donderdag 27 mei 2010
Agadir: Golf Of The Sun
zaterdag 22 mei 2010
Couscous And The City: Hollywood loves Morocco
Now in the cinema, Carrie & Co's Moroccan adventure in Sex And The City 2. Sex And The City 2: The upcoming sequel is set two years after we last saw Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her friends and brings the girls out of their beloved New York on a trip of Morocco.
Little has been given away about the plotline, but the film will definitely include a wedding and perhaps a baby for an unlikely mother. Apparently happily married to husband Mr Big (Chris Noth), it is not known why Carrie decides to abandon him for a girlie trip to Marrakech with Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis) and Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon).
Exotic: Sarah Jessica Parker is back as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City 2 as the four friends take a break from New York in the equally bustling souks of Marrakech. For their exotic trip to North Africa, the foursome are seen enjoying walking through the dunes of the Sahara Desert, lunching under the shade of a Bedouin tent and partying alongside belly dancers in a local nightclub.
In these new photos from the film, Charlotte appears to be revelling in being a housewife as she carries two-year-old daughter Rose - who was born in the climax of the first film - while baking cupcakes.
Despite turning 50 in the last film, it appears age hasn't diminished Samantha's love of tight-fitting clothes as she is seen dashing across a busy Manhattan street in a revealing little black dress.
Carrie and her best friends (L-R) Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis) and Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon) stroll through the Sahara Desert.
SEX AND THE CITY 2: Dining in style: The four woman quaff flutes of champagne in the unlikely setting of a Bedouin tent in the middle of the Sahara desert. The only single member of the group, Samantha will come into contact with ex live-in lover Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) again in the sequel, prompting speculation they may give their romance another try.
She also finds a new love interest in the shape of English actor Max Ryan, who plays a suave character called Rikard. Teen star Miley Cyrus also has a brief cameo in the film, after she turns up to a premiere of Smith's movie wearing the same designer dress as a horrified Samantha. Rocking the Kasbah: The Sex And The City girls hit the nightclubs on Marrakech.
As well as potentially settling down, there is speculation Samantha - who turned 50 in the last movie - may be going through 'the change'.
Also among the rumoured plotlines for the sequel is Carrie's marriage to Mr Big will run into trouble, including the mogul suffering into financial problems as a result of the current economic crisis.
Also back for the sequel is Miranda's husband Steve Brady (David Eigenberg), Charlotte's husband Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler) and the girls' gay friends Anthony Marantino (Mario Cantone) and Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson).
Fashionable friends: The new film will feature coveted designer clothes, including a white Halston jersey dress worn by Carrie
Among the stars making cameo appearances in this year's movie include Penelope Cruz, Liza Minnelli and British-Iranian comedian Omid Djalili, who plays a Moroccan hotel owner.
The first Sex And The City movie saw Carrie and Mr Big finally tie the knot in City Hall after the commitment-phobe jilted her at the altar of a lavish over-the-top ceremony at the New York Public Library.
The first film was well received with both critics and audiences and grossed $412million in worldwide box office.
vrijdag 21 mei 2010
Agadir: six highlights of your holiday
top-class hotels and sun pretty much all year round make this the country’s number one seaside resort.
Morocco’s top surfng spot, a village beach resort with a whole series of excellent right breaks attracting tubehounds both local and foreign.
Once the capital, this delightful walled town with two markets and bags of character is nowadays being dubbed “mini Marrakesh” by the tourist industry.
the whole region between Tafraoute and Tata, these prehistoric artworks attest to a time when elephants and giraffes roamed this neck of the woods.
Tucked away in the Anti-Atlas mountains amid a landscape of strange rock formations, this friendly little town makes a great base to explore them from.
A former Spanish enclave built from scratch in the 1930s with an Art Deco town hall, an Art Deco mosque, even an Art Deco lighthouse.
zondag 16 mei 2010
Agadir: An Adventure into Morocco
Seven Days in Morocco: In an original land of Adventure Travel, the more things change the more they stay the same.
The Perfect Week: Action plans for the trips of your life "We were sitting under a beautiful starlit sky, listening to Berber music miles and miles from civilization," Condo recalls. "It was one of those lifetime experiences you'll just never forget."
