AMAZING MOROCCO

Morocco was so much more than I expected.  I certainly hadn't expected to fall in love with the place.   I came to dance at La Maison Anglaise in Taroudant, because I could combine it with a visit to my cousin Sue who lives by the sea in Agadir.

The varieties of dates and spices in the souks were amazing.

The week of circle dancing just flew by.  We danced on the roof terrace each morning before breakfast. and again after dinner.  We visited the local hammam, where we were washed and scrubbed clean.  The locals go there once a week and it is a very social place.  We also had some very interesting cultural experiences up in the High Atlas Mountains.

Sunrise by the mosque, view from the roof terrace as we started dancing at 7.45am

Dancing on the roof terrace overlooking the town

More dancing on the roof terrace after dinner as the sun sets over the mountains

The Women's Berber Band came to entertain us one evening with their very loud percussion playing and crazy rhythms.  It was great fun and they got us up to dance with them.

More delights in the souk

The food at La Maison Anglaise, as everywhere else, was delicious

Anyone for a gorgeous lamp.  Morocco is a place to come with a full wallet and an empty suitcase

 

Visiting the Berber villages up in the High Atlas Mountains was like stepping back 100 years, apart from the fact that many people now have electricity.  The women spend their spare time cracking argan nuts to earn a little money.  The nuts are then processed in co-operatives to produce argan oil, very good for skin, hair, cooking.  Nothing goes to waste.  The outer husks are fed to the animals.  The hard inner husks are used for fuel.

Village street in the High Atlas Mountains

The original houses here are made of rammed earth, which keeps the inside warm in winter and cool in summer.  There were extensive floods in the area a few years ago with many houses badly damaged.  Repairs have been made using concrete blocks.  Although these give added strength, the insulation is very poor.

We went for a 4km walk in the High Atlas Mountains.  I was fascinated by the aquaduct that the local villagers had built, half way up the cliff, to share water between villages. There are some springs in the area, but the annual rainfall has fallen to around 150mm per annum.

Irrigated fields with the mountains in the background.  We saw pumpkin, maize, lucerne and tomatoes growing.  The work is done by hand, or with the help of animals. Crops are fertilized with animal manure.  The government gives subsidies to put in trickle irrigation, saving water instead of using flood irrigation.

Prickly pears grow very well and are seen for sale on the market stalls

Goats love the argan trees, but over-grazing has destroyed much of the argan forest.  The goatherds allow the goats to graze the trees as there is not much else for them to eat in many areas.

I had a day trip to Marrakech, which wasn't nearly enough to see all the sights.  But I got a taste and would love to come back and see and learn more.  These wonderful mosaics and carved stone were in one of the minor palaces.

More mosaic work and stained glass in Marrakech

My last week in Morocoo was spent in Agadir, staying with my cousin and her little dog Bertie.  We had long walks on the beach every morning.  The temperature was just perfect, and a pleasant relief from inland where it had been very hot

I will be sorry to leave Morocco and hope to come back to see more some day. 

Dancing The Mass For Peace

More dancing, this time with Brenda Kelly.  We danced her Mass for Peace collection of dances in Selby Abbey.  The same as last year, it was a very moving piece to dance.  We learned all the dances, in a local community hall, all day Saturday and again on Sunday morning.  Then, after another practice in the Abbey on Sunday afternoon, we danced the whole suite of dances through, with short readings in between.
At one point we laid poppies all around in the dance space, creating a poppy field.   At the end we stood with candles lit.
This is the second time I have danced The Mass for Peace and I am looking forward to doing it again next year,

Selby Abbey

Our centrepiece in the Abbey.  It was extra special dancing in a sacred space

'The Team'  Brenda (far right) and 3 of her regular dancers from Sussex, who all help with the organising over the weekend.

Onward from Selby, Yorkshire heading towards Scotland.  There were some beautiful landscapes to be seen from the train.  Everything  has greened up again after the long, hot, dry summer.

Dancing for Peace and Friendship

 Friedel and Saskia Kloke came to England this year for International Peace Day.
We had an afternoon of peace dances in a hall near Sidmouth in Devon, with 100 dancers.  The centrepiece and decorations were paper cranes.

After the Peace Day dancing, about 27 dancers stayed on for another 3 days of dancing in Sidholme Hotel, with a friendship theme.  The dance space was very grand and you descended a wide staircase.  We had about an hour of ballet exercises in the morning, and danced some quite intricate dances.  They were wonderful to learn, although my brain was racing to keep up with the teaching.  Because quite a few dancers already knew many of the dances, we often only got a quick run through.  I could feel my neural pathways multiplying by the minute!!

our centrepiece of 11 yellow roses, signifying friendship

View from the dancing room.  The autumn colours are starting.

The hotel gardens

Sidmouth seafront.  The cliff face in the distance is constantly crumbling away, giving the sea a brown tinge.  Houses built on top of the cliff are in danger of falling in to the sea within the next 30 years, even though they are set a long way back at the moment