October 2019 - ResponsiBo Travel

A perfect day in Taghazout

Surfer or no surfer, Taghazout is definitely worth a visit. I went by public bus to this small fishers village, which is now a relaxed surfing heaven. Taghazout has some of the best surf spots in Morocco and offers a lot of classes to beginners and more advanced surfers. I like to surf, but this time I did not go to surf. I took my camera, travel journal and swimsuit and was ready to enjoy a nice and relaxed weekend day.

How to get to Taghazout

To go to Taghazout, which is located around 20 kilometres up North from Agadir, you can take bus 32 from Wilaya – Jardin Belvere and it will cost you 5,5 dirhams. This bus will run every 15 minutes, but be prepared that the bus can run late. After half an hour you will arrive in Taghazout, but make sure to pay attention because the bus driver will not tell you where you are.

I went without a plan, so I was kind of lost in the beginning. However, when you start walking you will soon see that it consists of one big street with shops and restaurants and when you turn left into the small streets and just keep walking, you will end up at the beach. And that is where we want to be! If you want to go surfing, there are tons of surf shops and schools to choose from. Either take classes or rent your equipment and start playing in the sea yourself! As I worked all week and spend the whole Saturday walking in the streets of Agadir, I chose to do the surfing some other time.

Where the bus stops – Taghazout

Taghazout without surfing?

Also without surfing Taghazout is great fun! Drink a smoothie and eat some healthy food at World of Waves or eat a nice pizza, pasta or tajine at Windy Bay. Both places have a very nice atmosphere, with nice staff and a great view over the beach and the Atlantic ocean. Use one of the stairs to get to the beach and stroll around through all the little boats that are laying on the beach. I used this opportunity to take some pictures of this picturesque spot.

Now that you are on the beach already, you can go enjoy the sea and take a nice swim. At first I did not feel very comfortable with wearing a bikini, but then I saw multiple tourists doing it so it was okay. The local people here are very friendly and they will not stare at you. They are minding their own business and playing some sports on the beach.

World of Waves

Windy Bay

Anchor Point & Surf Berbere café

After some relaxation at the beach I was ready for the second part of my day: walking towards Anchor Point. This should be the spot to watch the professional surfers, instead I was walking in the heat and I did not see anything spectacular. Maybe it was because of the time of the day and the little amount of wind, but I was a bit disappointed by that. After giving water to some cute kittens there, I walked back to the centre of the village (a 20 minute walk). I decided that I did not want to end my day like this, so I went back to the cafes at the water and sat down at the Surf Berbere café for a nice mint tea. This spot is just like a dream! Sitting on a Berber cushion with a low table and looking at the water with the sun getting lower is the perfect way to end your day in Taghazout. But be aware: practicing your Moroccan tea pouring skills here is maybe not the best idea as the wind might blow your tea away!

The view during the walk to Anchor Point

Moroccan mint tea at Surf Berbere café

The way back to Agadir

Around 6 pm I decided it was time for me to get back to the busy city of Agadir, so I walked back to the same spot where the bus dropped me off. The bus was (according to Google Maps) supposed to come around 6.20 pm but it did not show up. Something past 7 pm the bus was finally there and as I was getting up to go to the bus, I got passed by a lot of locals that tried to get in the bus before everyone else. I ended up standing in the bus again even though it arrived empty.. So be prepared to ‘fight’ for your spot in the bus! On the way back, the bus cost me 7.5 dirhams.

I loved Taghazout and I will definitely go back to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and maybe do some surfing!

Rimini: so much more than parties and drunk tourists

When you think of Rimini, you probably think of young party people going to clubs to get drunk. Rimini is famous for its big clubs and long beach. However, after living in Rimini for half a year, I think that Rimini has so much more to offer and is definitely worth a visit. In this blog I am going to share my favourite spots of Rimini and why Rimini is also worth a visit during the winter

Rimini: not just beach and clubs

Maybe not a lot of people might know that Rimini not only has a beach, it also has a very cute and old city centre. One of my favourite parts of Rimini is the area around the Ponte di Tiberio. This old bridge has 5 arches and was finished already 20 AD. When you cross this bridge coming from the city centre and immediately turn right you will arrive in my favourite street of Rimini called Via Marecchia. This little street has the cutest little pastel coloured houses like pink, yellow and blue. The flowers outside the windows of these houses and the wall paintings are the finishing touch.

