Marrakeshing

Bahia Palace

Marjorelle Gardens

Marjorelle Gardens

Cafe Arabe

El Baddi Palace

El Baddi Palace

Ben Youssef Madrasa

Marjorelle Gardens

Marjorelle Gardens

Ben Youssef Madrasa

Bahia Palace

Vegetable Tagine, at Le Foundouk

Coffee at Le Foundouk

Carts near the Jemma El Fnaa

Dar Si Said, secret concubine courtyard

Dar Rocmarra

Bahia Palace

So we spent our honeymoon (or mini-moon if things go to plan in 2013...) in Marrakesh.  I think there is a well worn track in Marrakesh, but it was our first time and we enjoyed exploring. We mainly stayed in and around the medina mooching about during the day and eating fabulous food and drink at night. Here is our top ten in no particular order. 

The guide books tended to down play El Badi Palace but we loved it. It's a vast terracotta 16th century palace. Four sunken gardens, with orange and fig trees and you could imagine how opulent it would have been. It reminded me a bit of the Alhambra and I read later that it had been built in the same style and was influenced by the same Andalusian architecture. There are also around 50 storks that sit on huge nests in the old battlements. You can get really elegant views of them flying past from the roof terrace at Kosybar.

Al Fassia A women's collective that serves the best quality food we had in Marrakesh in fact some of the best food we've had anywhere. Chicken with olives and preserved lemons was caramelised savoury and delicious. Pancakes with butter and honey for dessert were generous and hearty. People were being turned away when we were there so worth booking.

Islamic Architecture and Art.  You can be wandering around a street and see an intricately carved archway or door handle. More specifically you can visit Ben Youssef Madrassa with cedar and marble inscriptions and geometric inscriptions, the Bahia Palace inlaid gilded ceilings and stucco carving or the Katoubia Minbar at the El Badia Palace.             

Dar Si Said is an arts museum with historic and some contemporary Moroccan art full of intricate Byzantine designs and colours.  The building itself is stunning with the kind of decoration you hope to see in Marrakesh.  Best of all the attendant took us through to a closed of bit of the museum to see the exquisite courtyard that was kept for the concubines! 

Pepe Nero Delicious, beautifully presented Italian and Moroccan food served in a pretty romantic garden.  Kind, attentive service and they spoilt us because we were on honeymoon, with a delicious chocolate and hazelnut cake.

The Photography Museum - is as much a museum about the social history of Morocco as a gallery of photographic styles.  The riad itself is beautiful and calm with a very simple cafe on the roof with fantastic views of the city.  Well worth switching to hibiscus tea from mint tea.

Majorelle Gardens. As a young girl obsessed with Elle Decoration I can remember reading about the Majorelle Gardens established by french artist Jacque Majorelle in the 1920s and the bought and restored by Yves St Laurent in the 1980's who's ashes were scattered here after his death.  The garden is landscaped and largely full of cactus and succulents with fountains and little pools of water with turtles and species of brightly coloured birds.   Stunning blocks of blue, yellow, green and terracotta.  The Husband's favourite place in Marrakesh.

Medallion wine.  Surprisingly good and they sell by the mini bottle which is good as booze isn't that cheap in Marrakesh.

Getting Lost. Streets aren't well sign posted in the old town and they are a bit "blocky" and higgldey piggldey, and to the unfamiliar eye look quite similar - more so than other places I've travelled to.  However getting lost is part of the fun and you'll find things you never expected that way.  If worse comes to work you give someone 5 dirhams they'll put you back on the right track. We also ended up with a friendly taxi driver based around Dar el Bacha who was happy to pick us where ever we were in the city if we called and did not over charge us - very lucky as we inadvertently hustled him on price the first time we met!

Dar Rocmarra is in the nicest part of the Medina a 10 minute walk from Jemaa El Fnaa but not in the middle of the bustle and chaos.  Jamila the manageress is always on hand, friendly but without ever being intrusive.  Nothing is ever too much trouble and her cooking is sensational.  We stayed in the suite and it was so pretty, welcoming and romantic. Highly recommended (and far far nicer than another riad we stayed in on the same road which has a better Tripadvisor rating but unquestionably a much worse everything else).

Oh lets make it 11. The colour Majorelle Blue. I love Majorelle Blue.

