Essaouira, Morocco

So once the TV host of a travel show has visited Marrakech and Jemaa el-Fnaa, the next stop is usually Essaouira and a visit the dock for a seafood grill. So of course, that was my next stop as well.

The beach at twilight

Located about 2 ½ hours away from Marrakech by bus, Essaouira sits on the Atlantic coast and is famous for its seafood and wind, making it a base for windsurfing and kitesurfing enthusiasts from around the world.

The day’s catch is laid out in stands and grilled to order. We sampled a bit of everything: prawns, crab, sea urchin, sardines, snapper, squid and another large white fish. For $6 a head it was definitely a bargain considering the amount of food left uneaten could have fed another three or four people.

Just point to it and it will be cooked to order for you

A small sample of what we ate (sea urchin and sardines)

For the rest of our time in Essaouira, we hit the souks, the hamman and the beach; a perfect and relaxing couple of days, with the exception of the morning daily call to prayer at 4.30am coming from the Mosque’s loudspeaker which was located directly next to our hotel facing our window. However, when in Rome……

The obligatory camel ride on the beach

Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakech

Watch any travel show or read any magazine article about Marrakech and there is one place that is included each time: Jemaa el-Fnaa. The proverbial heart of the city, it is located across from the main mosque and is the centrepoint of activity. Fronting a large souk, the square is filled with musicians, snake charmers and other street performers by day, and by night, comes alive with the smells of roasted meats as the food stalls set up.

The view of the organised chaos from a rooftop cafe overlooking the square

It was the number one reason I wanted to go to Morocco and I had finally made it. The food stalls cover range of food from kebabs and sausages (packed with tourists) to snails and sheep heads (not so many tourists). I was travelling with a group so we ended up as the more unadventurous food stands but I still loved it.

First of all, you need to decide where to eat and the staff owners are experts at trying to persuade you to eat at their stall and not another. In perfect cockney accents, they would imitate Jamie Oliver, one said his food was “better than Heston Blumenthal” and others would try to charm the ladies with stories of how many donkeys you were worth.

The staff absolutely LOVE being in photos

Once a venue is selected, you then need to decide what you’d like them to grill or fry up for you, accompanied with fresh salads and bread. We ordered a bit of everything and feasted like kings.

A tiny selection of the food on offer

After dinner, we wondered the square, I tried some snails and we also went up to a rooftop café to see the view of the square from a different perspective. The smoke and steam billowing from the grills and fryers produces a fragrant haze that gets illuminated by the night lights: a truly chaotic and wonderful experience.

Snail time - not bad but not great

Idina Menzel at Royal Albert Hall, London

One of the problems with travelling overseas for a long time and not bringing your normal computer is that you are stuck with the same playlist on your ipod and can’t add any new songs. The two albums that seemed to have gotten the most play over my trip were the Wicked soundtrack and Idina’s Menzel’s I Stand. Given that Ms Menzel stars on both albums, when I realized that her tour dates lined up with my travels, I leaped at the chance to see her live in London at Royal Albert Hall.

Idina is best known as a Tony-winning Broadway actress, originating both the role of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked. For the non-theatre types, she was Nancy (the other woman) in Enchanted and is currently seen in Glee playing the role of Shelby Corcoran.

First of all, the hall is spectacular. The interior is grand and ornate but the theatre is small enough that even the “bad seats” aren’t so bad. My seat was pretty far away but still had a decent view.

Royal Albert Hall interior

Idina was touring with Marvin Hamlisch, a famed conductor and one of few EGOTs (winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Oscar). He led the first act and was highly entertaining. After a short intermission, it was time for Act 2.

Idina graced the stage, in a white evening gown and bare feet. Her concert had a similar style to Bette Midler (without the cursing and “mermaid in a wheelchair skit”): she would tell a story to set up the song and then sing.

The set list covered her Broadway roles (Rent, The Wild Party & Wicked), Police, Streisand and others. Stories of how she unsuccessfully tried to seduce her college professor without knowing he was gay, or how Ms Streisand reacted to her rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” were thoroughly entertaining.

Besides Defying Gravity, which of course was the “song we had all been waiting for” the hit of the night was Poker Face. Idina famously sang it on Glee as a duet with Lea Michele, but when accompanied with the full London Philharmonic Orchestra and sung with her vocal power and range, it’s a completely different song. What made it memorable, however, was Idina’s running commentary about how lyrics such as “I’m not bluffin’ with my muffin” were completely inappropriate for the mother/daughter reunion scene that the song was used for. In addition, she humorously chided the Philharmonic Orchestra for playing the song for her, noting (in jest) that they must all feel that they have reached the pinnacle of their careers after all those years of studying by finally getting to play Gaga.

In summary, I loved it, loved her and would see her again any day.