During my time in Rimini I loved walking through this little street and watching the houses. At the end of the street you can turn right again and here is a bridge build on the water from where you can have a beautiful view on the Ponte di Tiberio and some of the cute houses. When you go back to the Ponte di Tiberio you will see on your left hand side a nice park, take the stairs down and you will see another nice wall painting. In spring and summer this park is very popular for chilling in the grass and enjoying the sun.

Arco di Augusto and surroundings

Another main sight of Rimini is the Arco di Augusto, which is located on the other side of the city. When you go through this arch you will see a big nice park that leads all the way to the beach. Everyday we walked through the park and underneath the arch which functioned as a gate to the city.

After this arch you will find two main squares: Piazza Tre Martiri and Piazza Cavour. You can recognize Piazza Tre Martiri by its big sun on the ground and the tower: Torre dell’Orologio. If you are coming from the Arco di Augusto and you reach the Piazza Tre Martiri and you turn right, you will reach the Tempio Malatestiano. If you reach the square from the arch and you go straight, you will reach Piazza Cavour. This square is surrounded by an old theatre: Teatro Amintore Galli and a building of what I think is the municipality building of Rimini. In the middle of the square you will find a nice fountain and on the opposite side of the municipality building you will see the Antica Pescheria, or what we always called ‘La Cantinetta’. In the early days this functioned as a fish marketplace, now it is used for nights out and meeting up with friends.

Piazza Tre Martiri

Why come to Rimini in the winter?

During the winter, the clubs alongside the beach close, the beach is not filled with sunbeds anymore and most of the tourists are gone, but the young people still want to party somewhere. This is the moment that going out moves from the beachside (with clubs like Coconuts or Carnaby) to the city centre to the old fish market. Here there are little bars like Neropaco, Guenda and Vinolta where you can have a nice drink and dance. On busy days the bars are packed with people and the fish market gets filled with people chatting outside. This felt so much cosier than going to the big clubs.

Besides going out in the winter, the city also gets fully decorated with Christmas lights. Big Christmas trees are put on every square and all the streets are lit by little lights. Rimini turned into a magical place during the winter and the good thing is: you can still enjoy world’s best ice cream!

My 12 favourite places to eat or drink in Rimini

Italy, famous for its kitchen. With pizzas, pastas, spaghetti, risotto, lasagne, bruschetta and limoncello as examples there is something to like for everyone. Maybe this is also why I love this country so much and loved living here. When living in an Italian city you will definitely try out a lot of nice restaurants. At least that is what I did.. In this blog I am going to share my 12 favourite places to or drink in Rimini. Yummmm..

1. Il Cortile in Centro

Let’s just start immediately with my, by far, favourite restaurant in Rimini: Il Cortile in Centro. Here you can try out all kinds of pizza with the most creative combinations and ingredients. The staff is very friendly and the place is almost every night full, so make sure you book in advance! I have to be honest with you.. of all the times that I went to this restaurant I only tried two pizzas. This is because the one that I tried out first (Cedronella), became my favourite pizza ever immediately. With fresh burrata, mashed eggplant and sundried tomatoes. I had struggles choosing another pizza because this one was soooo good! I miss this place so much..

2. La Mi Mama

This second restaurant was my favourite for all other Italian dishes, like pastas. They have the most amazing vegan tagliatelle here. Everything is freshly made and they also offer the regions dish: piadine. Unfortunately they do not offer a vegetarian one. This restaurant is colourful and cosy and I love every dish as they also offer a lot of vegan and vegetarian options.

3. Loving hut

This little lunch restaurant is located near the campus of Rimini (Bologna University) and serves all kinds of vegan dishes. The atmosphere here is cosy and relaxed and it is very nice to have an all vegan restaurant. They change their menu every once in a while, which keeps in fun to try new things.

4. The White Bakery

If you had a tough night out and you are craving for a good breakfast, this is your place to be. The White Bakery is decorated in full American style and offers all kinds of pancakes, waffles and other sweet stuff. These dishes are super heavy but also so nice! This was our go to if we were craving something sweet.