Higher State of Conciousness

We've been doing jobs around the flat this weekend.  Oh alright, when I say we've been doing jobs what I actually mean is The Boyfriend put up our Hang It All and built some book shelves in our second bedroom. I discovered some of his old rave CD's from the 90's in on of our final unopened boxes and energetically jumped around our dining room and kitchen. 

I didn't imagine Josh Wink as the sound track to cooking chard chilli pasta and doing DIY when I was aged 19. 

Have a go yourself. x  

November

No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! -
November!

Thomas Hood 1789 - 1845

Pah Thomas Hood! Pah and Pah! November has been glorious! I didn't get the chance to write much last month as both work and house buying have gone bonkers. Here are some of my highlights from November.

The Gerhardt Richter exhibition at Tate Modern is one of the best exhibitions of the year. Really well thought out exhibition and introduced me to some new work.  Definitely worth seeing if you're in London between now and 8 January. 

Gerhardt Richter - Seascape

Gerhardt Richter Gerric

Turning 34, gaining a donkey and watching Manon at the Royal Opera House.

Watching the Fireworks from Blackfriars Bridge in our snugly coats and scarves.  My mum always tries to catch a bit of the Lord Mayors Show on television every year as it reminds her of the day she brought me home from hospital all those years ago.

Looking out at the moons of Jupiter through binoculars.  We've not done it apparently there's an observation site in Hampstead where members of the public can pretend to be astronomers using amazing telescopes and speak to scientist for free.

The Wolseley

Afternoon tea at the Wolseley.  I love the Wolseley and if you've not been you really should go.  It is an impossibly glamorous grand European style art deco cafe.  Lovely dark wood, marble and chandeliers. The service is fabulous and unlike some of the other places you can go for tea in Piccadilly its not the tiniest bit stuffy or gimmicky or outrageously expensive. Lots of people were quite dainty with their cakes but The Boyfriend and I really enjoyed them - particularly the pistachio macaroon.

This was our first time for afternoon tea, but The Boyfriend and I have had some fabulous breakfasts at the Wolseley. The Eggs Benedict is the nicest that I've ever tasted.  A sister restaurant The Delaunay is also opening on Monday 5 December.  Let me know if its good if you try it out first!

Discovering all the little birds at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

Eating and drinking too much cheese, cake, wine and Crabbies ginger beer.  There's too much going on to worry about diet - plenty of brides wear wedding dresses with elasticated waists nowadays.

St Pancras Hotel Kings Cross

Celebrating my anniversary with The Boyfriend with an amazing massage at the St Pancras Hotel Spa.  We have happy memories of the hotel. We had cocktails in the hotel the night we got engaged and we even thought about the hotel as a wedding venue option at one stage. [Note to self: I should post about the places we aren't getting married soon...].  

Anyhow, for our anniversary treat I had a massage and a facial and The Boyfriend had a massage.  It had been a particularly stressful week at work and a stressful week chasing solicitors, buyers and estate agents.  However I left feeling fantastic, with light behind my eyes and skin that actually glowed. There are lots of day spas and hotel spa's in London.  I would happily recommend this as one of the better ones.

See you soon x

The Birthday: Part 2. Manon

My final present from The Boyfriend was 2 tickets to see the English National Ballet at the Royal Opera House.       

We started the evening with an early dinner in Les Deux Salon in Charing Cross. We have been meaning to check out the restaurant for ages. I ordered monkfish with tiny sweet onions and The Boyfriend had pasta with pumpkin and mushroom.  I don't think the food is as good as Arbutus but we had a lovely meal anyway.

I enjoy contemporary dance but didn't know much about classical ballet before we went so I looked up the plot of Manon on the internet earlier in the day.  

The ballet is set in 19th century Paris and it is the story of a beautiful but poor girl - Manon -who falls into the world of aristocrats, beggars and courtesans.  Manon and a young student called Des Greiux are in love and they try to run away together. However her corrupt brother Lescaut has promised that she'll become the mistress to an old wealthy aristocrat and she is seduced by the promise of comfort and riches. The lot of a classical heroine is rarely good, and the unfolding story is a genuinely moving tragedy.  The performance itself is fantastic and I was surprised how clear the story telling was. Even if we hadn't looked it up it was easy to follow what was going on. 

