Seabiscuit and Beyond: April 2024

Location: Warburg, Germany

After an exciting vacation in Morocco, we are now in Warburg, Germany, pet sitting.

B and Dave near our camels, Erg Chebbi, Morocco

Monday, March 18, 2024 - Manchester, England to Casablanca, Morocco: We finished up our pet sit with Montie and Lottie over the weekend and took the train from Tideswell to the Manchester Airport. Today we flew from Manchester to Madrid, Spain to Casablanca, Morocco. We made it through immigration and security, grabbed our luggage and had a driver take us from the airport to our hotel. We checked in, had a light supper at the hotel buffet and called it a day.

Tuesday, March 19 - Wednesday, March 20, 2024 - Casablanca, Morocco: We had two full days to explore Casablanca on our own before joining our tour group. We spent Tuesday exploring two small museums: the Abderrahman Slaoui Foundation Museum, which is a private home with displays of art, jewelry, costumes, ceramics, etc. collected by Abderrahman Slaoui during his travels as a businessman and the Villa des Arts, a contemporary art museum including workspace for local artists. There were several artists working on lithographs while we were there.

We were in Morocco during the month of Ramadan, a holy month in the Islamic calendar. Ramadan is a observed by Muslims worldwide and is a time of fasting, prayer, reflection and community (from Wikipedia, see the link to Ramadan above). In Morocco, 99% of the population is Muslim and because of Ramadan, most people fast from dawn to sunset. Because of this, we had a difficult time finding a cafe for lunch, so instead we bought meat, cheese and bread at the grocery store and had a picnic in a park. It was enjoyable to watch people strolling with their families and walking their dogs while we sat on a bench, ate lunch and took a break from wandering around the city. On the walk back to our hotel, we took a quick stroll through the Old Medina, a busy place with shops and stalls. For supper we ate at a nice Moroccan restaurant across the street from our hotel.

On Wednesday, after breakfast at the hotel buffet, we walked over to the Casablanca waterfront and along the seawall, past the Hassan II Mosque, to the El Hank Lighthouse, Morocco's tallest lighthouse. We managed to find a nice seafood restaurant near the lighthouse and we ate our lunch there.

El Hank Lighthouse, Casablanca, Morocco

The outside of Rick's Cafe near the waterfront in Casablanca
(inspired by the 1942 movie "Casablanca")

Wednesday evening, we met with our tour leader, Abdoul, and our tour group for introductions and an overview of our adventures to come.

Thursday, March 21, 2024 - Casablanca to Meknes via Rabat, Morocco: We started our tour this morning at the Hassan II Mosque, the second largest mosque in Africa (the largest is in Egypt). Construction of the mosque was completed in 1993 and the total capacity is 105,000 which includes enough space inside the mosque for 25,000 worshippers plus space for 80,000 outside. This mosque is the only mosque in Morocco that is open to non-Muslims. More details of the history and pictures of the artisan work inside and outside the mosque can be found at the Wikipedia link above.

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco

Our group inside the Hassan II Mosque, looking at the opulence while we listen to our tour guide.

After a tour inside the mosque, we left Casablanca and headed north along the coast to the administrative capital of Morocco, Rabat. What a difference between the two cities. Casablanca is Morocco's largest city, very industrial with a busy waterfront and streets congested with traffic. Rabat is much smaller and very clean, with a lot of green space included in the city layout. We stopped in the French section of Rabat to order our lunch and to visit the ATM and/or currency exchange. We met our local guide there, then toured the sites of the city including the Royal Palace, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V (it was closed because the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, was expected to visit later in the day to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the death of Mohammed V on the 10th day of Ramadan), and the Kasbah des Oudaias.

The main entrance to the Royal Palace in Rabat.
Note the differrent uniforms of the guards on the left side of the entrance, one from each branch of the military.

The horse guards at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V

The Mausoleum of Mohammed V as viewed from outside the locked gates

The walls surrounding the Kasbah

One of the gates leading into the Kasbah

The view of the Atlantic Ocean and the jetties surrounding the Rabat Harbor.

The view of the lighthouse in Rabat from the Kasbah

Our tour group and guides having mint tea inside the Kasbah.
There were 10 of us in our tour group, from left to right - Sue from Melbourne, Australia; Abdoul our tour guide (white shirt with his back to us) and Abdoul our Rabat tour guide; Irene and Niall from Ireland but they have lived in Perth, Australia for the last 25 years, Ally and Steve (behind the post) from England, and Larry, Allan and Valerie from Alberta, Canada (although Larry now lives in British Columbia), plus Dave and I.