5. Osteria de Borg

This restaurant is located on the other side of the Ponte di Tiberio and looks like a real Italian living room. They offer traditional dishes like tagliatelle con funghi. Very nice restaurant if you want something typical Italian.

6. Pastamadre

I visited this tiny restaurant with my mother when she was in Rimini. It is located close to the beach and only has 2 or 3 tables. The owner of the restaurant makes everything fresh and has 2 different dishes to choose from every day. I had one of the best eggplant lasagnes ever. He also uses only bio products, so do not look weird when he serves you wine in a paper cup!

7. Flower burger

Flower burger is located near the beachside. In this little restaurant chain you can order all kinds of vegan burgers in different colours with different ingredients. The different burgers make a very colourful atmosphere.

8. Bar Lento

This bar is perfect for when you have lots of work for school but cannot stand that boring room of yours anymore. Sit down and order a nice cup of coffee or one of their fresh lunch dishes. I loved to come here with my laptop and work the afternoon. In the bar there is also a small shop with cute vintage looking items.

9. Ice cream at La Romana

In this list of places a good ice cream place cannot miss of course. If you have never been here, you do not know what really good ice cream is. With the smallest size cone you can choose white or dark melted chocolate for in your cone. After that you can choose 2 flavours which are delicious and top it of with some whipped cream. In Italy it was always time for ice cream: experienced something good? Celebrate it with ice cream. Bad grade? Eat your feelings away with ice cream. Feeling bored? Just go for ice cream. Winter or summer it does not matter, Romana is your place to be!

Aperitivo

The last part of this blog is about a tradition in Italy that I love very much. This tradition is called: Aperitivo. Italians eat their dinner quite late, but before they go for dinner they do an aperitivo. This means that around 6 o clock you go for a drink and enjoy some nice snacks from a buffet. When you buy a drink, the aperitivo is (most of the times) for free! I will list my 3 favourite aperitivo bars in Rimini as this is a tradition that you want to experience!

10. La Hora Feliz

This small bar is perfect for drinking nice cocktails before going out or enjoying a drink and trying their aperitivo. Plates with fish, pasta, meat and salads are standing in the back of the bar waiting for the visitors to fill their plates. Of course, you should not eat too much if you want to go for dinner afterwards.

11. Etoile

This is another nice bar with blue painted walls and very nice choices for aperitivo. We often switched between La Hora Feliz and Etoile.

12. 3sei5

This is maybe not the best bar food-wise, but 3sei5 is the place to be for every football or sports match! Try to be here during an Italian champions league match and experience the fire of Italian supporters.

A full day of food just outside the centre of Madrid

In this blog I am going to provide you with 3 nice places outside the centre of Madrid where you can spend your breakfast, lunch and dinner! During my stay in Madrid I realized that it is a very expensive city and eating in the centre can cost you a lot of money. This is why I decided to give some tips on where to eat a bit outside of the centre. This is where you will find more local people and lower costs. At the end, I will share you where (in the centre) I bought my (expensive) but best Turrón.

A weekend in Madrid..

With a friend, we decided to go to Madrid for a weekend and visit our Spanish friend. She showed us around the city and took us to some nice places outside the city. I always like to visit places with a local person as this is a nice way to get to know a destination in a non-touristic way!

Breakfast at Churreria Las Farolas

When you think of breakfast in Madrid you can only think one thing: CHURROS! And this is exactly what we wanted to eat during our trip. We went to a small café where they sold fresh made churros with hot chocolate. For 5 churros per person and a cup of hot chocolate you pay 4.50 euros! Besides this, the staff was super nice and friendly, which is something you can miss sometimes when eating in the touristic centre. I challenge you to finish the five churros as I could not do it!

Lunch at Parrila de Juan Adan

After breakfast it is time for lunch! For this meal of the day I am taking you to a nice Spanish restaurant where you can order nice salads, cheese or meat plates but I would suggest you to order a Spanish Tortilla! Enjoy this nice traditional dish in a restaurant with no tourists besides you.

Dinner at Oracle Compadre

At the end of the day, you might already get a bit hungry. But as you might know, the Spanish eat very late! This is why you will have to wait until 9 o clock for this restaurant to open. For dinner I have chosen a nice Mexican restaurant for you, where you can practice your Spanish skills with a full Spanish / Mexican menu. I can very much recommend the ‘sopes’ which you can see on the picture.

