Granada, Spain May 2011

Driving into Granada from Seville, it doesn’t feel like much from first observations. But boy, was I wrong. Flanked by the mountainous Sierra Navada, Granada oozes with culture and lifestyle with a killer view to match. To paint the picture, Granada is to Spain what; Byron Bay is to Australia, Amsterdam is to Holland and what San Francisco in the 60s was to the world.

On one hand, Granada is similar to most Spanish cities, it has a high street littered with a Zara on every corner and a number of cafes and restaurants with menus representative of most countries in the world. Then, there is the Albayzin and Sacromonte. This is why you come to Granada in the first place and this is what you fall in love with. Albayzin is a hippies’ dream come true. The calm, easy-going nature of the inhabitants and the winding, cobblestone streets with a distinctly North African feel are alluring in so many ways. I, for one loved this area. Considering, I didn’t spend much time in Morocco, it was nice to participate in this culture one way or another. My days were mainly filled with cruising the many narrow streets, hiking (as Granada is set on a number of hills) to find the best view of the area, visiting caves where people live and sleep in, eating, and watching the sun set over the Alhambra (literally meaning the Red Castle in Arabic). There would be no words in the whole of the English language that would help me describe the view from Sacromonte, but let me assure you that it is, impeccable. The way the tree leaves twinkled in the golden afternoon sunshine and the snow-capped peak of the Sierra Navada glistened pink, was utterly humbling. The view took my breath away and enabled me to fully appreciate the world we live in and it’s natural beauty. If you are thinking about travelling to Spain, Granada should, without a doubt, be at the top of your itinerary. 

Photos taken by Roger & Jessica Rabbit

Seville, May 2011

Seville is a gorgeously romantic city. The unruly nature of the winding streets are incredibly enchanting, where one can easily become disorientated, which is certainly encouraged. Spanish tradition and culture, exudes from every nook and cranny making Seville an amazing place to visit. Even though it was pouring down with rain, we managed to make the best of each day, from the many wonderfully decorative plazas, to La Maestranza which is a stadium where the bullfighting takes place each night from the end of Semana Santa (Easter) to the end of the Feria de Abril festival.

The pièce de résistance of Seville is obviously it’s Cathedral, one of the largest of all medieval and gothic cathedrals, both in area and volume. The adjoining Alcazar (or Castle) is also a must see and from my observation, it serves as a backdrop to many Sevillanos wedding photographs.

The food in Seville is incredible, eating tapas (standing at the bar, mind you) and drinking tinto (red) wine is more of a past-time then a necessity. Food is there to be shared and enjoyed with your loved ones, which is a stark contrast to the last two years of living in London where you see everyone eating pre-made sandwiches on the run.

El Patio

Cathedral

Cathedral

Tower of Gold
All photos taken by Jessica Rabbit

Isabella Blow

As it’s British tradition to wear grand headpieces to a wedding, those at the Royal Wedding over the weekend certainly did not disappoint. Some were exceptional, (a la Victoria Beckham) and some were exceptionally bad (yes, I'm talking about you Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie or, as I will now refer to you as, Cinderella's ugly step sisters), the common factor being that the unorthodox milliner, Philip Treacy, crafted most. While I was watching this, I could help but think it was all very reminiscent of Treacy's muse and original Princess of extravagant hats, Isabella Blow.

Interestingly, realising Treacy's talent after he created her wedding headdress, Blow offered to establish him in her London flat where he worked on his creations, later becoming a signature part of Isabella's flamboyant style. During Isabella's career she worked as Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley's assistant, a fashion director of Tatler and the Sunday Times Style magazine and shortly before her death in 2007 she worked as a creative director and stylist. She had also discovered the likes of Sophie Dahl and Alexander McQueen to name but a few. Isabella's life was certainly a mix of tragedy and inspiration and for many (myself included), she embodied English eccentricity at its best.

“If you don’t wear lipstick, I can’t talk to you.”

-       Isabella Blow

Sourced : Daily Mail, Candy Cane Ladies

Marrakesh, April 2011

Since arriving in Morocco, the only word that comes to my mind is, intense. The last 24 hours have probably been the most hectic and emotionally draining I have had in a long while. So let me start at the beginning. Flying into Marrakesh was incredible, seeing the checkerboard-like land in vivid colours of red and, well, darker shades of red was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Walking into Jemaa el-Fna square, which is the main square in Marrakesh, you are immediately greeted by snake charmers thrusting snakes in your direction and encouraging you to take photos (which you later have to pay for, mind you), men with pet monkeys, women who want to decorate your hand with henna (which is traditionally a way to celebrate a special occasion) and a number of fresh juice and food carts. The atmosphere within the square is pulsating and the people are so animated and welcoming. Walking through the square you enter the Souqs in which the first thing you notice are the vibrant colours and the low murmur of people haggling for the “best price”. In the souqs, you can buy anything and everything from leather jackets and bags to beautifully crafted dishes and lampshades. Needless to say, I was in heaven.

We then walked back into the square, took a few photos directly opposite Argana Restaurant and Café but then decided to keep walking to find some food elsewhere. About 5 minutes later we heard a loud and deep “boom” and felt the ground shake. Considering I’ve been fortunate enough to have not experienced what a bomb feels like when it explodes, I can tell you, that when it happens, you just “know”. Turning around to see where it came from my eyes immediately saw a cloud of smoke and debris in the sky. My heart went into a flutter and analysing everyone’s reaction around me, this was something out of the ordinary. I don’t know why we didn’t turn around and go back to see what had happened, we just kept walking. Which in hindsight was probably the best thing to do. Hearing stories back in the riad about what immediately followed was chaos and panic, women crying, ambulances carrying away the injured, people trying to put the fire out while others ran in the opposite direction. During this time, we had delved deeper into Marrakesh’s labyrinth eventually finding the spice market and Palace. An hour after the bomb exploded we were back in the square on our way to the riad for an afternoon nap when we noticed the commotion and people congregating in the square. Then I noticed it. The restaurant that we had walked past 5 minutes earlier was no longer there. Not being able to communicate with anyone, we decided to go back to the riad to gain an understanding of what was going on and as you can imagine, there were so many thoughts running through my head including, but wishfully thinking it wasn’t a terrorist attack.

Back in the riad things became crystal clear. It was a terrorist attack with earlier reports of a suicide bombing but now is a result of a remote detonation. Initially, I was concerned but now I’m just angry. From what I had witnessed, the Moroccan people are so friendly and accommodating and heavily reliant on tourism as a source of income and for an attack to occur in broad daylight in the middle of a popular tourist destination, and for it to have been detonated remotely, is in my mind, cowardly. In such a situation, I would have imagined that I would be a nervous wreck, however, later that evening, we returned to the square where the mood was somber and respectful. Looking at the news today, there have been anti-terrorism protests at the site of the explosion condemning Thursdays attack.

It is such a shame that this is the world that we live in today, where terrorism is a real threat to our livelihood. 

Our Riad

Argana Cafe and Restaurant

Photos taken by Jessica Rabbit