From the Kasbah, we returned to the French section of the city for our lunch. Although never conquered by the French, Morocco was a French Protectorate from 1912 to 1956. The Treaty of Fez, signed in 1912, gave legislative power and control of the military to the French. Morocco regained its independence from France in 1956 and the King of Morocco, Muhammed V, returned to take control of the country. You can still see the French influence through out most of Morocco. Most cities have a French section and French is commonly spoken. Parts of northern Morocco were occupied by the Spanish and Spanish is more commonly spoken in those areas. In fact, Spain still has two autonomous cities, Ceuta and Melilla, on the north coast of Morocco.

We spent the afternoon driving from Rabat to Meknes where we stayed the night. We had a real treat for our supper tonight, we had a home cooked meal with a family who lives in Meknes. We started with fresh dates, the traditional way most Moroccans break their daily Ramadan fast, then Moroccan soup, followed by chicken tagine and vegetable tagine, then fresh fruit and cake. It was delicious and we all enjoyed meeting the family and being welcomed into their home.

Vegetable tagine and chicken tagine at the family home in Meknes

Abdoul demonstrating how to properly pour tea at the end of the meal

Friday, March 22, 2024 - Meknes to Chefchaouen via Volubilis, Morocco: We started the day with breakfast at our hotel, then we checked out and boarded our bus for a tour of the city. Meknes was made the capital of Morocco in 1673, making it one of the four imperial cities in Morocco (an imperial city is one that was or is a capital of Morocco. The others are Rabat (the current capital), Fez and Marrakech). The Meknes Medina, the old city surrounded by walls, is a Unesco Heritage site.

Irene, Sue, B and Ally outside one of the Meknes Medina gates.

A sculpture of a water carrier near the Meknes water reservoir, Heri es-Swani.

The Imperial Granaries near the Meknes reservoirs. They are being restored/maintained by Unesco.

The main gate to the imperial palace in Meknes, It isn't used much by the current King of Morocco.
At the top left of the gate, there is a stork's nest with a stork standing near it.

Our next stop was Volubilis, an ancient Berber-Roman city in northern Morocco, and one of the southernmost ancient Roman settlements.

Restored ruins in Volubilis, Morocco

A restored archway, Volubilis, Morocco

A mosaic tile floor in the ruins of a house, Volubilis, Morocco

Looking over the partially excavated ruins of Volubilis, Morocco

Our group at Volubilis - Valerie, Allan, Sue, Irene, Niall, Larry, Steve, Ally, Dave, B

After a lunch stop, we drove across the Rif Mountains to the blue city of Chefchaouen. Nestled on the side of a mountain, and famous for its blue painted buildings, Chefchaouen was founded in 1471. It wasn't always a tourist destination, but because of people posting pictures of the blue buildings on social media, it is now a popular place to visit. We settled into our very nice hotel, built up the side of a mountain, then took a tour of the old city.

The courtyard at our hotel in Chefchaoun, Morocco

The view of Chefchaouen from our hotel.

One of the many narrow streets in the Chefchaouen medina

Looking up at the mountains from the Chefchaouen medina

Saturday, March 23, 2024 - Chefchaouen to Fez, Morocco: We spent the morning wandering around the medina in Chefchaouen, shopping for souvenirs and having coffee and fresh juice while people watching in the main square.

Irene surrounded by blue painted buildings on one of the many staircases in the Chefchaouen medina.

The Chefchaouen medina community oven.
People who have no oven in their home can drop off their meals to be cooked and pick them up later.

A small square inside the medina

An elaborate door inside the medina

A display of string art outside a shop.

A small shop selling paintings

A view of Chefchaouen on our way out of town.

The guys in our tour group with Chefchaouen in the background
Larry, Niall, Allan, Steve, Dave and Abdoul

The girls in our tour group with Chefchaouen in the background.
Sue, Irene, Valerie, Ally and B

We spent the afternoon driving from Chefchaouen to Fez, back over the Rif Mountains and through irrigated farm land. We stopped for a break overlooking a reservoir, then drove into Fez and checked in to our hotel.

Our driver, Ismael, on a break between Chefchaouen and Fez.

