blogging the blues

well . . . I have been feeling a little blue the past few days, so in an attempt to harness this energy and turn it around, I decided to do this post

an audio /visual blue-ish blog

and at the risk of being bossy, and {unnecessarily} interactive -  start playing the music clip before you scroll down to look at the images - it kind of works!

(Burn it Blue by Caetano Veloso and Lila Downs from the soundtrack of Frida)

Chefchaouen Morocco

All these images are shared with thanks to photographer HakimTamazgha

beyond the kasbah . . . Las Chicas

a concept store in Tangiers

Sometimes a girl just needs a little space . . .

a place to come up for air after navigating the twists and turns of the medina.

What better place to head for than Las Chicas - a concept store in Tangiers,where traditional craft meets contemporary design.

where

traditional textures transform into contemporary cushions

                           

and tarbouret stools get wound up with colour

while handcrafted lanterns tell a story

and vintage sits comfortably alongside contemporary 

oh yes . . .  did I mention that they do a great tea and cake as well?

And if you are wondering where to find it - walk out the main gate of the Kasbah, and instead of heading left down the hill to the medina, just walk on straight for a few metres, you cant miss it!

 I promise you, if you find yourself in Tangiers, these directions will make sense!

{ images via Las Chicas & tea-in-tangiers }

Las Chicas: Concept store qui réunit differents createurs de mode, design, bijoux, accessoires, déco...made in Morocco; ainsi qu'un salon de thé.

52 rue Kacem Guennoun, Porte de la Kasbah., 90000 Tanger, Morocco

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loose threads . . .

it is often the details,

 the small things that capture my attention in Morocco -

 like these spools of thread that line the shelves of the weavers souk in Tangiers

 until they get chosen and woven into the weft

deep in the medina . . .Dar JAND

In the spirit of intrepid blogging I tried a new place to rest my soul and sample some {more} mint tea on my last visit to Tangiers.

Nestled in the heart of the old medina of Tangiers  -another first for me as I normally stay in the Marchan district - Dar JAND is a really good place to discover medina life, as unlike a lot of other hotels and b&b's, it is very much part of, and integrated into the community.

 Having walked up the narrow medina road, trying desperately to make mental notes of where to turn left or right or not, as Andrew pointed out the various landmarks. After stopping en-route to chat to people, make routine greetings with neighbours, we reached the front door of Dar JAND. Typically the door gives no indication of what is beyond, and the unassuming exterior leads onto a rich and traditional moroccan interior, full of attention to detail not to mention more than a few home touches that make sure your stay is a good one.

But in my opinion - what really makes the difference here is that Janet and Andrew, the creators and owners of Dar JAND,  simply and genuinely want their guests to experience the Tangiers they love and have become part of . . . and it is worth the effort, because you walk out of there feeling like you have really spent time in the medina rather than having just passed through.

and, at the end of the day, move up to the roof terrace for a lovely view of Tangiers in the softening shadows - just sit and enjoy the view, and watch a ship go sailing by . . . 

for a wealth of practical information

on Tangiers visit Janet & Andrews blog

Batunga . . . and all that {Tan}jazz

my day got off to a bit of a bad start if truth be told,

 so it was with a decided lack of enthusiasm that I attempted to apply myself to the task I set myself last week of searching through this months Tanjazz programme for music to share with you .

But at the risk of sounding like a regular little Polyanna . . .  I'm glad I did, because this clip of Batunga & The Subprimes brightened my day!

    

 If you are in Tangiers next week - look out for them here:

 (19h00 Jeudi 19 au dimanche 22 septembre 2013 - Animations dans les rues)

  (21h00 Jeudi 19 septembre 2013 - Scène BMCI Ville

22h00 Vendredi 20 septembre 2013 - Bistro des artistes)

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that would brighten my day even more!

Indigo: The Colour that Changed the World

a little bit of blue to brighten up the weekend . . .

A friend of mine recently drew my attention to this book, and the images are so lovely I felt they where worth sharing. 

There is something enigmatic and inspiring about a colour with history and a story, and out of all those colours indigo is perhaps one of the most poetic. Its story takes you on a trip from Africa, to Asia and Central America.

                                                                         {image via}

The emblematic blue of the Tuareg (an ancient Berber tribe that ranges from southern morocco through to Mali) tells of the history of the trade routes as their turbans and cloths are dyed from the ink of sea urchins from the Mediterranean sea.

But {as they say} I digress - so back to the book,

 and below are just a few of the beautiful images that made me want to dash out and buy it,

 to page through it at my leisure before displaying it on my coffee table . . .

                                                                                                       {all images via}

you can read more about the book here,

 or buy it here

music on a monday . . .

                                                                          . . . and an introduction to Tanjazz.

The annual Tangier Jazz Festival {Tanjazz} is set to kick off a bit later this month - the 18th of September to be precise - so it felt like a good idea to start the week off with a bit of music, and then carry on for the rest of the month, in an attempt to uncover some of the musicians who are going to be lurking around the kasbah in a few weeks time.

And, quite frankly, it just seemed like a nice way to start the week.

So . . .  for this Monday morning, listen to The Atomic King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys  - and if neither the name brings a smile to your face, nor the music  gets at least one foot tapping  . . . well then I will officially throw my hands up in horror!

After listening to {aagghh such a long name to type on a Monday morning blog!} shall we just say "the aforementioned band", I am truly looking forward to you-tubing my way through the rest of the programme to see who to share with you next Monday morning!

Let me know what you think of  . . .  

The Atomic King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys