived at our hotel, Thalassa le’Medina, in time to settle and get dinner. We were located directly across from the beach and walking distance to the medina. This beach town is much smaller than the other cities we had been to. Its airy, manageable and there is plenty to keep you busy for a weekend. Be sure to get some fresh fish and seafood since this is what Essouira is known for.

On our way back to Marrakesh before our next flight, I ponder, "how strange its going to be back in the land of English and how exciting it will be to see my family!" Next stop… London!  

RTW Trip... After the desert

With the sand dunes in our review mirror we were on the road headed west to The Todra Gorge which plunges 300 meters down to a clear river. In the midst of the dry season we weren't expecting much water but at least a beautiful vista and a beautiful vista is what we got. Low levels of water still brought the locals for afternoons of picnics in the shade completely surrounded by high rising mountains.
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Todra Gorge

After a bit of hiking and explorations we headed to the small (understatement) town of Tinghir for a chill afternoon by the pool and a place to sleep.

Another stop along the way was to a small town call Skoura, an oasis lined by thick palm groves. Immediately upon arrival, Adam and I agreed that this was a cute town full of life. Small towns in Morocco have a very different feel to small towns in America. These small towns are only a few streets in all directions but the center is packed with people. We had an amazing lunch of soup and tagine before heading back to the car. Sight of a beautiful lake along the road called to us so of course... Adam wanted a picture.

Palm Grove

Lunch in Skoura

A short drive, a night in Arocha and we were on our way to Ouarzazate, also known as the door to the desert. Mostly inhabited by Berbers and considered an important destinations due to the construction of many very famous Kasbahs and Ait-Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Old Kasbah

Inside Kasbah

Out front of Kasbah Ouarzazte

Our place in Arocha

Our place in Arocha

Arocha

Cutest couple in Arocha!

Visiting Ait-Benaddou is a bit like visiting Hollywood since it’s the film set for many many famous movies like Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, The Mummy and most recently parts of Game of Thrones. Its not hard to understand why so many would choose to film movies out here.

We had heard about a very old, untouched Kasbah in a small off-the-road town, Telouet, from Madame French, the owner of our cute riad in Arocha. Debating whether our posh A4 would be able to handle the windy, rough road, we decided why not? Plus, it’s a rental. Passed by many with 4WD, the journey was long and rough but beautiful nonetheless. Driving along the curving road through mountainous terrain it’s hard to believe just how many people stand on the side of these dangerous roads in an effort to sell geode rocks. 

After an mentally exhausting drive for Adam we arrived to Kasbah Telouet. Quickly crumbling back to the red earth it came from, we were able to see all the beauty this old building has to offer. A photographers dream we tried our best and hope you can appreciate it too. 

Its probably one of the most well-known cities in all of Morocco and feels like that largest but surprisingly it’s fourth after Casablanca, Rabat and Fes. Just the drive alone was worth it. Next up… Marrakesh!