Lourdes - France

Patrick, a dear cousin of mine lives in Lourdes and has spent all of his career as a general practitioner in that town.  I went to Lourdes with one of my sons and his companion this year and caught up with Patrick, who jokingly states that if the healing water of Lourdes cannot cure an illness, he might just be the next alternative.

Lourdes is a small town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains.  Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Château fort de Lourdes, a fortified castle that rises up from a rocky escarpment.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: View from Château fort de Lourdes



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: View from Castle

The castle's origins go back to Roman times.  Various remains from this era were brought to light by military engineering work in the 19th century.  The finds are exhibited on the site.  Today, the oldest remains date from the 11th and 12th centuries and consist of the foundations of the present fortifications.  The castle was reinforced in the 13th and 14th centuries, and again in the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: Climbing to the Castle

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: Fountain and Basin in the Castle

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: Passageway in the Castle

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: The Castle view from the township

Up until 1858, Lourdes was a quiet, modest, county town with a population of only some 4,000 inhabitants when the events which took place there changed its history.  On 11 February 1858, a 14-year-old local girl, Bernadette Soubirous claimed that a beautiful lady appeared to her in the remote Grotto of Massabielle.  This lady later identified herself as "the Immaculate conception"   The lady appeared 18 times, and by 1859 thousands of pilgrims were visiting the sanctuary.

The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was erected at the site in 1864.  Bernadette Soubirous was later canonised and the city became one of the world's most important sites of pilgrimage and religious tourism.  The 150thJubilee of the first apparition took place on 11 February 2008 with an outdoor Mass attended by approximately 45,000 pilgrims.  Yearly from March to October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a place of mass pilgrimage from Europe and other parts of the world. The spring water from the grotto is believed by some to possess healing properties when one drinks it or bathes in it.


Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - The Statue of the Immaculate Conception

At the time of the apparitions the grotto was on common land which was used by the villagers for pasturing animals, collecting firewood and as a garbage dump.  It possessed a reputation for being an unpleasant place.



An estimated 200 million people have visited the shrine since 1860 and the Roman Catholic Church has officially recognized 69 healings considered miraculous.  Cures are examined using Church criteria for authenticity with no physical or psychological basis other than the healing power of the water.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: The Cathedral View from the Castle

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: The Cathedral Main Enterance

Today Lourdes has a population of around 15,000 and in the middle of winter, the town feels almost as if it were empty.  In summer however, it hosts around five million visitors every year from all corners of the world.  This constant stream of pilgrims and tourists transformed quiet Lourdes into the second most important centre of tourism in France, after Paris, and the third most important site of international Catholic pilgrimage after Rome and the Holy Land.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: An Empty Street in Lourdes in Winter

For 46 years, up until 778, Lourdes was possessed by Muslims of Al-Andalous.   Little is known of Lourdes in the period from the barbarian invasions to the Carolingian period, when the town was part of the County of Bigorre.  After the residency of the Bigorre counts, the French lost the town to the English, in 1360, bringing a temporary peace to France during the course of the Hundred Years War.  The English were able to take advantage of the excellent strategic situation and the prosperity of a market that was born in the eleventh century, increasingly consolidated by its proximity and good communications with Toulouse and Spain.  In 1405, Charles VI, laid siege to the castle and eventually captured the town from the English following an 18-month siege.  In 1607, Lourdes finally became part of the Kingdom of France. 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: Carved Stone in the Castle

The castle became a jail under Louis XV but, in 1789, the General Estates Assembly ordered the liberation of the prisoners.  Following the rise of Napoleon in 1803, he again made the Castle an Estate jail.  Towards the end of the Peninsular War between France, Spain, Portugal, and Britain in 1814, British and Allied forces, under the Duke of Wellington entered France and took control of the region.  They defeated the French near the adjoining town of Tarbes before the final battle outside Toulouse on 10 April 1814 that brought the war to an end. 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: Narrow view of Lourdes from the Castle

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Lourdes: Internal stairs in the Castle

We only stayed in Lourdes for two short days but everyone enjoyed the town as well as my cousin’s welcome, his hospitality and his love of food and wine.  I will return there soon.



Figueres - Spain

Twenty years after my two sons visited the Salvador Dali museum, I went to Figueres in Spain and entered the world of one of the most original, interesting and famous artists of the 20^th Century.  My youngest son Paul accompanied me this time.  For him, it was like returning to the home of a man he has admired ever since, when, as a young teenager, we had a family outing to a Dali exhibition in Brisbane.  In his company, this visit was made even more special.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Approaching the Dali Museum; Figueres, Spain

The name Figueres derives from that of Ficaris, of Visigoth origin.  During the Spanish Civil War, the town suffered heavy bombing as it was the last Republican outpost to stand against Franco.  

