Between the middle of the second and early third centuries C.E. classical architecture was assimilated into local traditions throughout the Roman Empire. Local variations of the vine scroll motif which first appears in Rome during the time of the Emperor Nero's (54-68C.E.), are found throughout former Roman colonies with some…
The Djema el Fna, the Arabic name of the large meeting place well known to anyone who has ever visited Marrakesh, is said to translate as "assembly of the dead". It was here that the heads of the Sultan's enemies were hung out for display having first been pickled in…
Following the Treaty of Fez in 1912 Morocco became a French Protectorate under its first Resident General Hubert Lyautey. Marrakesh had a population of 75,000, mostly living in the Medina, the Mellah and the Kasbah , and then saw the arrival of European colonists. By 1913 the French numbered three…
Leaving the beautiful Majorelle gardens to gathering groups of tourists we headed south west towards the wide streets of the Hivernage, trotting grandly in our horse drawn carriages like ladies of yore. We passed upmarket hotels surrounded by lush greenery and made our way south west to the Menara gardens…
After lunch we walked through the maze-like lane ways of the souk where even the most jaded of senses are restored to life by a myriad of colors, sounds and scents. As we were a group on a mission we did not linger or allow ourselves to be enticed deeper…
Having done enough sight- seeing for one day we returned to our hotel for a swim in the garden pool and a rest before ordering a minivan to take all seven of us back to Place des Ferblantiers for fish tagine. Our arrival cause a flurry of activity around the…
We were up bright and early next morning and as our bags were packed into two waiting four by four jeeps we breakfasted quickly on a simple breakfast of flatbreads, eggs and coffee. I sat up front with Abdulkhader our second driver and an acquaintance of Judith's husband who like…
The three possible passes over the high atlas were guarded by the three most important warrior tribes of the High Atlas. The M'tougga commanded the south east pass of Tiz-n-Test, the Goundafa controlled the central Oued Nfis, and the Glaoui the pass then called Tizn-n-Telouet. Each tribal leader was officially…
We took off once again and wound our way over the mountains passing by the salt mines that had enriched the Galaoui and Abdulkadher told me about his two sons Mohammad and Rasheed who were working at Hotel de La Valley in Ouarzazate where we would stay for the following…
Next morning we went to visit the Ouarzazate Film Studios situated outside the town in a flat hot desert area and we were surrounded by groups of visitors interested in seeing where parts of some famous movies were filmed. I imagine the actors found it tough going out here in…
Passing the Solomon Fine Arts Gallery (http://www.solomonfineart.ie/exhibition/a-fine-figure-ceramics/ recently I was enticed in by a new exhibition by three Irish Ceramic artists and was so capitated by what I saw that when one of the gallery assistant’s asked me if I needed anything my immediate…
I have been safely ensconced in my new home in Chevanceaux for the past seven weeks. The house has three double bedrooms for which I pay €850 a month. This includes all bills apart from water. My house is attached to a similar one which is currently unoccupied and is…
Springtime has been spectacular in Chevanceaux. Following a cold, windy and very wet winter the past couple of months have seen the renaissance of plant life, which connects us to those who celebrated the rebirth of Osiris following his winter months underground far more poignantly than the celebration of the…
I have been living here in Chevanceaux with my two dogs Fay and Bran for the past year and a half and overall it has been marvellous. There is a beautiful view from my kitchen window over rolling countryside where deer visit our field occasionally and the odd rabbit or…
I have long wanted to see the Palaeolithic cave art in the Dordogne so I took a train journey to Sarlat and booked myself on a guided tour to see those at Lascaux and Rouffignac and visit the National Prehistoric Museum at Eyzies which overlooks the Vezere Valley. We tend…
The world is once again in a state of chassis and I am lucky to be under so called lockdown in the countryside in France, a countryside that I have greatly enjoyed for the past two years. I was meant to go to Cambridge last October to do an M.Phil.…
Encore une fois, le monde est dans un état de chaos et j'ai de la chance d'être confinée dans la campagne française, un pays que j'apprécie beaucoup depuis deux ans. Je devais aller à Cambridge en Octobre dernier pour faire un M. Phil en archéologie avec un accent sur la…
I had just returned to France from Ireland in March 2020 having had a cataract removed when Covid 19 regulations kicked in and we were under lockdown. As I live alone it meant that I needed to keep busy. Sam Kasten an American master weaver who lives and works in…
A trip to St. Emilion through vineyards that appear to go on into infinity is a very pleasant way of traveling and I would advise anyone journeying by car to avoid motorways and toll roads if they don't want to miss the best that France has to offer. Famous for…
Chevanceaux lies in the southern part of Haute-Saintonge one of the nine areas that make up the department of Charente-Maritime, the others being La Rochelle, Rochefort, Re, Marennes-Olerons, Royan, Aunis, Vals de Saintonge and Saintonge Romane. Departments were an innovation of the French Revolution when the country was divided into…
As I watched the vines grow in the nearby fields and observed the bunches of grapes begin to soak up the summer sun I returned to a nice little publication I found some months back called 100 Chateaux Qu'il Faut Connaitre a Bordeaux. Deciding it was time to tase some…
Long before recorded history, humans discovered various means of staying afloat and some of these early methods remain in use to this day. The progression from reed floats to reed canoe may have occurred earliest in the Marshes of Southern Iraq and earlier examples look much like the one in…