Introduction:
The end is near. Last month of six-month summer journey, and nine-months of travel during the calendar year. Return flight from London to New York City, and share time with family during winter holidays. Begin anew in late December, flight to Auckland, New Zealand via Los Angeles. Welcome home, says the prodigal son.
Some elements of the trip appear in “The Daily” including a mishmash of topics. Photo gallery has trip images, captions available when viewed in slide show mode.
Biggest danger in Marrakesh medina is getting rear-ended by a scooter or robbed by pick-pocket. There are un-marked detours in the medina, piles of earthquake rubble remain; narrow alleys, debris removed by hand. Much of the Marrakesh earthquake damage occurred inside the medina; it’s an old structure, patchwork construction, nothing short of “duct tape and baling wire.” Following the earthquake, it’s no surprise that medina residents sleep outdoors on the large square at Jemaa el-Fnaa.
Grateful to visit Marrakesh, but disappointed. Perhaps should have visited Essaouira and Agadir on the coast, or, small villages in the High Atlas Mountains.
MON 02Oct: pre-dawn, three-mile walk to train station, comfortable temperature, street lights, no menacing threats; physical activity before four-hour train from Marrakesh to Rabat. Don’t like back-tracking, but, there was no direct flight from Tunis to Marrakesh. Train station lobby has marble floor. Young cat, less than one-year old, is playing, and slides along the floor, entertaining itself, and entertaining the awaiting passengers. On the train, pass cell phone towers that are made to resemble palm trees; towers don’t resemble palm trees; towers resemble towers. Reminded of René Magritte, Treachery of Images, “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (this is not a pipe). Arrive in Rabat, AirBnB is located around the corner from the train station.
Rabat, on the Atlantic coast, is Morocco’s capital. Weather is temperate, similar to San Diego. Bougainvillea are a rainbow of colors, not just magenta, but also, pink, purple, orange, yellow, and white. Visit central market, medina, Andalusian Garden, and the Kasbah, with its formidable gates. Visit Hassan tower, site of an unfinished mosque; top third of the tower collapsed during the 1755 Lisbon Portugal earthquake. Visit small art museum, it restores my soul, break from the din of travel. Sit on a bench, find my breath, and perhaps, fleeting moment of peace.
THU 05Oct: train car twenty-one is second to last, run to get on board, morning train from Rabat to Fez; variety of terrain, some areas, economically depressed, train arrives late to the station. Sometimes, there is a feeling of isolation when I arrive, sense of foreboding dread and discomfort, as if, I want to get back on the train and immediately leave, even though I just arrived. Feeling is temporary, it subsides, but, for a period of time, it feels very real. Walk three-miles, and arrive at AirBnB, traditional guest house in the heart of the medina. Stairs to my room are narrow and steep, no handrail; touch the step in front of me to maintain balance.
It’s all too easy to get lost and disoriented in the Fez medina. Narrow alleys, thick plaster walls extend upward three stories. iPhone GPS can’t pinpoint my location. I am patient, and getting lost – and found – in the medina is part of its charm. Tourist touts, are not part of the medina’s charm. Next morning, eight-mile loop run, with steep hills, to explore Fez; it’s mostly underwhelming; I was ready to depart yesterday.
SUN 08Oct: arrive at train station pre-dawn, buy new ticket to depart immediately, train from Fez to Kenitra. At Kenitra, change trains, high-speed train to Tangier, the only high-speed train in Africa; travel at 320 km/h (192 mp/h). Walk past Grand Café du Paris, and expect to see Jason Bourne give chase on foot or motorcycle, and disappointed when it doesn’t occur (Bourne Ultimatum, 2007).
TUE 10Oct: pleased to visit Morocco; preferred Tangier, Rabat, and Casablanca to Marrakesh and Fez; unlikely to return, unless opportunity to experience red sands of Sahara desert. Cross Strait of Gibraltar, morning ferry from Tangier to Tarifa, Spain. Tarifa is popular with kite surfers due to prevailing winds; Tarifa also sets the stage in the opening of Paulo Coelho’s bestselling book, The Alchemist (1988). For the first time since I can remember, it’s safe to drink tap water. Toilet paper goes in the toilet.