The best Turrón of Madrid

The mother of my friend advised me where to buy the famous Turrón. Turrón is a dessert which is mostly eaten around Christmas by the Spanish people. I wanted to buy a bar for my mom as she loves it, but for this spot we had to go to the centre of Madrid. The shop that sells this best Turrón is called: Casa Mira. It is a very cute and traditional pastry shop and they are experts in making Turrón. The only downside to this place: it is not cheap at all. I paid 17 euros for a bar, but hey if you want the good stuff… I bought it, took it home with me and watched my mom love it!

Using Plastic Waste to be Independent: the story of Armin’s handicrafts

This blog is not about nice places or tips. As you can read on my ‘Beautiful People’ page I would also like to share stories of people that I meet during my travels. People that inspired me in some kind of way, all with an eye to environmental and social sustainability.

This post is about a girl that I met on an Indonesian island called Sumba. With two other friends I did research on this island into the waste management. It appeared that Indonesia is one of the biggest producers of waste and they often do not have a great waste management system. A lot of waste gets dumped on a landfill, in the sea or gets burned. All of these methods are damaging the environment and serious changes are needed.

We went looking for people that were contributing to the solution of managing plastic waste. This is the point where we got in contact with a special girl on Sumba..

The Girl that wants to be Independent..

Armin lives in a small house with her family on the island of Sumba near the city of Tambolaka. She is 17 years old and has a disability. She is born without hands and legs, which makes her very dependent on help of her family. In order to be more independent, she decided to watch tutorial videos on how to make certain handicrafts by reusing plastics. After a while she started asking friends to collect plastic cups that they use for water and juices and bring them to her. She would pay them a small amount of money in exchange for their efforts.

Of the cups she uses the top ring for herself made products. These products are baskets, bracelets and plates. By making the baskets she hopes to encourage her buyers to use these baskets for grocery shopping so that no extra plastic bags are needed. In this way, she not only recycles plastics that were thrown away but also adds a small part to the solution of this plastic problem.

Ambitions for the Future..

Being the real business woman she is, she thinks about expanding her business in the future by moving her production to a small shop. This shop will be given to her by the Sumba Hope Foundation of which she is part and to which she also sells some of her products. Other buyers can be foreigners (tourists) or other local people of Sumba.

To me it was such an honour to meet this strong and ambitious woman and her family. She tries to make the best out of her situation in life and also contributes to a better world. The way she taught herself to use her handless arms to make the products is just fascinating. She really stole a piece of my heart, of which she made use of course by selling a basket to me!

Morocco: Where to eat?

This blog is all about FOOD! Because I LOVE food and I think it is a huge part of a person’s experience at a destination. Food is culture, food is ambiance, food is enjoying what a place has to offer. Still, I do think that the place where you eat is very important and as a vegetarian it is slightly more difficult to find a good spot where you can enjoy some (local) cuisine. Local here is between brackets because we all know that after some days (or meals) you might want something else than local food.

Morocco is famous for its Tajine dishes, couscous with fresh vegetables, pastries and the most delicious mint tea you will ever have! Next up are some places to eat that I loved during my trip to Morocco. Hopefully, as I am living in Morocco, this list can get bigger! But for now: Bon Appetit!

Marrakech

Let’s start with Morocco’s most popular destination by tourists: Marrakech. This city in the middle of the country is famous for its medina and the Djemaa el Fna square, as it is a famous city trip destination, you can find a lot of nice places to eat. Of course, a lot of travel books like the Lonely Planet already wrote a lot about these places. Still I would like to share some of my pearls, that I enjoyed during my time in Marrakech.

Broc the Kashbah

So my number one we found on one of the last days of our trip. It is a bit further away in the medina but once you get a hold of the medina in Marrakech, it is easy to find. This place is called: “Broc the Kashbah”. There are some nice guys working and it is all about vegetarian and vegan food, vintage clothing and atmosphere and fresh juices! There are only a few dishes on the menu but they are delicious! I liked the fact that they sell vintage clothing and make clothes themselves. The staff working there are super nice and helpful. The whole place screams creativity and fresh food. I would definitely recommend going here if you would like to escape the crowds.