Larry with a local group of boys and their donkeys on the road between Chefchaouen and Fez

After a short rest, we went into the Fez Medina for supper at a private house. All of the buildings inside the medina look similar from the outside, brown adobe, wooden doors and very few windows. Going inside, you are not sure what you might find. It could be an opulent home or someplace that hasn't been renovated in many years. Tonight we were treated to the inside of an elegant home. Our supper started with a variety of Moroccan salads followed by chicken pastilla, which is tender spiced chicken wrapped in phyllo dough and sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. After supper, we had fresh fruit and tea. There were some traditional Moroccan outfits hanging in the courtyard and we had fun trying things on. A very enjoyable evening.

Chicken pastilla decorated with powdered sugar and cinnamon

A picture of our group inside the house in the Fez Medina where we had supper.
Dave, the lady of the house, Niall, Larry, Valerie, Allan, Irene, Sue, Steve, Ally, B and the son

After supper, we got to dress up in traditional Moroccan outfits.
Larry, Allan, Steve and Niall

After supper, we dressed up in traditional Moroccan costumes.
Irene, Abdoul, Ally, the lady of the house, B, Sue and Valerie

Sunday, March 24, 2024 - Fez, Morocco: We spent the day touring Fez, starting with a stop outside the Royal Palace and the Jewish Quarter, continuing to a scenic overlook of the city, a tour of a ceramics factory and then a tour of the medina and plenty of opportunities to shop and support the local economy. We were glad to have our local guide, Hicham, along during the Medina tour as it was full of twists and turns with no obvious routes to the exits.

The gates of the royal palace in Fez. Founded in the 9th century, Fez is one of the oldest cities in Morocco and one of four imperial cities.

An overview of the Fez medina

The dying section in the Fez Medina. You can see the different colored skeins of wool hanging above our heads. The medina is organized into various sections, the metal section, the leather section, the clothing section, the weaving section, the food section, etc. etc. Although it is a tourist attraction, it is an essential shopping location for every day items used by the people that live within the medina.

Our local guide, Hicham, explaining the history of the Al-Attarine Madrasa (old Koranic School) in the Fez medina.

Overlooking the tannery in the middle of the Fez medina. They gave us mint leaves to hold up to our noses to help mask the stench.

A close up view of the vats in the tannery and the cats that live amongst them.

After the skins are soaked for 2-3 days in a mixture of cow urine, pigeon poop, quicklime, salt and water to soften them up, the hair is removed.

An example of the before and after of a metal plate design applied in a shop in the medina.

Some of the traditional women's outfits on display in a shop in the Fez Medina.

Dave with one of the workers in a weaving / textile shop.

A demonstration of how to make a scarf into a turban with Larry as the model

The map of our walking route through the Fez Medina. Some of the long straight lines are where I lost the GPS signal because of the density of the medina. We walked most of the afternoon, with lots of stops for shopping.

After a full day of touring the city, we were on our own for supper. It was a rainy evening, with thunder and lightning in the distance. We walked a few blocks from our hotel and ate at a buffet restaurant.

Monday, March 25, 2024 - Fez to Midelt, Morocco: We had a leisurely morning then boarded our bus and drove south out of Fez. We stopped at a large supermarket and bought goodies for a picnic lunch, then drove to Ifrane, an pretty alpine town in the middle Atlas Mountains.

A stone lion in the Ifrane town square

A Barbary Macaque monkey in the cedar forest near Ifrane

From Ifrane, we drove through the 3rd largest cedar forest in the world; the two largest are in Lebanon and Canada. The forest is home to Barbary Macaque monkeys, and we stopped to watch several near the side of the road. Our next stop was a fish hatchery where they raise rainbow and golden trout. We stopped at a roadside rest and ate our picnic lunches accompanied by fresh mint tea.

Mid-afternoon we reached our hotel ~20 miles west of Midelt. We had a short rest, then drove through town and hiked along the river to a small Berber village where we stopped for a tea break inside one of the adobe homes.

On the way to our hike, we had to stop and take a picture of the group with the Tatiouine sign for the Star Wars fans. Tatiouine is a fictional desert planet from the Star Wars films and was home to Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader - Luke's father) and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The storm clouds are looking ominous as we start our hike south of Midelt

A view of the Oued Outat river canyon during our afternoon hike south of Midelt

Our group on our afternoon hike south of Midelt, Morocco

Inside the adobe home we visited in the Berber village south of Midelt. Abdoul is explaining the history of the village and the lives of the people who live there.

Abdoul pouring tea for us at our visit to an adobe home near Midelt.

The lady of the house, her son and her neighbor at our tea break south of Midelt, Morocco

Tuesday, March 26, 2024 - Midelt to Merzouga, Sahara Camp, Morocco: Today we drove to the Sahara Desert via Errachidia and along the Ziz Valley, home to an oasis of date palm trees and other agricultural crops. We stopped along the way at scenic overlooks of the valley, to look at fossils and to shop for scarves that we could wear in the desert.

