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Europe - 2026
  • Leanne Hawke
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  • Leanne Hawke

Europe - 2026

Living life one adventure at a time… En savoir plus
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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur

    Sahara Desert, Ouarzazate

    11 avril, Maroc ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Got up early to watch the sun rise over the Sahara dunes. It wasn’t much of a sunrise but still a magnificent place to wake up to. We left the desert and drove through a bit of a dust storm - that was pretty cool. We stopped on the way at a few places. We visited Atlas Studios and had a wander around the old sets used in some pretty big movies (and lots of smaller ones). Jewel of the Nile was the first movie to use this location and filmed a few scenes there. From there we headed to our hotel which included dinner, so that was nice. We didn’t venture out after dinner, just opted to lay in bed relaxing instead.En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur

    Sahara Desert

    10 avril, Maroc ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    A long but interesting day. Our driver picked us up at 8am and headed for the Sahara Desert. The county side was arid and very rocky. We drove through Middle Atlas Mountains and saw the breathtaking view of the high Atlas Mountains and Ziz valley. It was quite desert like for the last half of the drive but just beyond that was a massive snow capped mountain range. 😱 It took us both by surprise. What a contrast! More dry arid scenes before coming across a massive dam/lake that was a brilliant blue. We called it the ‘Lake Louise’ of Morocco. Unbelievable! 😱 Then beneath the Rocky Mountain range was like an oasis. A long, wide strip of date palms for a few kilometres. We arrived at our destination and were driven into the desert in 4WD’s where we met our camels. From there it was about an hours camel ride across the dunes to our luxury desert camp. Our tent was vey comfortable and overlooked the dunes. We went to dinner then sat around the open fire while the Berber natives entertained us until midnight. Looking forward to seeing the sunrise in the morning. We had an incredible day!En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    2

    Fes

    9 avril, Maroc ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We were picked up by our driver at 9am and headed toward Fes. Lots of farmland and agriculture along the way. All areas of Morocco have thousands of cats, dogs and donkeys. 🐈 🐕 🫏
    Fes was mind blowing. It has a massive Medina filled with streets (alleyways) that people live in, and a rabbit warren of shops and stalls, old and new. There were some streets that were lined both sides with just jewellery shops (mainly gold).
    The Medina consists of 9,400 alleyways!!! Some are so narrow your shoulders almost touch each side as you walk through. It’s like another world in there. 🤯
    We went to a pottery shop that also does mosaics. WOW!! The entire handmade process left us speechless. First they use the clay to make each design, then kiln dry it. Individual people hand paint every single piece. They are so perfectly done, it’s hard to believe they were done by hand. Then for the mosaics, each tiny piece is drawn and cut out of larger pieces with such detail and accuracy, using just a tiny hand tool (there’s a short video). When they decide on a pattern, they meticulously lay each tiny piece, face down on the ground in the desired shape (see photo of a round table top). We’ll never look at mosaic the same way again. 😱 From there we visited a tannery. This too was a painstakingly long, arduous process. We were shown how they prepared the leather, how they colour the hides (goat). Apparently cow hide isn’t used here because it too heavy and not waterproof. Goat hide is much lighter, softer, and completely waterproof!! They add 5kg of pigeon poop (yes you read that right) to each pond every day (high in ammonia) to kill any bacteria on the leather. They climb into each pond for 4-5 hours a day and stomp around in there like grape crushing, to stir it up and keep the colours even for 2 weeks. Then they pull it out and wash it and dry it. When our tour was finished we had free time to wander through the Medina. We didn’t venture far as we were terrified of getting lost in there. Which would be VERY easy to do. We had the most incredible, mind blowing day today. One we’ll remember for years to come.    En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    Kasbah Of The UdayasLamb tajine and bbq pizzaArriving at ChefchaouenOur gorgeous room with a terraceI loved the Moroccan bathroom