The dancing was beautiful with amazing shapes and lines from strong charismatic dancers.  The leads were amazing and conveyed the tender and passionate relationship between De Greiux and Manon. My favourite scene was in De Greiux's student room. The ensemble cast were also brilliant and there were brilliant mini-vignettes danced by the ensemble dancers that helped establish the narrative but also add humour. 

Overall it was an amazing experience.  The orchestra sounded fantastic. The hyper modern bars and restaurants felt super glamorous. The gold and red colours in the theater and porcelain blue 19th century ceiling are opulent. But most importantly I experienced the whole thing with my lovely boyfriend.  We've cut back a lot of things this year because we've been saving for the wedding, moving and like everyone else worrying a bit about what the future holds. I've been feeling the strain a bit recently so this was a particularly thoughtful treat.  One of the reasons I love The Boyfriend so much.    

Manon is still running until 26 November and if you can get tickets then I'd highly recommend it. 

The Only Way is Essex (And a Little Bit of Suffolk)

So after the hot weather last weekend, this Sunday was the real start of autumn. The boyfriend and I went for a long walk in Manningtree following some of the Essex Way footpaths to Dedham along the river Stour and to Flatford. 

It was the most perfect autumn day with clear bright sunshine, a sharp breeze and fresh earthy smells.  Autumn colours were everywhere.  Wide open green meadows, brown, orange and yellow leaves, trees and lichens. 

The first five miles or so we didn't encounter any other people.  We did get a little intimidated by some horses crossing the footpath through a farmers field and so we hid under a fence.  But the horses were just being friendly.  Oh dear!

There was just something fantastic and romantic about being outside in the countryside. Hay barns, acorns, conkers, lichen growing up walls, little streams, kissing gates, styles, weirs, rusting roofes and an abandoned tractor.  For lunch we stopped off at a beautiful old yellow beamed pub in Dedham Vale for a ploughman's and pint of cider.



I grew up in Essex and can remember punting on the Stour in summer holidays so loved seeing the little fleet of boats as we wandered along the river after lunch.  There were more people on this stretch, although it was still quiet.
  

We reached Flatford, the home of John Constable and the inspiration for much of his art.  Willy Lott's cottage has been preserved and there's also a teaching facility in a national trust centre. Here is my almost Hay Wain. 

We made it back to Manningtree just before it got dark, slightly achy from a long day but happy and contended.  I've felt rejuvenated and calm all day.  We will go back. x

PS. I think  have mentioned before how outstandingly stylish The Boyfriend is? Well I thought I might add that while I wore old leggings and my gym trainers for our walk The Boyfriend was dressed head to foot in Albam. 

American Graffiti on Chelsea Bridge

When The Boyfriend was 7 his parents took him to the Chelsea Cruise to watch the classic cars drive along Chelsea bridge as a birthday treat.  Watching cars was followed up by a vanilla ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce - the kind of chocolate sauce that goes hard after you pour it so you have to crack it with your spoon to get to the ice cream.  The height of sophistication when you are 7. And one of The Boyfriend's most treasured childhood memories. 

All the wedding planning has got The Boyfriend thinking about cars again.  A 1950's Ford Anglia as a wedding car maybe? An Alfa Romeo Giulietta? What about a Mustang?

After a bit of googling we discovered the Chelsea Cruise is still going, every last Saturday of the month. It stopped for a few years in the 1990's when it got take over by boy racers and got broken up by the police but it is now very much a scene for old car enthusiasts.  So last night we went down. 

Chelsea Bridge was all lit up and looked fantastic as we walked up from the Kings Road.  There were around a hundred cars, mostly for the 50s and 60s.  All amazing shapes and colours and in some cases with spoilers and lights.  My car knowledge isn't very good but The Boyfriend was very excited and knowledgeable about rare cars. The crowds really mixed too. Some staunch enthusiasts who have come every month since the 1970's; families with (mainly) little boys on shoulders, students practicing with their DSLR's, rockabilly types and excitable tourists like us. We may not need a wedding car, but if we do then I think we've found a great place to find advice. 

