La Maison de Tanger

As you may know - I am currently living in Assilah - yes the blog is called tea-in-tangiers, I know

but that's just because I have a thing for alliteration, and it had a nice ring to it . . .  but if you look at the small print it does say its about Tangiers, Assilah, and the places in between!

Anyway - the point of that little introduction is to explain how I came to spend the night at this lovely place : La Maison de Tanger!

Having been invited to a little soiree one Friday evening in Tangiers, I thought I would spoil myself and stay somewhere nice overnight rather than driving back late.
We decided on La Maison for a few reasons - some practical (parking,central etc) and others just because it looked pretty!

And it didn't disappoint on any accounts.

It is a beautifully restored and gracious home nestling surprisingly close to the grand socco.
Take a right at the arches -  just before you hit the metal workers.
I know the word "oasis" gets used an awful lot when talking about places to stay in morocco,
but this really is an oasis in the middle of the urban chaos of Tangiers.

The images above all give you the "big picture" which is undeniably impressive
but
to me
its always the details that make the difference . . . 

and La Maison de Tanger is full of details like this that make your stay there just that little bit more special
x

coffee break

Things have been quite busy in my neck of the woods, so I thought it might be time for a coffee break.

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I am pretty flexible about a lot of things - but a non-negotiable in my morning schedule (well, schedule may be a bit ambitious for my day) is coffee!

I am not naturally a morning person, but the promising aroma emanating from the moka pot on the stove will get me up - that quiet time in the morning with our coffee . . .

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Yes - I have been known to pack my very own moka pot when  moving into uncharted coffee territory.   and no - instant coffee is not really coffee! 

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As much as I love coffee, I don't really do breakfast,
so a biscotti to nibble on with my coffee is perfection
(I never dip!)

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This recipe is via Urvashi at The Botanical Baker - click HERE for details

I love this Moka print by Luzelle of Mengsel

She prints it on cotton dish cloth as well- I think I might treat my kitchen!

I've recently stumbled across some lovely vintage images here on pinterest - more moka love.

I prefer to drink my coffee out of a teacup kind of size - never a mug! These ones from the online site Superbalist are rather nice don't you think?

And finally - while you are enjoying your coffee you might want to listen to some Coffee Pot Blues by Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three 

I hope you have a lovely weekend & are able to take time to smell the coffee!
x

tea in . . . hong kong

or Le Souk in Soho to be more precise!

After a long day of temples and incense, dim sum and chopsticks

 we were a little unsure of where to rest our weary limbs . . .

but amidst all the neon of the Hong Kong night, 

the more gentle glow of lanterns drew us in

 (lighting being an important consideration at my age - overhead neon is not the most flattering!)

a little glass {or 2} of Spanish Rioja at a bar decorated with hanging teapots
soon became a relaxed and drawn out evening of goat cheese and mint, couscous and baklava
and other middle eastern flavours

and yes . .  the image is a little blurred around the edges
 as it was taken after our lovely host Hero had plied us with several more glasses of wine!

So if like us, you find yourself in Hong Kong
 (Staunton Street, SoHo to be precise)
and you feel like stepping off the sidewalk to partake in a tagine,
or need to satisfy your craving for hummus and baba ghanoush,
look no further 

 and yes, I can recommend the Rioja!

Le Souk 

it would be great if you could . . .

a little vintage glamour in morocco

There are some wonderful vintage images taken in Morocco.

Photographers like Irving Penn, George Dambier, Cecil Beaton . . . 

they all took photographs there.

 Some iconic, 

others simply everyday pictures images of friends and colleagues.

Below are some of my favourites.

Truman Capote by Cecil Beaton in Tangiers

Talitha Getty for Vogue in 1971

 My favourite image of Yves St Laurent working at his desk in Morocco.  

 I wish I was sitting at a desk under an arch overlooking my garden in morocco right now!

 Georges Dambier photographed Suzy Parker for Elle in 1953

I love the prickly pear cactus in the background of this image - always reminds me of the moroccan countryside.

This photograph was taken by Irving Penn of his wife Lisa Fonssagrives in 1951 

So many beautiful elements in this composition!

And of course this selection would be incomplete 

without the somewhat incongruous image 

taken in Morocco in  1958 by William Klein

don't forget to click across to my facebook page if you have a minute to spare

The Boucherouite

the slightly more bohemian cousin of the Beni Ourain . . .?

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I was going through some photographs yesterday - the ones still sitting on my camera  . . .      

    (yes, organising images is yet another thing to add to an ever-growing 'to do' list)

 when I saw these pictures I took last year of some Boucherouite rugs on the medina wall of Assilah.

 The wall is an extension of my friend Omar's carpet shop, 

 a place where I have spent many an hour wading through his seemingly endless collection of carpets!

A far cry from the trendsetting heavyweight of Moroccan rugs, the Beni Ourain,

 but a bit more fun possibly?Now  I must confess to initially having been a little unsure of the often crazy designs, the wildly tangential colours, not to mention the whole rag thing . . . 

 But I am now a convert, and in no small measure I would suspect this is as a result of seeing them transformed when taken out of the medina and placed in less cluttered and more contemporary environments.

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I think they are perfect for childrens rooms  - the bright patterns, the rags, can all take a bit of wear and tear and even the odd spatter of fingerpaint without a family crisis ensuing . . .

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if you want one for your own home
 have a look  and shop here

If you want to know a little more about the history and production of these particular rugs,

 have a look here 

This website www.berber-arts.com 

is a great reference site for these and other Moroccan carpets

for links and credits, as well as more images

 have a look at our Pinterest board Moroccan Style and Design

or pop across to SF Girl by Bay 

and read her post : You Say Rug, I Say Boucherouite