A view of the Ziz River

A view of the Ziz Valley

The entrance to the small shop where we stopped to buy scarves.

Camels at the small shop where we stopped to buy scarves for the desert.

A fossil specimen on display

As we neared the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi on the far western edge of the Sahara desert, the winds picked up. We followed a line of slow moving cars through the sand storm along the highway until it was time to turn off to get to our tent camp. By then the wind was blowing a steady 30+ knots (55 kph/34 mph) with gusts up to 40+ knots (74 kph/46 mph). Out of the window of the van, we could see the camel leaders with their strings of camels, making their way across the sand.

Camels being led through the sand storm

The sand storm at Erg Chebbi when we arrived

Ismael, our driver, maneuvered us through the sand storm to our tent camp; we piled out of the bus and into the mess tent. We were supposed to go out for a sunset camel ride that afternoon, but Abdoul cancelled and rescheduled for a sunrise ride tomorrow morning. We made our way from the mess tent to our individual tents and spent the afternoon listening to the wind blow and watching sand blow in through the cracks in the doors and walls. Later that evening, we went to the nearby hotel for supper. By the time we finished eating, the wind had died down and it was a beautiful calm night.

Waiting inside the mess tent while Abdoul reschedules our camel ride.

Abdoul looking at the sandstorm from the door of the mess tent

Wednesday, March 27, 2024 - Merzouga, Sahara Camp to Boutaghrar, Morocco: We met up at 5:30 this morning for our sunrise camel ride over the Erg Chebbi sand dunes. It was beautiful and calm and the sand storm smoothed out the top layer of sand, removing all of the previous tracks. It was cold ~4C/40F and we were all glad to have layers of warm clothing to keep us warm.

The view of another group of camels as the sun begins to lighten the morning sky

The group on our camels as we ride over the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi

The camels kneeling down so that we could dismount

Sunrise Erg Chebbi

Sunrise over the sand dunes at Erg Chebbi

Our camels waiting in the sand dunes while we take photos of the sunrise

Sunrise over the sand dunes at Erg Chebbi

Shadows of our camels on the dunes as we ride back to our camp after sunrise

Shadows of our camels as we ride back towards camp after the sunrise

Our group of camels as we head back to our tent camp after the sunrise

The leader of our camels

Our tent camp near Erg Chebbi

We had breakfast at the hotel, then loaded on to our bus. We drove north, then west and stopped along the way to look at the Khettara, an underground irrigation system that used to supply water to the villages and farms.

The top of a well that accessed the Khettara. When mud blocked the flow of the water in the underground channels, villagers would haul mud up through these wells.

Looking up to the top of the well where villagers removed mud that blocked the water flow

The underground channel where the water flowed from the mountains

A table full of fossils near the Khettara

An old abode village along our driving route

A view of the snow covered Atlas mountains as we drive from the desert to the M'Goun Valley

We drove up to the Todra Gorge, limestone carved by the Todra River, and did a short hike, then ate lunch at a nearby restaurant. Mid-afternoon, we arrived at Gite d'etape Tamaloute, a family owned house/hotel/restaurant in the middle of the M'Goun Valley (Valley of Roses).

Our group having supper in the cave dining room at the Gite.

March 28, 2024 - Boutagharar, Morocco: We had breakfast on the balcony this morning, a variety of breads, jam, yogurt, fresh fruit and our favorite - fried donuts that were delicious. To help us work off all of the calories, we went out for a hike through the village, along the river to an overlook, then down to the irrigated fields in the river valley. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was nice to be out stretching our legs.

A red rock formation above the river near Boutaghrar, Morocco

The irrigated valley along the river near Boutaghrar, Morocco

The red rock cliffs above the river near Boutaghrar

A donkey behind an adobe fence - He was very talkative

Crossing an irrigation canal during our hike

Our local guide, Youseff, leading us on our hike.

Our group taking a rest break

The rocky slopes above the river valley

The map of our walk in Boutaghrar

Overlooking the villages along the river valley and the surrounding hillsides

We got back to the Gite mid-afternoon and had lunch in one of the courtyards. In the afternoon, we participated in a goat tagine and vegetable tagine cooking demonstration, then a local girl came to the Gite and we had henna tattoos designed on our hands.

