Cliffs of Moher, pure beauty

Beauty

I will gift you with some vintage Ritz today, that is why the pictures have that weird colour. For the moment you will have to enjoy these ones until I scan the old photos.
It was 2002 and I decided to go to Ireland to improve my English. I had just lost a job that should have been for me, but some other girl got it just because she had been living in London for a while and they felt she was just better. You do not know how powerless I felt, but hey, this has changed my life forever.

I was also waiting to start my Travel Agency's degree and I was in waiting list. So I thought, as many other youngsters, that going abroad over the summer would be great.

Hey Ritz, look at the camera, you are going to be famous 11 years later!

Although my first intention was coming to London (I always knew this was my place), I was made change my mind and I ended up in the outskirts of Dublin. It was a place that I did not like at all, although the city is really pretty. We went a weekend away to Galway (a city that by the way, is amazing) and we stopped by the Cliffs of Moher. Even nowadays is one of my favourite places. Ireland looks like Galicia, with all that greenish nature that looks like untouched by humans. And where else can you say that?

The cliffs are stunning, simply wonderful. I have been not long ago in Beachy Head and I loved them, but I could not stop thinking that the ones in Ireland were much better. Nothing less than 8 kms of wild sea, rocks and green of a height of 214 metres. There is little trail that goes all along its length and if you go there by car (something quite likely considering how isolated the place is) there is a car park.

Oh yes, it is nice.

Majorelle Garden: a colorful oasis in Marrakesh

It could be for the minth tea, the African heath of the city, the little oasis in the middle of the desert or the accumulated tiredness. But the truth is that we loved Majorelle Garden. I must confess I love vivid colours and weird combinations, so I loved this. We were coming from Menara that we did not particularly like and we recover from the disappointment with this joy.
I was a bit sceptical about this visit, I did not care too much about this being owned by Yves Saint Laurent (alive at the time), I thought this would be the typical place for tourists. But I was wrong, I discovered this little garden, so pretty, full of colours and pacifying.

The garden takes its name from his creator, Jacques Majorelle, a french paint son of artists that travelled around the world and fell in love of all Arabic and oriental. Until he discovered Marrakech, that became a really important part of his life. He even went on to be ambassador of the city and painted posters for its promotion. He later discovered the Black Africa that he translated into paintings.
But he always came back to the city, until 1924, when he started to build this property. The main residence was done exactly as the palaces in Marrakech: simplicity in design, water fountains and exuberant lush. For years he kept collecting plants brought from everywhere in the world, to form his own botanical garden.

It is open to public from 1947, although it was not until 1980 when Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought it to restore it, as it was a bit deteriorated since his creator's death in 1962. Nowadays it also contains the Museum of Islamic Art.
The most interesting part of the garden are the cactus (which I love) as well as the lily pond decorated with colourful and inhabited by goldfishes, turtles and toads. It is really funny being looking at the pond and seeing a swimming turtle peeking from the bottom or a toad croaking in the corner. All really green, colourful and very bright. But over all, really quiet and relaxing. The perfect place to relax from busy Marrakech and a have a little rest relaxing in the cold provided by the shadow of the trees.

Do not expect a massive garden, it is just the opposite a tiny garding, but it is worth a visit. The price of the ticket when we went 7 years ago was around 10-20 dirhams.

Jardín MajorelleMarrakech
Tel : (00212) 024 30 18 52
Fax : (00212) 024 30 18 94
E-mail : jardin.majorelle@menara.ma

Photos: Raquel Ritz ©

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Trinidad, a colorful pearl in the Caribbean

Thinking about going to Cuba? You can't miss Trinidad, because it is one of these places that you will remember your whole life with a smile. Its colourful houses and cobblestone streets will make you fall in love and will allow you to spend your holidays in a unique environment not easy to find nowadays. Yes, Havana has colourful houses too, but it is not the same, believe me. So make your way to the central part of the island to see this jewel.

The city was founded in 1514 by a Basque (he even went on to be the governor of the island) under the name of Villa de la Santísima Trinidad. The best is that Trinidad remains almost untouched since his creation. So much so that in 1988 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites' list for being one of the best kept colonial cities.

Picture of the week

Beachy Head- UK

Panorama: Iceland's Highlands

Iceland is a very unknown destination for Europeans. I think it is not likely outside Europe it is wellknown. But the truth is that it has a lot to offer and it as much virgin as a place can be in 2013.

If you have any doubts you should go, you only need to see the images in the interactive video below.

Please press Read more to see the interactive video. It is not in the main page because there is audio and it's really annoying, For me too! You can silence it once you are on it. Do not miss it, because it is worth it.

Beachy Head- Eastbourne (UK)

There is something about the English's countryside that moves me. Maybe it's the fact that it remembers me to Galicia with the green and damp fields, full of trees, harvest and cows. The climate also helps, of course. So when I proposed my boyfriend doing a weekend trip and he said it was ok, but I had to drive, I did not mind at all. I love driving and I even love it more if there is countryside.

One of our stops were the imponent cliffs of what I have read and seen wonders: Beachy Head.

Surrounded of green pastures full of grazing white sheeps that look at humans with curiosity, this cape is an amazing white giant that surges from the sea. Not less than 162 metres at some points, turning it into the highest chalk cliff in UK.

I haven't been able to find the total lenght of this beauty, it must be around the 3.5 kms of the walk along the coast for the adventurous ones. But you only have to look at this picture in Wikipedia to realise how this giant shines from the coast.

Panorama: Iguazu Falls

One of my pending trips is Brazil. And although Iguazu Falls belong more to Argentina (80%) than Brazil (20%), I have no doubts that in the next three years they won't appear in my bucket list anmymore. I promise it.

Please press Read more to see the interactive video. It is not in the main page because there is audio and it's really annoying, For me too! You can silence it once you are on it. Do not miss it, because it is worth it.

Panorama: Angel Falls- Venezuela

'This is probably one of the most spectacular places in the world. What it is, for sure is the highest fall in the world

I have had Venezuela in my bucket list as Papa Ritz was born there. Funnily enough, his uncle did have an hotel. It did not was enough to have a whole chain, but at list is something.

Don't you really want to go?

Please press Read more to see the interactive video. It is not in the main page because there is audio and it's really annoying, For me too! You can silence it once you are on it. Do not miss it, because it is worth it.