WED 11Oct: bus from Tarifa to Málaga arrives late – gratitude – better than broke down at the side of the highway (due to faulty door sensor). Bus station is across street from train station, which is attached to a large mall; re-confirm train ticket before checking into local hostel. Visit Pablo Picasso museum, city in which he was born.
THU 12Oct: high-speed train (300 km/h | 180 mp/h) from Málaga to Madrid. National day (Día de la Hispanidad) in Spain, commemorates discovery of America by Christopher Columbus; streets are crowded, as I walk from Atocha station to hostel. Drop off backpack, walking tour of the city, followed by fireworks in the evening.
Visit Museo Reina Sofia, witness Picasso’s Guernica (1937), massive 3×8-meter canvas, the painting brought attention to the Spanish Civil War. Slowly recognize, as Caucasian American, I am no longer interesting to other people.
SAT 14Oct: express bus from Atocha station to Madrid airport; one-hour flight to Lisbon Portugal. Exit airport, modern subway into city center. Drop off backpack at hostel and explore. City is paved with white and black cobblestones, reminds me of travel to Macau (2008). Spray-painted graffiti “free Palestine” is soon painted over.
Gentleman approaches, and asks, “cocaine.” I reply, “sorry, I don’t have any.” Gentleman asks second time, “cocaine.” Recognize that he is asking if I want to buy cocaine. “No.”
Day trip, train from Rossio Station to nearby mountain village of Sintra; enjoyable hiking trails to visit Moorish Castle and Pena National Park and Palace.
Five-mile run along the waterfront, on cobblestones, feel every sharp edge in zero-drop shoes. Later in the day, visit the many street art exhibits.
WED 18Oct: metro to airport, morning flight, gate agent is militant, bag tags every carry-on that is marginally too big for the Airbus A320 overhead bin. Airport express bus to Atocha station, check into local hostel. Visit Museo Nacional del Prado, part of Madrid’s golden triangle of art, including Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and Museo Reina Sofía. Prado is as splendid as the art pieces contained, including works by Goya, El Greco, Rubens, and Diego Velázquez.
Next day, cold and rain; first day of rain in six months of travel. I have a migraine, not the worst, but, unyielding pain and nausea keep me in bed until sunset.
FRI 20Oct: high-speed train from Madrid-Atocha to Barcelona-Sants; metro to hostel, followed by whirlwind walking tour of the city; glorious weather, 70-degrees and sunshine. First tourist visit to Barcelona; visited twice on business (2010, 2011).
Four-mile run, through a brick Arc du Triomf, to Parc de la Ciutadella; there are other runners, and bicyclists, too; I don’t resemble an oddity. Afternoon visit to Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, which was mostly underwhelming. Entrance plagued by skateboarders, not tourist friendly, would have preferred a plague of locusts.
Another four-mile run; visit Sagrada Familia un-finished basilica of 1882, and Cathedral Barcelona; walk down La Rambla street, wide, tree-lined boulevard; musicians perform on the many plazas. Barcelona has many high-end, luxury stores; make me feel poor; would never enter one of these stores, let alone, buy anything. Barcelona has stunning night life, and surprised to see the popularity of “gin gardens,” oft repeated complaint that gin smells and tastes more like turpentine than juniper.
TUE 24Oct: walk two-miles to train station; French train (SNCF) from Barcelona-Sants to Paris Gare de Lyon, 650-miles, seven-hours. Ten stops en route along Mediterranean coast; turn north at Lyon, and commence high-speed travel (300 km/h). Scenic ride: cumulous clouds, verdant hills, vineyards, plowed fields, and deciduous trees, teasing just a hint of color. Arrive fifteen-minutes late; take metro to Paris Gare du Nord. Given its close proximity to Gare du Nord, hostel is built within the existing metal skeleton of a preserved train shed.
Metro to Louvre, 9:00am ticket purchased on-line: Mona Lisa (La Gioconda), the massive Coronation of Napoleon, and Venus de Milo (sculpture); Liberty Leading the People is under restoration. Privileged to visit some of the finest art museums in the world: Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Guggenheim Museum (NYC), and Hermitage Museum (St Petersburg). I’m not a connoisseur, perhaps, a common sewer; however, I recognize Picasso from Pissarro, and Monet from Manet. Museum quickly becomes crowded; museum fatigue sets in.
Explore Latin Quarter, Bastille market, and Montmartre, followed by four-mile run; weather mostly cooperates. Paris is dirty, it should take hygiene lessons from Spain.
