Getting Fresh Food at a Local Food Market

On January 25, 2018 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn morocco, Photo Challenge4 Comments

Regardless of where you live, getting fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and other items from local farmers is definitely worth the effort. During our time in Germany, we came to rely on the market to get fresh produce, but also to pick up flowers for our apartment. Even here in Colorado, we will go to the farmer’s market almost every weekend during the summer to take advantage of getting items that are being harvested at that time. Unfortunately, we don’t have access to the variety of items that seem to be available in Europe and other places, but we enjoy going to them whenever we can, even if we aren’t buying anything.

One of the most diverse markets that we visited was the one in Tangiers, Morocco. The variety of colors and smells were almost overwhelming with the spices, fresh produce, seafood, and meat that would be trimmed in front of you. You could even buy bones for soups and other parts of the animals as nothing goes to waste. Even though we didn’t buy anything, we were able to try several things as we walked through the stalls from olives to a fresh tangerine. Each owner was very proud of the items that they had to sell and were definitely keen on making sure that you knew anything you wanted about what they had on display.

Although every stall was unique in what they had to offer, it was amazing to see the similarities in the way that they arranged their items for sale. Each would put their items out in ways where the colors would contrast one another and naturally draw you eyes to certain items. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Variations on a Theme and the entirety of the market in Morocco was definitely just that.

IMGP3942 — The Fish Monger was Happy to Share

IMGP3946 — Market Stall with Plenty of Nuts

Discovering Historic Sites When Hiking

On January 23, 2018 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Colorado, Hiking, Photo Challenge15 Comments

One of the things that we enjoy when we are hiking is finding some hidden treasures from the past. At least here in Colorado, it is not uncommon to find sites from some of the original settlers being semi-preserved on the lands of state and national parks. Not only are these cabins and ruins fascinating to see, but they are a reminder as to the harshness of nature and how difficult life must have been for those early adventurers. It is hard to imagine what life must have been like living without heat in a wooden cabin deep in the woods with wolves, bears, coyotes, and other animals all around. On a bright, sunny day, it becomes clear why someone would want to brave the elements in order to live in such a beautiful place. It must have been truly special to walk out of your front door every day and see the glory of nature. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is words that start with W and have at least two vowels. We have put together a collection of different wooden cabins that we have encountered during our various hikes in the Colorado mountains.

IMGP3535 — Looking Up at a Cabin on the Trail

IMGP3528 — Just the Wooden Logs Remaining

Getting Away from the Maddening Crowds

On January 18, 2018 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Travel Tips5 Comments

Traveling is often a case of going to places that attract large crowds and long lines. It is an unavoidable consequence of going to places that are popular with other tourists and it certainly doesn’t mean that those places should be avoided. We have made no secret of the fact that we don’t like crowds, so we try to visit places off-season when the crowds are smaller. In addition, we try to include getting away from the crowds and visiting places that are more secluded or off of the beaten path as part of our trips. Some people who look at our photos and read our posts often say to us that we seem so adventurous because they always see photos of us hiking trails, climbing in the mountains, or going into the woods or jungle. It isn’t that we are really that adventurous, we just enjoy getting away from the crowds and seeing some of the natural beauty that a place has to offer. We purposely add those excursions into our trips whenever possible. Travel is so stressful in general that we highly recommend that you take the time to get away from the noise and give yourself even a brief opportunity for contemplation. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Silence, so here a few photos that we have taken while trying to see places where we could be alone with our thoughts and enjoy natural beauty.