During their trek across Morocco on a Mountain Travel Sobek trip, Condo discovered the twin lures of this primal landscape: "the physical challenge of the backcountry and the culture's incredible diversity." Just eight miles (thirteen kilometers) from continental Europe, the kingdom of Morocco is a universe away. An outpost for intrepid wanderers long before it caught on with 1960s globe-trotters, this slice of North Africa is one of the world's original adventure destinations and remains a paragon of exotica.
Life here is tuned to the age-old rhythms of Islamic culture, which can be intimidating to Westerners elsewhere in the world. But tourism is Morocco's fastest growing industry, and the government keeps a watchful eye: It's against the law for anyone to offer guide services unless he is licensed by the state, and a Ministry of Tourism police force cracks down hard on pushy vendors (though you'll never be tout free in a place where haggling is the national pastime).
In Morocco, which is roughly the size of California, a rail system runs through all the marquee towns, and at around $30, an overnight ride on the Marrakech Express from Tangier is a serious bargain. Communal taxis ply the countryside, and major car-rental agencies have operations in the larger cities. Driving, though, can be something of a challenge at times—mule carts are everywhere, stoplights are scarce, and mopeds serve as the family car. Still, the roads are surprisingly good, and in a single trip you can explore time-warped cities, roam high mountain trails, windsurf the coast, and trek through the most famous desert in the world.
In Morocco, which is roughly the size of California, a rail system runs through all the marquee towns, and at around $30, an overnight ride on the Marrakech Express from Tangier is a serious bargain. Communal taxis ply the countryside, and major car-rental agencies have operations in the larger cities. Driving, though, can be something of a challenge at times—mule carts are everywhere, stoplights are scarce, and mopeds serve as the family car. Still, the roads are surprisingly good, and in a single trip you can explore time-warped cities, roam high mountain trails, windsurf the coast, and trek through the most famous desert in the world.
A big draw on its own, Marrakech is also the prime launchpad for outback jaunts. Within its trademark pink ramparts, casinos and nightclubs coexist with snake charmers and belly dancers. Beyond the walls, roads climb into the rugged Atlas Mountains, where 12,000-plus-foot (3,658-plus-meter) peaks draw climbers, hikers, and mountaineers in the warmer months and skiers from February to April. An hour's drive southeast lies the Saharan gateway of Ouarzazate.
And three hours west, you can cool down on the coast in the windsurfing hub of Essaouira. But the action isn't limited to wildland's edge. Wander the souks of Marrakech, or squeeze through the twisting alleyways in the medina (old city) of Fès. With its coppersmiths, candlemakers, and overloaded mules, it's like a Class V maze of the Middle Ages' greatest hits—a sight virtually unchanged for centuries. What Paul Bowles said of 1970s Tangier remains true of Morocco today: "It's changed less than the rest of the world." Funky, affordable, always unpredictable, the country serves up a millennium in the span of a single week.
And three hours west, you can cool down on the coast in the windsurfing hub of Essaouira. But the action isn't limited to wildland's edge. Wander the souks of Marrakech, or squeeze through the twisting alleyways in the medina (old city) of Fès. With its coppersmiths, candlemakers, and overloaded mules, it's like a Class V maze of the Middle Ages' greatest hits—a sight virtually unchanged for centuries. What Paul Bowles said of 1970s Tangier remains true of Morocco today: "It's changed less than the rest of the world." Funky, affordable, always unpredictable, the country serves up a millennium in the span of a single week.
zaterdag 19 december 2009
Agadir: Fine Cuisne
Moroccan cuisine and unfussy. Dishes have envolved from Persia via the Arabs . From Andalucia with the returning Moors and from the colonial French but the overrriding principle is to throw all the ingredients into a dish and then leave it to cook slowly . Prime exhibit is the national dish of tajine. it's essentially a slow-coooked stew of meat (usually lamb or chicken ) and vegetables ,with olives tangy preserved lemon, almonds or prunesprunes employed for flavouring .The name describes both the food and pot it's cooked in-a shallow earthen ware dish with conical lid that traps the rising steam and stops the stew from drying out .The other defining local staple is couscous ,which is again the name of the basic ingredient (coarse-ground semolina flour ) and of the diush ; the slow-cooked grains are topped witha rich meat or vegetables stew ,not unlike that of a tajine , it's full meal ,not a side dish . Don't expect a menu in most traditional Moroccan restaurants, including many places ,once customers are seated the food simply arrives .First thing will be a selection of small hot and cold dishes,called salad moroccaine , actually carrots ,peppers, aubergine, tomatoes and the like ,each prepared differently s well as diced sheep brains and chopped liver , next briouettes -little envolopes of paper-thin ouarka (filo) pastry wrapped around ground meat, rice or cheese and deep friend, next pastilla (or b'stilla )which is ouarka pastry filled with shredded pigeon or chicken , almonds ,boiled egg and spices.