    Rabat, Chefchaouen

    8 avril, Maroc ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    So much to see today. We met our personal driver this morning and drove from Casablanca to Rabat. We wandered through the remains of a 2000+ year old palace. Families still live there today. We then drove a few hours through the country and Rif mountains to Chefchaouen. This place was a bucket list item for me. I’d seen photos before but it was even more stunning in reality. I wanted to take a photo around every corner, and up every flight of stairs. Our hotel was right in the middle of it all and equally beautiful in all its Moroccan glory. Poor Peter, I must have taken over 100 photos today. 😂
    💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙    En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    Chicken, lemon and olive tagineHassan II Mosque

    Casablanca - Morocco 🇲🇦

    7 avril, Maroc ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    An early flight from Cairo this morning, arriving in Casablanca just after lunch. We checked in to our apartment for the night, then went for a wander around the area. Not nearly as chaotic as Egypt. Walked along the foreshore and saw one of the largest Mosques in the world - Hassan II. Our tour starts in the morning at 9am. We found a nice restaurant not far from our apartment for dinner. I had my first tagine - lemon and olive chicken.En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    Just a goat on a donkey....

    Hurghada

    5 avril, Egypte ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Had a very chilled day today. Just what we needed after being on the go for 5 days. Two nights in an all inclusive beachside resort. We had a snorkelling trip booked for today but unfortunately got a message last night to say it was cancelled due to unfavourable sea conditions. We dipped our toes in the Red Sea and walked along the beach taking in the blue, crystal clear water. We had a couple of drinks by the pool then had some lunch. We’re just sitting on our balcony reflecting about our week in Egypt, and what an incredibly moving experience it was. Peter admitted he was hesitant about visiting Egypt, but now says it was amazing and how much he’s loved it all. Here’s hoping he feels the same way about the next 8 weeks! 🤞En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    Tutankhamen (King Tut)
    Blue Shadow ITutankhamen's sarcophagus😁😂Rameses IX tombRameses IV sarcophagusOur Egyptian tour group - Hassan tour guideQueen Hatshepsut TempleAlabaster factory tour

    Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple

    4 avril, Egypte ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    Disembarked our beautiful cruise at 8am to drive to the Valley of the Kings. This place was AMAZING! So many tombs and they’re still discovering more. I went to see King Tutankhamen’s mummified body and Sarcophagus, the only mummy in Valley of the Kings. The colour was vibrant, well preserved, and was one of the more recently discovered tombs. (1922) The tomb originally housed chariots, thrones, jewelry, and three nested coffins, including the solid gold inner coffin and his solid gold mask. He died at the young age of 18, but I have to say, he hasn’t aged well. 😂 We also explored the tombs of Rameses IV, and Rameses IX. From there we stopped to see how they use Alabaster stone to make beautiful carved ornaments, vases, urns etc. next stop, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Three massive terraces rise above the desert floor surrounded by the cliffs of Dier el-Bahari.En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    3000 Sphinx's go from Edfu temple to Luxor templeAncient Egyptian scaffolding (mud bricks)3000 Sphinx'sThe LOCK on the Nile RiverLowering the water level so we can continue sailing

    Edfu Temple, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple

    3 avril, Egypte ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    A 4am start with a packed breakfast and we’re in the bus on our way to Edfu Temple. Built for Horus (God of protection). It consists of 134 massive columns. This was the first temple we’d seen with some colour in the hieroglyphics. We then sailed to Luxor to visit Karnak Temple, which is the largest temple complex in Egypt. From there, Luxor Temple. Dinner on the cruise tonight was an Egyptian feast.En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    Abu Simbel Temple
    God of darkness on the leftMummified crocodilesMummified crocodiles