The entrance to our Gite

The chef at the Gite demonstrating how to make goat and vegetable tagines

B getting a henna tattoo in the cave dining room at the Gite

Our group displaying our henna tattoos - Valerie, B, the henna artist, Ally, Sue and Allan

A close up of our henna tattoos

For supper, we ate with the family who owns/manages the Gite. We met in their family dining room after sundown, when they broke their daily Ramadan fast. We sat at the big table, the men sat at their table and the women and children sat at a different table. The supper included the goat and vegetable tagine that was cooked earlier today. Every evening during Ramadan in Morocco, the locals watch a Berber adventure story, Baba Ali, that is filmed nearby and only runs during the Ramadan season. All of us tourists were talking loudly while they were trying to watch their show and one of the children finally told us to be quiet. Abdoul explained about the show and the general story line, and although we couldn't understand the dialogue, we enjoyed watching the family watch their show.

Our table loaded with food for our supper with the family who owns the Gite

Our group seated at the table in the Gite family dining room

Friday, March 29, 2024 - Boutaghrar to Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco: We had breakfast in the cave this morning then hit the road at 9:00. We stopped for a coffee along the way and had an opportunity to buy products that are made from the roses of the Rose Valley. Our next stop was outside the city of Skoura at Kasbah Amridil, built in the 17th century.

An abandoned abode village that we passed on our drive.

Eggs in a swallow's nest in one of the Kasbah alcoves

Inside the Kasbah Amridil - This view was once featured on the back of the Moroccan 50 dirham note.

One of the inside walls of the Kasbah Amridil

We stopped for lunch in Ouarzazate, known as the Hollywood of Morocco (Mollywood). Atlas Studios is on the west side of town and we stopped for a quick look at their film lot.

We had lunch at a local restaurant in Ouarzazate. This cat and her kitten were curled up near Dave's feet as we ate. (There are a lot of cats in Morocco!)

The entrance to the Atlas Studios film lot

An adobe fence surrounding the Atlas Studios film lot

Our next stop was Ait Ben Haddou, a historic Kzar along the caravan route between the Sahara Desert and Marrakesh. We took a short walk through the Kasbah and stopped at a rug co-op to look at hand made rugs. The Co-op is set up so that women from the villages throughout Morocco have somewhere to sell the rugs that they weave. Each village has a particular style/pattern of rugs and you can tell where they were made by the style/pattern. They had some beautiful rugs and most everyone (except Dave and I) bought one.

After our shopping, we crossed the river and walked through the Kzar up to the granary, then back down for a tea and cookie break.

A group photo outside the entrance to the Kzar at Ait Ben Haddou

Crossing the river to the Kzar at Ait Ben Haddou. We had lots of help from the local boys.

Looking across the river at the Kzar Ait Ben Haddou

A list of the many movies that have been filmed at Ksar Ait Ben Haddou including Lawrence of Arabia, Indiana Jones, Gladiator and, most recently, Gladiator 2

Looking up at the Granary in Ait Ben Haddou. This is where the people within the Kzar stored food and supplies that could be used if they were attacked by invaders. The Granary was badly damaged during the September 2023 earthquake in Morocco.

Saturday, March 30, 2024 - Ait Ben Haddou to Marrakech, Morocco: We hit the road early this morning for our drive across the high Atlas Mountains to Marrakech.

Ally in front of the summit marker at Col du Tichka, elevation 2260 meters (7415 feet), the highest point on the mountain highway between Ait Ben Haddou and Marrakech.

Looking down a valley in the high Atlas Mountains on our way to Marrakech

We drove into Marrakech and unloaded our luggage in the main square near the medina. We said goodbye to Ismael, our bus driver, than checked into our Riad for our three night stay in Marrakech.

After taking photos of the entrance to our Riad and making note of all the landmarks leading to the alleyway that it was in so that we could find our way back, we went to lunch at a restaurant on the main square. Niall ordered camel tagine, so we got to try that. It was better than expected, although I wouldn't go out of my way to find it again. We spent the afternoon touring the medina market place and the Bahia Palace, then went to a shop where they sold herbal remedies, spices, tea and other homeopathic medicines. Before returning to our hotel, we stopped for a glass of fresh squeezed juice.

The main entrance to our hotel in the Marrakech medina

The gardens at the Bahia Palace

Our group taking photos of the Bahia Palace while Abdoul relaxed

An olive stand in the medina

Inside the shop that sold herbs, spices and herbal remedies.

Ordering fresh squeezed juice in the main square.

We had a short rest at our hotel, then went out for supper.

