Les Orientales in Tangier, Morocco

Back in Tangier on the blog today,

with a tantalising view of this beautiful home in the medina that is available via La Conciergerie Moderne.
There are so many different options and sites to choose from when looking for accomodation when you are planning a trip - and where you stay can make or break a holiday. La Conciergerie Moderne is a small Tangier based company that I have used and happily recommend - plus they have some beautiful properties on their list!
A place like this could indeed make my holiday - what do you think?

Les Orientales has been named after the collection of poems by Victor Hugo of the same name, and is full of attention to detail and designer vignettes.

 

It is interesting - having just come back from Marrakech - how the different environments impact on the design and architecture of the homes and riads.

 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms - room for everyone!

The perfect place to spend a leisurely evening or two -  sitting on this terrace watching the sun sink over the mediterranean  . . .

So if you fancy sipping a little tea in tangier this summer click across and
find more information HERE

x

ALL IMAGES VIA laconciergerie.com

5 things about Tangiers

Anette knows Tangiers like the back of her hand, so I knew I could depend on her to show us a few places in Tangiers that are a little off the beaten track. 

Her time spent sourcing textiles and getting homeware made up for her company Just Morocco, has taken her deep into the medina as well as out into the alleys and corner shops - I would love to spend some time with her in Tangiers as my personal guide!

In the meantime  . . . 

this list will have to do.

#1 Msallah market:

 I love strolling down Msallah market in the evening with its abundance of fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, cakes, clothes – all in a totally chaotic mix. I was there yesterday buying veggies and came home with way too much so I later have to give most of it away to my neighbor when I leave. I just can't resist it!

#2 Place Seqaya

Such a lively small square in the middle of the medina with a great Thursday market. I especially like the small no-name café run by the most generous and warmhearted family. It is a perfect place to meet odd and interesting characters and ideal for people-watching.

#3:Lively food street

I do not really know the name of this street, but it is my favourite lunch street. There is a small hole-in-the-wall place that serves the best bessara tagine in Tangier and another one has really delicious kebabs with fresh salad. I could go on forever....

#4:Patisserie

In my opinion the best patisserie is at the lower entrance to the medina. It is always crowded and they are constantly carrying in new calory-filled cakes. They also have the best, (and I am not the only one who thinks so), lemon cake this side of the Mediterranean.

#5:Terrace cafe Souk Barra

With a big piece of lemon cake, my feet take me automatically to the terrace cafe at Souk Barra. Best place for a lazy afternoon, good tea and strong coffee.

 And when she's not in Tangiers you can find Anette HERE exploring the markets and souks in the south. 

Back to the Blog!

Sitting in the gentle morning sunlight, sipping on my coffee and thinking about where I am and where I am going {in a blog context that is}! Big thoughts for so early in the day!

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September always feels like a time for new beginnings here in the northern hemisphere - while friends and family down south are starting to look forward to warmer days and the start of spring, we are noticing the days slowly growing shorter and the sunshine softer.

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This September has most definitely brought winds of change sweeping through our lives - and this will be reflected in the pages of this blog and other projects to follow . . . exciting I hope!!

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Instead of being full time in Morocco we have decided - for a time - to commute between the british countryside and the moroccan seaside. Not a bad option really, a good one for the family as a whole, and one that, as I said, brings new opportunities with it! So keep an eye on the blog as I hatch my plans (online shops, pop-up shops!) to bring a little moroccan inspiration to the somewhat cooler climes of the corner of the welsh countryside we are now calling home!

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To keep up to date with these changes and projects follow me on

 FACEBOOK or TWITTER 

 or both!!

X

A little colour inspiration

Olive groves and Orange blossoms . . .

I have always had a bit of a thing for green and orange - olive green and burnt orange to be precise, and I still cannot believe I left behind swathes of moss green and vintage orange velvet curtains in the farmhouse we lived in in Wales when we packed up and left for Asian shores several years ago . . . but there was a limit to what could be packed!

More recently I have found myself harking back to this colour combination here on Pinterest,

so I thought I would share these images in a post, and win you over to the greens and tangerines, the olives and the umbers.

love it
x
I'm off now for a stroll around the medina to see what else I can find in shades of olive and orange.

all images and credits here

Dar Bibine

Some tea-in-tunisia for the weekend - with a healthy dose of turquoise to herald in the sunshine!
I've kept this on file for some time now - so many features and details I love in this guest house {Dar Bibine} in the medina of Erriadh. 

images via Cote du Sud and on Pinterest

Smoked Cardamom Ice Cream

With a salty honey caramel swirl!

I first stumbled across the recipes of The Bojon Gourmet when her Moroccan Mojito caught my eye, and since then, although I have never met Alanna, I know we have at least two things in common . . .  a love of all things cardamom, along with a weakness for a good home made ice cream.

 There is something really satisfying about making ice cream in all its opulent and non-compromising glory!

When I saw her recipe for Smoked Cardomom Ice Cream I thought it was definitely time to dust off that ice cream maker and rustle through my spice box!

so if this sounds like something you could slip into your weekend agenda,

 have a look HERE for the recipe.
(all images via The Bojon Gourmet)

Enjoy your weekend !

x

Cape Town

And a few of my favourite things . . .

I spent a few days in Cape Town last week - a fleeting visit so not really enough time to visit all that the city has to offer, but thought I would share a few of the places I tend to beat a path to.

1. Haas Coffee Collective: http://haascollective.com/

my favourite coffee shop plus a great gallery for a little visual stimulation while enjoying your caffeine intake.

2. Bree Street : worth finding a sought after parking spot here and walking!

Part of the First Thursdays initiative: http://www.first-thursdays.co.za/

3. Sarah Ord Interiors: http://www.sarahord.com/ 

for an eclectic burst of colour - it certainly brightened up my {rainy} day!

4. Neighbourgoods Market: http://www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za/cape-town 

 If your visit falls over a weekend pop across to the Old Biscuit Mill in woodstock

food glorious food - that's all there is to say!

5. Robert Sherwood Design: http://www.robertsherwooddesign.com/

back to Bree Street for this showroom - a beautifully curated collection of art and interior objets.

6. The Sushi Box: http://www.sushiboxsa.com/ 

out of the city and into the suburbs, a lovely tucked away spot and of course great sushi

7. Cassis: http://www.cassis.co.za/

a patisserie with 4 outlets in cape town so no excuse for not trying their macarons!

8. Cinema Nouveau: https://www.facebook.com/CinemaNouveau

have a quick look around the waterfront then see whats showing here - I managed (at long last!) to see The Grand Budapest Hotel although I think I might need to watch it again.

any other suggestions and additions?

mud bricks and tea trays

During the course of my meanderings around the world wide web last week, I stumbled across these images here 

No copy or explanation was attached so I can't offer you any more of an insight or information,

other than I assume it is in morocco,
and that it appealed to me because a lot of the design elements are
 simple and true to a beldi/country home in morocco.
 From the basic building elements of mud brick and plaster through to the lanterns and silver tea trays.

So, as I was saving it to my own files for future reference, 

 I thought I would share it with you as well.  

images via

and a happy valentines day to you all

 from the grandest gestures . . .

to the smallest details . . .

together in a vignette of valentines . . .

x

Pauline

all images and credits via my Pinterest page