Through the High Atlas and on to Ait Ben Haddou along the Road of 1,000 Kasbahs...

What wonderful scenery from Marrakech to the Sahara desert! Mountains, valleys, gorges, historic sand castle kasbahs. Fabulous.

Family & Moroccan historical sites... perfect Christmas combination

The souks of Marrakesh

Oh my goodness, the 1000-year old Marrakesh medina and its colourful souks just captured our hearts. Leather goods, slippers, spices, pastries, silver lamps... it was like 18 square kilometres of treasure.

Morocco Part 1: hiking in the Ourika Valley

We spent our Christmas holiday in Morocco with the girls and Jon, and it was amazing! Brian and I got there a few days early and enjoyed 2 full days of hiking in the Ourika Valley with stunning views of the High Atlas Mountains. We stayed at this amazing hotel called the Kasbah Bab Ourika, an eco-lodge sitting right below snowy peaks. Stunning. On our first day of hiking, we trekked for 20 kilometres into Berber villages that never see foreigners. It was exceptional. We also got to make an impromptu visit to a small, local olive press where the guys served us some olive oil straight from the press. Our foodie hearts rejoiced!   :)

Christmas festivities...

The last few weeks of school are always filled with a plethora of Christmas parties, celebrations and get-togethers. At Concordia, this season is particularly sweet because we work with so many warm, wonderful, genuine people. The high school party was at a lovely restaurant on the Bund where we enjoyed good food, fellowship and Shanghai views. Now we're ready to head out to see our girls!! Then the holidays can truly start.   :)

Blue Man group comes to Shanghai...

I'm a few weeks late posting this, but we were excited to see the Blue Man Group here in Shanghai in November. We've never been able to take in one of their shows and have always wanted to see what the hype was about. This show was awesome! It was great to go with good friends and enjoy a night out on the town.