amsterdam

Amsterdam - 28th of December - 19570 steps

Breakfast at Louie Louie
Utrechtsestraat - Bellerose & Sissy Boy
Foam Museum
Lunch at Koffiespot
Stedelijk Museum
Drinks at Milk (Melkweg)
P.C. Hooftstraat - Isabel Marant
Dinner at Wagamama

before it all starts

Getting used to medina lifestyle, that's what my first days in Marrakech are meant for. Fact is, I am already used to it within 5 minutes.

As a matter of course i also need these first days to get 'things' ready for the workshops, to make the last reservations, to cycle, to shoot photos with my camera, to drink a tea on a terrace at ease and to prepare and arrange the wool stock for the cool crochet workshop.

This season, some of the workshop participants are already dropping in a few days in advance, causing a super relaxed holiday atmosphere on the roof terrace at the plunge pool, before it all starts...

medina on the horizon

Soon I will return to the Medina*.

The first days I usually use to settle down and simply enjoy the 'medina life'. It always feels wonderful to mingle with the inhabitants of the medina and to soak up the daily Marrakshi life.

I also use the start-up days to take care of the last stuff before the new guests arrive and the workshops begin.

My 'mission' for the travel workshops in Marrakech, is to show the real Marrakech and to make it easy for the workshop participants to make authentic connections when they are in Marrakech.

To make them discover the joy of original travel and wander off the beaten path. Be a real traveler, not a tourist. Connect with locals, experience and respect their culture.

This way offers a much more special and valuable experience.

And no doubt, we will visit 'luxurious' places during our adventures, but from experience I know that the unexpected and spontaneous contacts with the locals make a much deeper impression, which makes you feel so connected to the 'Red City' afterwards.

Cool Crochet workshop: Wednesday 3rd of October 2018 - Monday 8th of October 2018
Green Gardens workshop: Thursday 11th of October 2018 - Tuesday 16th of October 2018

The real countdown has begun...

* Medina is the old part of a town or city, found in many countries of North Africa, not just Morocco. It's typically walled with a maze of narrow streets, fountains, courtyards, palaces and mosques. Many medinas are car-free, for the simple reason there is not enough space in the alleyways for cars to pass. The word 'medina' means city or town in modern-day Arabic.