If you like old cars then I recommend American Graffiti for some inspiration.  Set in 1962 the film is about 2 boys scheduled to leave for college in the morning spending their evening cruising the strip in their cars. There is a young Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Harrison Ford too. I've only seen this clip so far but looks good and we're watching the DVD tonight.

American Graffiti: George Lucas: 1974

Open House Part 2: Green Lanes (and not so green lanes, streets and buildings)

For the second day of open house we went to a disused Edwardian butchers in Holloway. This is its original tiled floor and a frieze of cows and sheep on Hampstead Heath from one of the counters.

 The butchers is very well preserved with a mahogany serving kiosk and even some of the original machinery and meat hooks. It is clearly a labour of love for the owner who lives in the basement below which used to be the butchers ice-cellar. He said he is planning to turn the butchers into a coffee shop in a few years time. 


I love these art deco tiles.

Next we met the lovely ladies of the Hornsey historical society who were extremely knowledgeable about local history. We then wenton to a contemporary conversion on the other side of Harringay Station. 

The flat we're hoping to buy is quite modern so we're always looking for style ideas.  The flat was more The Boyfriend's taste than mine but I liked the concertina doors to the garden and the glass paneling everywhere which kept it light and bright even on a cloudy day like today. I also liked the bright pops of colour which made it seem homely.

The last stop off of the day was the Green Lanes festival for some fantastic Turkish food, swing dancing to jazz bands in the rain and a few drinks in the beautiful and friendly Salisbury Hotel. A good day.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Pinkie Brown and Nim Chimpsky.

So The Boyfriend and I went to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy tonight. It has had really good reviews so I was looking forward to seeing it and pleased that it lived up to the billing.  Gary Oldman plays George Smiley, an MI6 agent who has been prematurely retired as part of an internal coup. Out of sight, he's tasked by ministers, who are twitchy about their relationship with the Americans, to find a mole at the top of the organisation who is leaking state secrets to the Russians.  

It works as a psychological thriller with Smiley working in the shadows to unpick the loyalties, allegiances and rivalries of the four suspected elite agents. It also works as  a 1970's period piece, from the cars, to the styling, to the office Christmas party.  This also comes through the muted and understated tension through-out the film. There is no sense of contentment or pleasure in the lives the spies lead;  there was a collective laugh in the cinema when one of the younger spies says "I want out. I don't want to end up like you guys".  I missed a couple of bits in the middle - but get the feeling you're supposed to -but by the end the drama wraps together nicely. One of the best films of the year?

Films of the Year

Now the Boyfriend and I often have long discussions on tube and bus journeys about how to rank the films we watch over the course of the year. There is a pretty reasonable chance that my list will change as it very often does.  There are also some films that I'm really looking forward to seeing later in the year like Deep Blue Sea,  We need to talk about Kevin, and Wuthering Heights.  But I thought I'd share my favourites with you now anyway.

Brighton Rock An intelligent, complex film with many emotional layers. Beautifully shot with a score and aesthetic that mimic the screen play. Andrea Riesborough is amazing and luminous.  The film got a panning from the critics and cineastes, principally because it isn't the 1947 version with Richard Attenborough. The Boyfriend and I saw this at a screening with the director, Rowan Joffe, and he looked like he might cry. I have not seen the original and I think this film is sublime.

Project Nim is an incredibly moving documentary about a chimp that was taken from its mother as a baby and raised within a family as part of an experiment into language.  The film is structured like a biography and it includes original footage and interviews.  Although fact based there is a really strong narrative and the unexpected turns in the later parts of the film are dramatic and engaging. 

The cliche with films about animals is that they hold up a mirror to human nature. So in the knowledge that it is cliched I'll say that a lot of the emotion of the film comes from the people responsible for Nim. There is self interest, vanity and cruelty and an identifiable villain.  There are also some unlikely and charming heroes.  Oh and I'm not sure how to say this- the little chimp is unbelievably sweet!

The Kings Speech What can I say? Like everybody else I loved this!

Animal Kingdom I really enjoyed this film.  After his mother dies of a drugs overdose, the lead character, Joshua, moves in with her estranged family of low level gangsters in Melbourne who are involved in armed robberies and drugs running. But rather than a slick glamorous portrayal, the family are grotesque dysfunctionals including a psychotic uncle who has gone underground and a matriarch with an unhealthy relationship with all her sons. The family are fraying at the edges and fraught as the police bear down on them kicking off nervy irrational behaviour.  

