cooking class under the banana trees

An enthusiastic and colorful crew on the way to the local vegetable market, to buy fresh ingredients for the cooking workshop, armed with baskets and Arabic shopping lists.

Upon return to the riad everyone gets a cooking apron for the cooking class under the banana trees on the patio, led by chef Nadia and interpreter Fatiha.

Cutting, grinding, peeling, rolling, stirring, cooking, baking, tasting, zesting and meanwhile taking notes in the green little cooking notebook. Well, preparing a Moroccan lunch is a serious matter.
At the same time it starts to smell delicious on the patio of Chambres d'Amis.

While the other dishes are slowly cooking, the sweet desserts are being prepared and the table on the roof terrace is set.

Applause for the whole team and bon appetit! Time to enjoy a delightful, healthy home cooked meal. A feast for all senses!

l r n c e

LRNCE is a Marrakech based lifestyle brand focusing on interior decoration and accessories.

Founded by the talented Laurence Leenaert from Belgium. She is an all round artist, super creative, gorgeous, spontaneous and speaks Flemish, which made it even more fun to talk to her about her work.

Laurence's recognizable work (in short LRNCE) has a colorful cheerful style. We had the pleasure of meeting her in the atelier in Marrakech, during a #marvelousmarrakech studio tour.

The work of LRNCE is unique and handmade and I fell in love with the "occupied" loungers and left the building with a hand painted [mon coeur] plate for my love and a cement leaf tile in matching colors (one of her recent designs).

Well I was already a @LRNCE follower and big fan and now even more.

And Henk loves the plate!

move on marvelous marrakech

Next week I will return to Marrakech to finally welcome our group of Adventurers.
Last year travelling to Morocco was no option, so we decided to postpone our Marvelous Marrakech retreat for a year.

And when I was in Marrakech for the last time in October 2019, I never thought it would take so long for me to return.

It feels so good to move on and it is save to travel to Marrakech. My friend Ank, owner of hotel Chambres d' Amis has already returned and she and her crew can't wait to welcome us in their Oasis in the Medina.

Last week they already had a yoga group from the Netherlands in da house and it was amazing.

Two years without visiting Marrakech seems like an eternity, for all of us it has been a crazy period.

It surely is a privilege to return to Marrakech in a start-up period where everything is so quiet and you can experience the authentic life without mass tourism.

The real countdown has begun!

I can hardly believe it, but next week we'll be walking in the streets of Marrakech a to experience a new adventure every day with a group of positive participants.

Move on and enjoy this special journey more than ever!

francavilla fontana & pilone

Francavilla Fontana & Pilone - Thursday 9th of September - late summer in Puglia

Before noon we went to Francavilla Fontana.

In the afternoon we drove to the beach in Pilone and had a delicious lunch at Bosco Verde.
It was wonderfully quiet on the beach. Except for a few people strolling through the surf, we had the beach to ourselves and Arielle.

Around sunset we drove back to Ostuni and had an aperitif overlooking the sea and pink sky.

Finisce un'altra bella giornata.

PS 1: Tomorrow the very last day at Anima Puglia and Saturday morning we fly home early again.

PS 2: September is a great month to visit Puglia; the climate, slow tourism, uncrowded beaches, harvest month and super relaxed late summer atmosphere!