dinsdag 15 december 2009
Agadir: The highlights of the city
Sightseeing
Superb beaches, wide palm-fringed boulevards, excellent resort hotels and self-catering accommodation, and all types of sports activities are the main features of Agadir. It has an excellent covered souk, which sells local specialities. The fish market is also worth visiting to see the locals at work. Day trips into the desert, and to the former earthquake refugee centre, now a town in its own right, are a popular option for cruises stopping here. The top Agadir City highlights are:
Highlights
• The Old Kasbah
• La Musée des Arts Berbers (Berber Arts Museum)
• Marrakech day tour
• Taroudant tour
• Beaches
• Inezgane
Tourist Information
Immeuble A. Place du Prince Héritier Sidi Mohamed, Agadir, Morocco.Tel : +212 4884 6377.
zondag 6 december 2009
Agadir: The Moroccan Cuisine
Moroccan cuisine and unfussy .dishes have envolved from persia via the arabs .from andalucia with the returning Moors and from the colonial french but the overrriding principle is to throw all the ingredients into a dish and then leave it to cook slowly .
Prime exhibit is the national dish of tajine. it's essentially a slow-coooked stew of meat (usually lamb or chicken ) and vegetables ,with olives tangy preserved lemon, almonds or prunesprunes employed for flavouring .
The name describes both the food and pot it's cooked in-a shallowearthenware dish with conical lid that traps the rising steam and stops the stew from drying out .
The name describes both the food and pot it's cooked in-a shallowearthenware dish with conical lid that traps the rising steam and stops the stew from drying out .
The other defining local staple is couscous ,which is again the name of the basic ingredient (coarse-ground semolina flour ) and of the diush ; the slow-cooked grains are topped witha rich meat or vegetables stew ,not unlike that of a tajine , it's full meal ,not a side dish .
Don't expect a menu in most traditional Moroccan restaurants, including many places ,once customers are seated the food simply arrives .First thing will be a selection of small hot and cold dishes,called salad moroccaine , actually carrots ,peppers, aubergine, tomatoes and the like ,each prepared differently s well as diced sheep brains and chopped liver , next briouettes -little envolopes of paper-thin ouarka (filo) pastry wrapped around ground meat, rice or cheese and deep friend, next pastilla (or b'stilla )which is ouarka pastry filled with shredded pigeon or chicken , almonds ,boiled egg and spices
bakes then dusted withcinnamon and powdered sugar Next a tajine of lamb or chicken following that,a couscous of chicken or lamb Next, desert of flaky pastry drizzled with honey and piled with fruit,Next,indigestion and the beginnings of a long-term aversion to all foodstuffs delivered in pottery dishes with conical lids .all the above is delivered with moroccan wine and finished off with mint tea and gawd help us more pastries .
To be frank , many liken the set-menu dinning experience to being a duck on a foie gras mounds , That a great portion of the excessive mounds of food is inevitably sent back to the kitchen almost untouched seems supremely wasteful as well as offering the dinner poor value foe money ,uneaten food is distributed to the poor but perhaps you might appreciate being able to make your own choices as to how you dispense your charity .
The National dish: is the tagine, and its quality varies widely. At its best it is a subtle stew of tender meat (lamb or chicken) with carrots, chickpeas and potato, served on a bed of fine and fluffy
couscous: Often accompanying the tagine (as well as many other savoury dishes) are preserved lemons, which refresh the palate and harissa a fiery red sauce made of chilli peppers,garlic and spices. Skewered and grilled meats, brochettes, are found on most menus.
fish dish : Image you will also find some good fish dishes. The city has a huge port, and a typical plat du jour (dish of the day) might be grilled sole or bream. Every other street in Morocco has an excellent patisserie serving expertly crafted fresh pastries, a legacy of the French occupation.