The drama comes from Joshua's growing awareness that he's in over his head and his attempts to extricate himself from the family.  James Frecheville who plays Joshua (I had to look that up!) is very natural and gives the character a real naivety.  Guy Pearce is also in it as the chief of police.  It doesn't feel like an obvious role and I like that. 

 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes I watched this not that long after watching Project Nim.  There are quite a lot of parallels which I think may have influenced why I liked it so much.  I love the scene on the bridge. The CGI is terrific.  I'm definitely cheering for the primates.

A Separation is a great Iranian film. It starts with a married couple who are stubbornly splitting up. She wants to move to give her daughter a better life while he wants to stay to care for his elderly father.  Unable to get a divorce or custody of her daughter through the religious courts the wife moves out, hoping that her husband will change his mind.  He employs a housekeeper to take care of his father while he's at work.

However after finding that the housekeeper left his father alone and believing she has stolen from him they have an altercation following which she loses her unborn baby. The film then teases out the differing perspectives on the same event. The separation is literal between the estranged couple but there multiple divides between the experience of rich and poor, men and women, devout and religious liberals. 

I'm not counting any classic films in the list. The Boyfriend and I have previously agreed that this is against the rules of making-lists-of-the-best-films-of-the-year. However if this were not the rule then I'd have included Jaws which we saw at the Roof Top Cinema on a night that it poured down with rain. And we also watched The Big Sleep at the BFI on New Years Day.


Now that I've pinned my colours to the mast I can sense a heated bus journey with The Boyfriend tomorrow.  What do you think is missing from the list?

A Tenuous Link... Between the British Museum and Elisabeth Taylor

... Now I apologise for such a very tenuous link but an afternoon at the British museum looking at Egyptology made me think of Elisabeth Taylor in Cleopatra... 

... Which is where she met Richard Burton. Who she married (for the first time) in 1964. I love the daffodil yellow chiffon dress, the emerald brooch and the tiny white flowers in her hair. I'm not sure I could pull this off, but doesn't she look incredibly wonderful?

Another beautiful image and fabulous hair. Definitely one for the wedding inspiration folder.

 

PS. I think I read somewhere that this photo was part of the same wedding as the one above (although there is every chance that I have got this wrong so please correct me if you know better). 

"Let Thy Feet, Millenniums Hence, be Set In Midst of Knowledge"

Day 6 and the penultimate day of our holiday. The Boyfriend and I wandered over to the British Museum. I'd never been before, although I've lived in London for years.

In case you've not been either, you instantly walk into a white marble courtyard hall filled with light from the delicate glass domed roof. The central core of the courtyard is a huge wide canister which used to house the British Library reading room*.  It's just the most amazing space. 

As you enter the museum The Tennyson quote is carved into the floor.  I didn't know the poem so looked it up and it's called The Two Voices about Tennyson's internal dialogue after the death of a friend.

After walking around the main room we spent most time in the Egyptology rooms which span over 11'000 years of ancient Egyptian history. Predictably the rooms I liked most were the rooms about mummys, myths and the afterlife. Really easy to feel drawn in, genuinely fascinating and even (weirdly) a bit spooky.

Anyway we were the last but 3 people to be turfed out when the museum closed and so I'll definitely go back.  But there are nearly a hundred rooms. Any advice on where to start?

See you soon. 


* By the way, The Boyfriend is the most knowledgeable enthusiastic geek on the planet and he informs me that Karl Marx wrote the majority of Das Kapital in the reading room.

Glamour of the Gods

The third day of our holiday and The Boyfriend and I went to the Glamour of the Gods exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.  It's quite a small exhibition but utterly beautiful and there are some well researched anecdotes.  The grainy images and the overall aesthetic really appeal.

I couldn't help myself and bought the catalogue.  Here are some sneaky pictures.

Old Hollywood is a motif we've been toying with for the wedding next year.  It's more of an inspiration, I think, rather than a direct theme.  I know it didn't end well but I've always loved this picture of Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller on their wedding day in 1956.  Don't they look happy?

I'll say more about the wedding as our plans develop.  For now good night and god bless.

Charlotte