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - The Dali Museum building; Figueres, Spain

Figueres recovered during the 1950s, consolidating its economy around the tourism industry.  Close to the border with France, but not as touristy and much smaller than Barcelona, the city offers a relaxing atmosphere, quiet cafés, great food, wine, beaches an historic Old Town and  picture-perfect squares.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - The quiet streets of Figueres, Spain



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - An interesting and cute stairway

Figueres, is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dali.  It houses the “Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dali”, a large museum designed by Dali himself.  Right where the Museum now stands, there was a 19^th century theatre which was badly damaged during the Franco bombings.  The building remained in ruins for several decades until Dali bought it and converted it into the museum that we see today.


Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Just before entering the Museum; Figueres, Spain



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - The Kiosk and the Sculpture near the Museum 

The Salvador Dali Museum is the largest surrealist object in the world.  It is the second most visited museum in all of Spain, after the Prado Museum in Madrid, thus attracts many visitors.  It is, in its entirety, Dali's greatest work, and it was created by Dali specifically to offer its visitors a unique visual experience.  The artist moved back to Figueres late in life.  He is buried in a crypt in the museum.  Figueres is also the birthplace of Narcis Monturiol, inventor of the first successful machine-powered submarine.  Also born here was Monica Naranjo, one of the best-selling Spanish singers of the 1990s and 2000s.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Dali Sleeping



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - The many faces of Dali

On entering the museum the first area to visit is the courtyard and immediately you are struck by Salvador Dali's incredible imagination and surreal view on the world.  In the courtyard, a statue of a well-endowed female figure stands on a black Cadillac whilst the walls of this inner courtyard are decorated by golden mannequins.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - The Black Cadillac

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - The Golden Mannequins

The next room from here is known as the stage and is a huge room lit by the large glass sphere that you can see from the outside of the building.  One wall is a huge window onto the courtyard and the other has a huge painting from the very high ceiling to the floor.


Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - The Glass Sphere in the Stage Room

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - The Wall to Wall Painting in the Stage Room

The rest of the museum contains many rooms with different collections of works.  These cover a great range of his works from some of his earliest to some he created in the last years of his life.  The museum also contains exhibits made specifically for the museum such as the Mae West room.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - One of Dali's earlier works



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - The Mae West Room

Whatever your feelings about this complex, egocentric man, this museum is worth every cent and minute you can spare.  I could have stayed there for hours on end and let my mind wander with the amazing vision of the man that was Dali.

Zagora - Morocco's Gate to the Sahara Desert

I have crossed another adventure from my bucket list this year.  A movie buff from way back, I’ve watched "Lawrence of Arabia" many years ago and ever since, I have dreamt of going into the desert riding a camel.  I recently realised this dream when I visited Zagora; a small town in Morocco’s South.  As I began to gather some information on Zagora, I found out that some of the scenes of that famous movie had been shot in that region.  My planned desert trek suddenly became that much more exciting.  I simply loved the time I spent there.

The town of Zagora sits at the foot of the Atlas Mountains and on the shore of the Draa Valley in South Eastern Morocco.  It is flanked by the mountain Zagora from which the town got its name.  The ancient name of the town was “Draa,” alluding to the valley.  Not until the twentieth century was the town renamed Zagora although some Bedouins still refer to the town as “Draa". 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Stop over before arriving at Zagora - Morocco



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Round-about at Zagora - Morocco

Zagora boomed in the eleventh century when the Almoravids built an imposing fortress that protected the town against outside aggression for many centuries.  As the city of Zagora is over 700m in altitude, it is a little less scorching here than in neighbouring towns.  It is still an arid climate however; with summer temperatures reaching 35°C to 42°C, and middle of winter temperatures getting down to -10°C at night. 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Locals resting in a street, Zagora - Morocco

The Draa Valley is a considerable resource for the hundreds of families in Zagora.  Millions of palm trees grow and produce dates each harvest season.  The date sector plays an important role in regional development, providing Morocco, and overseas countries with various kinds of this delicious fruit. 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - Date Palms all around, Zagora - Morocco

Zagora and the region is now home of several ethnic communities including black African groups who emigrated from Sub-Saharan Africa, along with clans from the Caravans which have emerged and co-existed since the first Saadyin dynasty.  Arabs have also settled in Zagora, coming from Marrakech since the medieval times.  Today, most of Zagora’s residents live either as field workers in the oases of Draa, or in the tourism industry, while a few others are state employees working in public institutions. 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - A local man chatting with the tourists, Zagora - Morocco

A camel trek in Zagora is the experience of a lifetime.  This activity involves riding camels while exploring the breath-taking desert sights and the warm hospitality from the locals.  