    Abu Simbel temple, Kom Ombo temple

    2 avril, Egypte ⋅ ☁️ 37 °C

    Bright and early start. Picked up by luxury coach at 4am. 3.5 hour drive to the Abu Simbel temples. Ramesses II had 75 wives and his favourite was Queen Nefertare. This temple was built for her. There are 2 massive rock-cut temples. The entire area was moved and rebuilt 60 metres higher due to the area flooding when they built the dam. Inside there are statues of 4 Gods. Ptah, Amun-Ra, Rameses II, and Ra-Horakhty. Twice a year, (around February 22 and October 22) on the king's birth/coronation dates, sunlight illuminates all except Ptah, (God of darkness) Back to the boat and sailed to our next temple, Kom Ombo. This temple really moved me for some reason. There was just something special about it. We were there as the sun was going down and the lights were illuminating some of the hieroglyphics. Just magical.En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    Our flight from Cairo to Aswan

    Philae Temple, Aswan - Nile cruise

    1 avril, Egypte ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Picked up at 4am to head to the airport for our short flight to Aswan. Ferried onto a boat to visit Philae Temple, dedicated to the Goddess Isis. The entire temple was moved about 500 metres to another island because the original temple disappeared when the British built the dam. It took 20 years to relocate the entire temple piece by piece. We then visited a perfume and essential oil shop before boarding the ‘Blue Shadow I’ river boat, our digs for the next 4 nights.En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    1Climbing down into a burial chamber1The view from the restaurantGEM MuseumThey stored their organs in these for the afterlife1Tutankhamen's sarcophagusTutankhamen's 11kg solid gold maskKhufu boat. One of three uncovered and now in the museumView from the restaurant1Ancient Egyptian artefacts

    Pyramids, Sphinx, GEM Museum

    31 mars, Egypte ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Massive day today! We got picked up at 7.30am and headed straight to the pyramids. We (I) decided it would be a great idea to take a camel ride to a vantage point for photos of all 3 pyramids. We then drove to the base of the Great Pyramid. It was so surreal. Or tour guide was very informative and engaging. She was an archeologist before becoming a guide. We were blown away by the size and complexity and couldn’t believe we could touch and sit on the giant blocks of granite. We then clambered down a narrow shaft into a burial chamber. Inside was a hole that contained the sarcophagus, and a hole that once contained treasures to take with them to the afterlife. We then saw massive holes where they unearthed Khufu Boats. Peter and I walked around the base of the Great Pyramid, got some awesome photos, then headed down to the Sphinx. Our group stopped for lunch in an Egyptian restaurant with the most incredible view. Next stop, GEM Museum. This museum has only recently opened. It took over 20 years to build and was designed by an Irish architect. It holds over 100,000 ancient Egyptian artefacts, and honestly, you couldn’t see it all in a week, let alone 4 hours. It was mind blowing. A lot of the artefacts had no rope to cordon them off, no glass to protect them. Just standing there in all their glory for everyone to enjoy and take in. We were buggered by the time we got back to our hotel. We thought we’d have a little nap before dinner and woke up after 11pm. 😂Day 2 - done and dusted!En savoir plus

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  • Leanne HawkeEurope - 2026Voyageur
    Helmand Dream Hotel. GizaFlying over CairoTouch down!Stella - Egyptian BeerPeter's lunchMy lunchDream Park - right next door to our accommodation.Roller Coaster at Dream Park3It was hard, but I managed to talk poor Peter into coming on the roller coaster with me. 😂Nile crocodile cuddles.The view of our accommodation from Dream Park.

    Arrived in Cairo

    30 mars, Egypte ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We’ve arrived in Cairo safe and sound. Two great flights with China Eastern. Couldn’t fault them. Managed to get exit rows for the first leg to Shanghai, but had to put up with cattle class seats from Shanghai to Cairo. We got picked up from the airport and delivered to our hotel. The driving here in Cairo is actually worse than in India, it’s CRAZY!! We saw 3 pyramids on our way, so surreal and blowing already. We spend the day at The pyramids of Giza, Sphinx, and the GEM museum tomorrow. A big day, but can’t wait to get these legs moving again after sitting for, what felt like, an eternity.En savoir plus

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    Début du voyage
    29 mars 2026