Marrakech - April 2007

Peek-a-boo
On the roof terrace with Aloysius
Some moorish architecture
Moroccan market wares

We'd barely unpacked our bags from Melbourne and Dubai when we were back at the airport heading to Marrakech for Easter. After an initial hiccup (when the room we'd booked and paid for suddenly wasn't available) we settled into a lovely Riad in the Medina owned by a charming Frenchman and his equally charming dog, Aloysius. We had a great weekend getting lost in the maze of alleyways, drinking copious amounts of knock-your-socks-off-sweet mint tea and searching for the best tagine in the city (Cafe Arabe by the way). I'd expected us to spend up large on Moroccan homewares, but we found the abundance of goods in the markets a little overwhelming - not to mention the crowds. The trip home was rather chaotic - the airport was absolutely packed and there were no queues, just thousands of people jostling each other with their suitcases trying to figure out where on earth to go. We were still in line to check-in when we heard our final boarding call. Not that it mattered - the rest of our flight was in line behind us!

Dubai - March 2007

Daisy turning on the charm in one of Dubai's enormous malls
Bedouin in the desert
Camels patiently awaiting their passengers
Bob not getting the enormous henna scorpion I think he might have wanted
Hubbly bubbly time

We stopped over in Dubai on our way back to London from the wedding. It was great to see Bec, Andy and Daisy, who were busy settling in to their new homeland. Daisy was adorable and quite the wee charmer - impressive moves for a one-year old! Dubai itself was a fascinating city - it seems to be growing and changing as you watch. It's certainly all about size - the malls are basically small cities and still they keep building them - bigger and more awe-inspiring each time. A highlight though was heading out into the desert for an evening safari. Less than an hour's drive from the city and you're standing on top of a dune with nothing but sand (and a few camels) in every direction.

Kate & Steve's Wedding - March 2007

Bob, Kate and Sandra

The beautiful bride
Just married!
Smiling for the first of many photos Some guests...

We had a lovely time in Melbourne for Kate and Steve's wedding. Both our families were there and it was lovely to catch up with everyone. While it bucketed down the night before the big day and during the morning, the sun came out just in time and it was a beautiful afternoon. Kate was a stunning bride and Steve didn't look too bad either...