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - The Caravan waiting to take us to the Desert, Zagora - Morocco

I took a two-day track to Zagora which took me from Marrakech to the barren and spectacular Atlas mountains on to Ouarzazate and then Zagora where camels or should I say dromedaries were waiting to take the group I was travelling with to the edge of the mighty Sahara Desert.  

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - My assigned mode of transport

 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Interesting feet of the Camel as they are feet not hooves!



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Camel tracks on the ground



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Heading to our overnight camp in the Desert

 

At the overnight camp, we were greeted with the traditional mint tea and allocated our tents for the night.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner of hot soup, tagine, and fresh fruit.  After the meal, we sang and danced to the sounds of Berber drums and songs late into the night.

 

The next morning, before returning to Zagora, we watched the sun rise over the dunes.  I had never experienced the miracle of nature as intensely as I did that morning.

 

Soon after, we rode back to Zagora where our bus was waiting to take us back to Marrakech by the evening.

 

I simply could not tell you what I have most enjoyed out of this magic trek.  The scenery, the local hospitality, the history of the place, the architecture, the desert, the cranky but so adorable and tenacious dromedaries, the food, the sounds, the smells, the music.  

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Sunrise in the Desert



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours  - The Dunes of the Mighty Sahara Desert

Everything combined made this trip an unforgettable experience which I highly recommend to anyone willing to discover something totally different and unexpected.  You simply must go there; you will love it.

Ouarzazate - Morocco

Ouarzazate was the first stopover on my trip to the desert.  I left Marrakesh one morning with another ten or so fellow travellers and headed south to the town of Zagora.  After a few hours’ drive and having crossed the cold and wind-swept Atlas Mountains, we enjoyed a stopover and a visit of the Old Ouarzazate and a well-deserved lunch.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - The mighty Atlas Mountains



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Pottery for sale on the side of the road

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Isolated houses and cultivation fields on our way to Ouarzazate

 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Local pottery for sale

Ouarzazate, nicknamed the “Doorway to the Desert”, is a city in south-central Morocco.  It is located at 1,200 metres above sea level in the middle of a bare plateau south of the High Atlas Mountains.  To the south of the town is the desert.  The name Ouarzazate comes from a Berber phrase meaning "without noise" or "without confusion".  As in many cities around the world, there are two districts in Ouarzazate, the Old and the New.  That day, we visited the old district and left the discovery of the new section of the city upon our return from Zagora and our desert trek.

The town is chiefly inhabited by a Berber-speaking population, who constructed many of the prominent Kasbahs and buildings for which the area is known.  Ouarzazate is an important holiday destination in Morocco and a base for excursions across the Draa Valley and into the desert.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Mud bricks used for the buildings inOuarzazate 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Shop keeper and her merchandise of beautiful vibrant clothing

Also Nicknamed “Ouallywood” the Ouarzazate area is a noted film-making location, with Morocco's biggest studios inviting many international companies to work there.  Films such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Mummy, Romancing the Stone and Gladiator to name a few were shot there, as was part of the TV series Game of Thrones.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Sign indicating where some of the scenes from Gladiator were shot



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Part of an Egyptian Temple at the Movie Studio - Ouarzazate, Morocco

 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - A street in the Studio - Ouarzazate, Morocco

Many directors have held an obsession with the beautiful range of landscapes and locations which are in easy reach.  These include Orson Wells, Ridley Scott, and David Lean.  Any movie buff and I count myself as one simply could not have gone there and not visited the studios.  What a magical place!!  From narrow streets in the souk; Egyptian chariots to jet planes and more, everything was there to let your mind wander and marvel at the magic of movie-making.  I had a wonderful time there.

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Egyptian Chariots - Ouarzazate, Morocco

 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Jet plane used for Romancing the Stone...I think?

 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Part of a Buddhist Temple at the Studio - Ouarzazate, Morocco



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Ancient piece of machinery at the Studio

The new, more recent, and modern section of Ouarzazate caters for its population increase but also for the growing number of tourists requiring a wide range of services when visiting the area.

The area is also known for its Ouazguita carpets with geometric designs of red-orange on black background.  The city was part of the route of the 2006 and 2007 Dakar Rally.


Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Carpets for Sale



Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Rugs and Carpets for Sale - Ouarzazate, Morocco

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Carpet weaving - Ourzazate, Morocco

 

Daniel's Food and Wine Tours - Carpet Merchants waiting for the tourists - Ouarzazate, Morocco

The main reason for spending time in Ouarzazate is its prime location for many day trips and overnight excursions to oasis valleys and the Sahara Desert.  After a well-earned break and a delicious lunch, the next stop was to be Zagora and the camel trek that was to take the group to the overnight camp in the desert.  I had waited a long, long time for this moment.