Brett and Bernii

On the 26th of August we flew from Barcelona to Porto. We loved our time in Portugal so much that we wanted to go back.

We spent five nights in Porto, staying at the same hotel we previously stayed at, the Ibis Porto Centro Mercado Do Bolhão. During our stay we returned to some of our favourite cafes, bars and restaurants. We went to the Mercado do Bolhão, a large market in central Porto where we had some amazing food. We caught the train to the beach on one day, however it wasn’t as nice as the beaches near Lisbon – it was very windy while we where there and the swell was too big to swim.

We then caught the train to Lisbon and stayed for three nights, again at the same hotel as before, the Ibis Styles Lisboa Centro Liberdade NE. We caught the train to the same beach as our previous trip, Praia de Carcavelos, which has a nice bar and is good for swimming (though the water is a little cold). On the way back to Lisbon, we stopped at the LX Factory, a large industrial area that has been converted to house some cool bars and restaurants. It was fairly quiet when we were there, but it looks like it would get busy on weekends or later at night.

From Lisbon we caught the train to Lagos. It is a really nice costal city in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. We really enjoyed our time there exploring the old town, the beaches and rocky cliff formations. There is a boardwalk along the top of the cliffs which provides some great views. Although there were a lot of tourists in Lagos, it didn’t feel overrun and had a really nice vibe. We stayed at the Aura Guesthouse which was perfectly located in the old town, just off one of the main streets. We spent 3 nights in Lagos and wish that we had more time there. Portugal is one of our favourite countries and Lagos was one of the many highlights.

We caught the train to Faro where we stayed at the Faro Guest House for 2 nights. It was a lot quieter than Lagos and seemed to be where people transited through on their way to the Algarve region of Portugal. There was a festival on in the Old Town during our stay, and we couldn’t explore that area as we didn’t have tickets.

We flew from Faro to Marrakech in Morocco where we spent the first two nights at the Ibis Marrakech Centre Gare, which is beside the main train station. Morocco is a bit like stepping back in time 25 years – everyone smokes inside which can make it a bit uncomfortable, especially while eating.

We found a really nice French restaurant, Bagatelle which also serves some local dishes. We enjoyed a chicken and lemon tagine and meat skewers for dinner with a bottle of red wine. The weather in Marrakech was fairly hot with highs reaching 39 degrees. We spent an afternoon exploring the labyrinth of alleyways and souks in the Marrakech Medina.

We caught the train from Marrakech to Casablanca where we stayed at the Ibis Casablanca City Center for four nights. The temperature was a bit cooler in Casablanca. On our second day we did a half day organized tour which took us to the old Medina and the Hassan II Mosque, as well as a few other parks and attractions. We really enjoyed the visit to the Hassan II Mosque which is the largest mosque in Africa.

The food in Morocco was amazing – especially the various tagines, olives, and sweets. We also loved the Morrocan mint tea.

After four nights in Casablanca, I caught the train back to Marrakech to get ready to trek to the summit of Mount Toubkal (which you can read about here), while Bernii stayed in Casablanca for some rest and relaxation. We reunited in Marrakech before flying to Madrid. From here we will head to Zanzibar to spend some time by the beach and rest my weary legs.