NOMAD, Le Jardin, Cafe des Epices

My next tip are three different restaurants in the medina of Marrakech but they are in the same concept. That is why I combined the three of them. You will probably already know these places but as I thought they are very nice, I wanted to share them with you! These places all offer Moroccan dishes with a twist and they are vegetarian friendly! At NOMAD and Café des Epices there is a nice rooftop and both are located nearby a cute square in the medina. Le Jardin is a bit more hidden and is a nice garden inside a building in the medina. They are all worth a visit for either lunch or dinner!

Kosy Bar

My last tip in Marrakech is called: “Kosy Bar”. This restaurant is located in the centre of Marrakech near the palaces like the Bahia Palace, which is a famous tourist spot in Marrakech. The best place of Kosy Bar is its rooftop overlooking a small square. Here you can eat dishes like homemade pizzas or Asian food like sushi. But if you prefer the Moroccan cuisine this is also your place!

view from Kosy Bar

Essaouira

The next city that I would like to discuss is Essaouira. I loved this little fishers town because to me this felt like authentic Morocco. Essaouira is famous for its great waves for surfing and its arty medina. There is a lot of art for sale in the medina and near the coast you can see and buy fresh fish from the fish market.

Le LOVE by Caravane

This restaurant was one of my highlights of my trip. It is divided into two separate restaurants by a little street in the middle of the medina of Essaouira. One restaurant is mainly cocktails and tapas and the other is an a la carte restaurant. Both inspired on the Moroccan cuisine, however with a complete unique twist! The staff is incredibly kind and helpful and the menu is very different and unique. But besides the great and different food, the decorations of this restaurant are what makes this place extra special. It is located in old riads with a lot of light coming from the top and decorated in the brightest colours. Here you can really feel the artistic vibes of Essaouira. The owner himself is an artist, which becomes very clear when you look at the surroundings. If you are lucky, you will experience a traditional show during your dinner. Le LOVE by Caravane is the place to be if you are looking for something unique and exciting!

Vagabond Beach

After a morning of intensive surfing you might want to sit down and enjoy a good lunch. We did this at the Vagabond beach. This relaxed and nice restaurant is located at the surf spot of Essaouira and offers multiple dishes varying from fresh salads with goat cheese to nice homemade burgers. Come here to enjoy a nice view of the beach and the camels laying on the beach waiting for customers.

Le Chalet de la Plage

This place is located at the beginning of the beach of Essaouira and offers what a beach restaurant should offer: fish! However, if you are a vegetarian like me, it is still a very nice restaurant to go to. I enjoyed some of the best filled eggplants (aubergines farcies) I have ever had in my life. However, it is not the cheapest place, but if you have some money to spend, enjoy some nice fresh seafood here or choose one of the other Moroccan dishes.

Rooftop of Le LOVE by Caravane

Fez

Fes was one of my favourite destinations in Morocco. Its ancient, dazzling medina with 9000 streets make you feel lost in a second. However, if you do know where you are and you are looking for a nice place to eat and cool down from the heat: here you can find my favourite spot of the Fes medina.

Nacho Mama

As a vegetarian, the Moroccan kitchen is not always the easiest. So every time we had the option to try something else I was very happy. After a hot day getting lost in the medina of Fes we stumbled upon a tiny, pink restaurant called: “Nacho Mama”. We fell in love with its colours and happiness and its Mexican inspired food! But not only the food is good about this place, the two people (at that time) working here are very kind and make time for you to talk to you. This little Mexican restaurant is set up by a native Moroccan lady called Najat Kanaache who lives in Fes but also lived in Mexico for a while. Najat is an amazing chef and also has another famous restaurant called: “NUR”. I have not been here myself but from what I heard it is a famous restaurant serving Moroccan dishes in a unique way. More about Najat is coming soon on my website so stay tuned!

Rabat

As Rabat is the capital city of Morocco we did not want to skip this place. Here we were impressed by its different medina and its location at the coast. There was one restaurant that stole my heart here..

Le Dhow

It is not the cheapest place in Morocco to eat but it is definitely worth a visit. Le Dhow is an old traditional ship laying at the boulevard of Rabat and serves all kinds of fresh seafood. It has a magical atmosphere to dine on a ship. However it is not entirely vegetarian friendly, besides the salads. So I went here for a seafood risotto and it was delicious (apart from my guilt of course..).