FRI 27Oct: Eurostar from Paris-Gare du Nord to London-St Pancras International; six month journey has returned full circle. Could fly from Spain to the United States, but, where is the adventure, versus overland travel from Morocco to England. Enter London Underground, Victoria line, check into local hostel. Staff’s brogue is heavy, don’t understand what is being said, and I smile politely. Leisurely walk through central London, appreciate browsing English titles in the used bookstores
SAT 28Oct: receive email from US State Department, mid-day pro-Palestine demonstration in London, exercise caution. Morning train, East Midland Railway, from London to Nottingham, through the bucolic countryside. Older gentleman sits next to me, also traveling to Nottingham, to spread the ashes of his recently-deceased sister. We compare travel notes, and he shares with me his travels to Iran, once upon a time. Short walk to hostel, drop off backpack, and enjoy the town’s picturesque pedestrian mall. Locals are in the spirit, dressed up for Halloween, with over-the-top costumes and make-up, but, no sightings of Robin Hood or his Merry Men. Brief glimpse of sun in the afternoon, and four-mile run through the city.
SUN 29Oct: daylight savings time ends in England; morning train from Nottingham to Manchester; train is crowded with football fans, standing room only; appears that it is never too early in the morning to drink beer. North of Sheffield, pass through Peak District National Park, its emerald green landscape is sublime. Walk to hostel, pass a sign for free personality test, keep walking, didn’t want to fail.
MON 30Oct: rain and 50-degrees; most of my summer was 100-degrees. Walk to station, train from Manchester to Oxford; a shy sun peeks out from behind the clouds. City is home to University of Oxford, oldest university in the English-speaking world, I feel smarter already. Afternoon run along the Oxford Canal, lovely greenspace.
TUE 31Oct: train, one-hour, from Oxford to London Paddington station; low-key day, afternoon nap in anticipation of long travel day on Wednesday.
Málaga, Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Paris, and London are magnificent, can’t capture the beauty and scale of its architecture. US dollar trades at a discount to Euro and British pound; it remains expensive to visit Europe, especially food and lodging. Travel experience is civil; well-signed public transportation, but also, a bit too predictable.
WED 01Nov: at midnight, London Underground to airport, before service ends at 1:00am; just me and a few Halloween revelers. United Airlines, London Heathrow to Newark, lands at 1:00pm; followed by an afternoon jubilee of public transportation: New Jersey Transit, Metro North, and Shoreline East; welcome home.
Cost:
Track cumulative travel costs, 191-days.
Lodging: $4,410 total | $23 day
Transport: $6,062 total | $32 day (plane | train | bus | ferry | taxi)
Food: $486 total | $3 day
Other: $1,668 total | $9 day (FX | ATM | visa | tourism | other)
Total: $12,626 total | $66 day | $24,130 annualized
Passport: visited 28-countries during the calendar year, sometimes scanned, sometimes stamped. 50-page extended passport, 43-pages for visa stamps. Ten-pages used, 33-pages remain, prior to its expiry in October 2032.
Conclusion:
Travel through Muslim world during past six months, likely, safest travel in my experience. Privilege of world travel; enjoyed Turkey and Tunisia, definitely return. Visit eastern Turkey and combine with travel to Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. Appreciate visit to Israel and Palestine, a state of apartheid – political, social, and economic segregation – not always reflected as such in popular media.
Look forward to the winter holidays with family and friends. Need some down time to re-group, re-pack, vaccinations, dentist, and help out my parents around the house. My feet get a break, too; walked 1,300-miles this summer.
Visit fewer countries next year; month in New Zealand, two months in Australia, two months in Japan, month in South Korea. Summer with family in Connecticut, and visit friends in Houston. After Thanksgiving, fly to Ushuaia Argentina, for 11-day Antarctica cruise in December 2024, before it melts. Visited 40 of 200 countries – 20% – failing grade, as an informed world citizen; travel may be my project for the next decade.
Don’t subscribe to the idea that travel is an Instagram photo; sometimes, oftentimes, travel is uncomfortable. Recognize that I don’t always push myself hard enough, and likely, reflected in my writing. My writing risks boredom, because I risk boredom. Often quoted in movies (attributed to multiple sources), “the person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing.”
garthmonroe 