Tomorrow I have a rendez-vous in Paris. I will be en route early full of joie de vivre. I will meet three wonderful , chic friends for a week of cafe au lait, boutiques, restaurants, soirees, crepes, aperitifs, hors d'oevres, couture, esprit de corps, haut cuisine, baguettes and more. En mass...

The best way for me to get to know a city is to walk and so we did. It was drizzly, bleak and a chill 16 C. Not my idea of a summer’s day and so crazy when I know that is the exact temperature right now in wintry Melbourne. Despite the weather there are many tourists here and endless numbers...

La Villa Bahat Khmissa was the property where the SOS Animaux Helga Heidrich fundraising lunch was held. It has a warm, friendly, country feel to it. The gardens are rustic and untamed with hidden corners full of flowers and charm. In fact this whole villa is made up of many enchanting lit...

I watched an English friend who lives in Spain devour this classic French dish [ Steak au Poivre ] at the weekend as we sat in a cafe with a very Italian name [ Casanova ] located on a main street in Marrakech. Fusion or confusion ?? Whatever it was doesn’t come into play as the food was grea...

As a child I thought all baby animals were born in spring and while that is not accurate, one could believe it was the truth when you see the number of tiny baby kittens in the streets, derbs and alleyways in Marrakech at the moment. At Bab El Khemis I was struck by the sheer number of k...

La Mallorquina is an institution in Madrid that opened in 1894. Downstairs is a bakery and patisserie and a confectionery and a stand up coffee bar. Upstairs is a tearoom with quite plain and simple decor, seating maybe 50 at a push, maybe less. If you are lucky to get a window seat then y...

Tarte Tatin [ an upside down caramel apple pie for those not in the know] has a history going back to the early 1900’s where it was born from a mistake at the Hotel Tartin in the Loire Valley. The cook apparently put the cooked and sugary sliced apples into a pan with the crust on top in e...

I love love love ice cream. I try my hardest not to have it in the house as it is not safe to leave me alone with it, ever. I can consume any amount at any time. With ice cream - and here is my guilty secret - I have no satiety level. At the weekend I had one creamy scoop and it was perfection....

Attention to detail is unsurpassed in Riad Emerizi Sahari and the luxe en suite bathrooms are no exception. A bathroom on the whole is a utility room but when on holidays - unless trekking or camping - a high end bathroom can seal the deal for me . Fat, fluffy towels and finest quality ...

The Webster dictionary defines the word salon as an elegant living room or a hall for the exhibition of art. It is, as we know, a lovely French word and its first known use was 1699. This was also the year that a Moroccan Ambassdor visited Paris and just maybe he bought the word back to his ...

Yesterday I experienced a jaw dropping moment, many of then in fact, as I wandered a paradise right here in the old Medina of Marrakech. I did not have a lot of time due to work commitments but enough time to be awestruck by the totally encompassing beauty and to share a lovely lunch. Please...

No one really knows that Rabat is the capital city of Morocco, the administrative hub, full of people , cats and traffic. It is not on the tourist trail and the TV travel show do not come this way. I have visited this city a couple of times and am here for visa reasons. It is not wildly exciti...

Yesterday I came as close as I can ever recall to crashing to the ground in a dead faint. Totally my own fault, purely due to a lack of fluid . Usually I have a glass of water when I wake up, walk 45 minutes to work and drink coffee all morning at work. I walk 30 minutes home for lunch, try ...

o For me, The Rose by Bette Midler is the most poignant love song ever and one that can bring tears to my eyes. When I saw this masterpiece of colour in the market in Madrid that song came straight to mind as did the flamboyant Divine Miss M. What a gorgeous find, such a surprise. Someone ...

Madrid's main square including its nine entryways dates back to 1619 and these red wooden but still palatial buildings with shutters and balustrades {237 balconies at last count } are on all sides. Under the porticoes are shops and cafes whilst the huge main open square is a stage for str...

We had been warned about a massive demonstration in Madrid that could become violent so when one evening I came across packed streets and rows of police I presumed it was in progress. I could hear a loud brass band which did not quite fit with my image of angry demonstrators. It got louder...

You can see we are in very good company - in fact this cafe was dotted with photos of famous people who have eaten there. We were at the Chocolatier San Gines in Madrid eating their world famous churros dipped in thick cups of their world famous hot chocolate. It has been in Madrid since...

No green eggs, just ham. And it is to the left and to the right, everywhere you look in Madrid. And in many formats, shapes and sizes. Available for all meals. Delicioso for ham lovers, a porcine paradise in fact.

I thought I booked a room. I paid for a room but I got a mansion instead. AirBnB has certainly come through with the goods. The room I thought I was getting seems to be the Spanish steroids version. Not only is it central and beautiful, it has a art deco lift up to the 3 rd floor and is so cra...

The enormous Moroccan city of many millions is far cry from the movie Casablanca and any images that might bring to mind.. The one and only homage here to Bogart and Bergman is Rick’s !! The ceiling is swathed and draped with luxury fabrics, the lighting exquisite. Table service ...

If the crowd clears a bit in the souks you will get to see some wonderful doorways and if you remember to look up you may see some very ancient arches. Much of the time these go unnoticed because most people are busy navigating their way through the busy alleys concentrating on their map or ...

This little cafe is a very popular coffee stop in the middle of the Medina. You can eat and drink with a birdseye view of everything happening below in the heart of the souk. I usually have the Cafe Canelle which is a short black with heavy cinnamony overtones.

Anyone from Melbourne will tell you that every rug store you pass in any given suburb is having a permanent closing down sale. They don't actually ever close down, they just live in hope that their advertising lures in some buyers. The rug shops here in Marrakech never close either. You co...

I am buying strawberries by the kilo, fully intending to freeze some for the berry free months to come but I seem to be eating them by the kilo instead. Along many streets I come across sellers with big carts mounded with berries. They are weighed out on very ancient scales and are about 15 dh...

Expect the unexpected !! Round zucchinis, why not ?? They are not marrow like but look and taste just the same as the old elongated version that I know and love - just squished into a ball. It may well be that others are familiar with this rounded member of the zucchini family but I don't th...