Our group having supper and wine on our first night in Marrakech

Sunday, March 31, 2024 - Marrakech, Morocco: We had the whole day today to explore Marrakech on our own. We started with breakfast on the hotel roof, then I went to the Secret Garden with Sue, Steve and Ally. The garden was a beautiful, calming oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the market stalls in the medina.

The view of the Secret Garden from the Tower

The view of Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains from the tower inside the Secret Garden

We made lots of stops to bargain at the market stalls and then had lunch at a balcony restaurant near our hotel.

Fancy shoes at one of the market stalls

Early evening, we all met up with Abdoul in the hotel lobby then went to the French area of Marrakech for our farewell supper.

Our Farewell to Morocco supper

Monday, April 1, 2024 - Marrakech, Morocco: Today was the official end of our Morocco tour. Steve and Ally flew back to Manchester, Larry took the train to Tangiers then crossed over to Gibraltar and Allan and Valerie had a late afternoon flight to Lisbon.

The view of Marrakech from the roof of our hotel

Sue, Irene, Niall, Dave and I spent the day at the Jardin Majorelle, the Berber Museum inside the garden and the Yves Saint Laurent museum. The gardens were beautiful with lots of tropical plants and cacti, accented with brightly colored pottery, buildings and ponds. The Berber Museum was small but with excellent exhibits of Berber history and arts and crafts. We had lunch at the garden cafe, then went to the nearby YSL museum to view his art and fashion designs.

Cacti and bouganvillea at the Jardin Majorelle

B and Dave at the Jardin Majorelle

Irene, Niall and Sue at the Jardin Majorelle

One of the ponds inside the Jardin Majorelle

The house inside the Jardin Majorelle

Sue, Dave, B and Irene having lunch at the Garden Cafe

Dave and I walked through the medina back to our hotel while Sue, Irene and Niall did a little more exploring and some last minute shopping. We met up at La Pergola, a jazz bar near our hotel, for a gin and tonic, then had supper overlooking the main square. We all called it an early night so that we could pack and get ready for our travels in the morning.

Sue, Irene, B and Dave having gin and tonics at La Pergola on our last night in Marrakech

If you are interested in taking a similar tour of Morocco, we used Intrepid as our tour company. The trip was very well organized, interesting with a lot of different activities and we had a wonderful guide. You can find more information about the tour, costs and schedules on the Intrepid website under Morocco (or poke on the link provided).

Tuesday, April 2, 2024 - Marrakech, Morocco to Dusseldorf, Germany: We headed to the airport this morning to catch our flight to Dusseldorf, Germany. Sue flew to London to visit her son in Cambridge and Irene and Niall flew to Ireland to visit family. Our flight to Dusseldorf was uneventful and we arrived safely mid-afternoon. We walked from our hotel into the old town area near the Rhine River and had supper and beer at a German restaurant.

The Castle Tower, the only remaining part of the Dusseldorf Castle and the Saint Lambertus Church on the Dusseldorf waterfront promenade

A barge going up the Rhine River in Dusseldorf, Germany.

We had all day on Wednesday to explore Dusseldorf so we walked to the old town, went to an outdoor market, had coffee near the waterfront and took a river boat cruise on the Rhine River.

The river boat at the dock

A view of the old town along the waterfront from our river boat

A tree in bloom at a park in Dusseldorf, Germany

Thursday, April 4, 2024 - Dusseldorf to Warburg, Germany: This morning we caught the train from Dusseldorf to Warburg.

The train from Dusseldorf was crowded and we had to stand for the first four stops.

Dave studying his phone during our train ride to Warburg, Germany

Looking out over the old town section of Warburg, Germany. Warburg is separated into the old town, founded in the 11th century along the Diemel River, and the new town, founded in the 13th century on the hills north of the river.

April 5 - 16, 2024 - Warburg, Germany: We are here in Warburg pet sitting for 3 cats, 7 chickens, 3 canaries, 6 budgies and 1 sparrow plus walking the neighbors' dog and feeding their cat. Spring has sprung here, the flowers and trees are blooming and the weather has been mild, although it is raining and windy tonight. We finish up tomorrow and are off on our next adventure.

Four of the chickens, Pepper, Dark, Luna and Nala, foraging in the side yard

Inside the aviary for the small birds

Orange, one of the canaries. He loves to sing and has a musical voice

Pico napping on the bed

Angel napping on the couch

Suri in the back yard. The chicken coop is at the top of the photo.

Angel in the back yard

The Red Cat, the neighbors' cat, sleeping on a chair on our patio. He spent a lot more time in our yard than in his and we fed him breakfast and supper.