Travelling with a little band of writers and artists, from Tangier, through the blue city of Chefchaouen, Fes, and the Riff Valley to the eastern edge of Sahara desert where we stayed at Cafe Tissardmine ,an artists retreat situated in a small oasis village, finally ending in Marrakech just as the Moroccan government issued a warning that in 10 hours they were closing their border because of Co-vid 19. I left 2 days earlier than expected and made it home to Melbourne for a 2 weeks isolation.
Fascinated with the colourful Moroccan culture influenced by Berber, Arabian and European cultures and why writers and artists throughout time have been drawn to Morocco's shores for inspiration? Artists like Henri Matisse and Eugene Delecroix leave us timeless colourful images that pierce our imagination and writers like Paul Bowles who spent a lifetime writing about Morroco and collaborating translations into English with Moroccan writers like Mohamed Choukri.
My intention for the trip was to tread lightly but immerse myself in the culture, the art and the landscape. To wander the narrow cobbled streets of the old medinas. Explore the work of todays artisans, the glazed ceramics, textiles, spices, metal work, jewellery and oils. To see the exquisite art of mosaic in humble and holy places.
Experience the natural landscape, its agricultural practices of crops and herds, desert life with its vast, mind opening drifts of sand rolling on forever.
Three glorious weeks of immersion, meditating, painting, writing and questioning.
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