The Holy Of Holies

 Chatting with a friend, a former manager of M&S, he amusingly referred to a certain food retailer as 'The Holy of Holies'. Well food  perhaps being one of the new religions, here are the top 10 UK supermarkets  with their advertising slogans featured in italics.

The Holy of Holies

And so, armed with my shopping list and  eco jute  bag, i approached the Outer Court,  past street vendors,  nearly being knocked down by an Ocado vehicle,  with its driver shouting out the window, 'Going the last mile'.

Iceland, the frozen food experts-food you can trust were by the door and as I entered the Outer Court I was met by a wide assortment of customers  busy in the middle aisle and rummaging through crates labelled 'Big on quality, Lidl on price'. Someone at the Aldi check out nearby sweating and smiling with a laden trolley simply said, 'Spend a little, live a lot'.

I decided to press through to the slightly quieter Inner Court to be told in no uncertain terms 'It's what we do-Co-op'  and 'Get the Asda price feeling'. Whilst I was searching for the feeling I was   distracted by a tanoy announcement 'More reasons to shop at Morrisons. All department managers for a huddle in ten'.

Well, maybe I'll discover the 'reasons' next time and continued up the 12 Steps towards the Holy Place. There were staff on hand from Sainsburys taste the difference team on one side where good food costs less, not sure about that, less than what, and saying they were helping people eat better. Meanwhile rival  Tesco's Finest on the other  were confident 'Every little helps'. Well i am sure it does, however, this was all too much, even with the app, and I thought I would  check out the Holy Place.

 As I entered the atmosphere changed, and it wasn't the efficient air-con. I became self-conscious, adjusted my appearance in the window, combed my hair and made doubly sure i had the means to pay. Well the Holy place was anything but ordinary,  well heeled, black shirted staff  meeting my gaze in the food hall with, 'This is not just food-this is M&S food'. I was impressed,  it was nice to be welcomed, until the bill, and i still felt  slightly unfulfilled knowing there was more, yes....the Holy of Holies.

I summoned up the courage to enter this special place, yes that's right, the Holy of Holies, not reserved for just the CEO yearly like a high priest, no but for  one and all and daily too, as though the curtain had been torn in two giving unlimited access. Before me was the finest of fare, every comestible and comfort, a pleasurable experience to behold.

A smartly turned out assistant was immediately to hand and in a politely spoken manner proudly announced the words memorised from the manual, 'We are more than employees we're  owners, partners. I presume you have your members card,  do join me in a complimentary cup of coffee and magazine, I'll tell you more of what this heaven on earth is like.  After all its food to feel good about, quality food, honestly priced. Everyone deserves quality food. Everyone deserves Waitrose'.

Three Men In A Car: Maroc Espana

Flew out to Marrakech and drove back to Bath with friends Tom, and Rev Patrick in his Peugeot 207. Across Morocco and Spain taking in Casablanca, Fes, Tangier (Cueta), ferry Straits of Gibraltar, Algeciras, Granada (Alhambra), Albarcin, Zaragoza, Pamplona, Santander, ferry to Plymouth. Some reflections on a great trip.  May 2023.

Maroc Espana

Land of medinas and souks

The chaotic and exotic

Monkeys wearing dresses, cobras charmed for their supper, all the fun of the fair in the square Marrakech!

Towering mosques,  'Salaam Alaikum Allahu Akbar' -'Wa Alaikum Salaam'.

The dirham's king,  the tourist an opportunity 'my friend, come with me'

Ancient and modern sit together with artisans working thuya, pottery,  mosaics,  leather, weavers at the loom,  centres of study with the world's 1st university, fields worked the old fashioned way, fruit and veg for the foreign table, big plans for harnessing the wind and sun.

The high Atlas an inviting backdrop, Sahara to the south with coastlines, a King, palaces, riads,  kaspars the feral and fez, 

Mules,  horses,  camels, motorbikes all lively options, feel the heat join the beat, 'play it again Sam' at Casablanca's Rick's Cafe.

Parle vous Francais? Enjoy a mint tea and tagine, listen to a Berber's story, be still at a fountain pool an oasis jardin for an hour or two,

Maroc is growing with a bienvenue.

Across the Strait, past the Rock olla buenos dias senor senora, home to tapas,  citrus,  flamenco and the running bull.

Smart roads connecting fortified medieval gems in the quiet scrubby interior, city plazas stylishly combining old and new, where rich and mellow the  guitar sweetly sings. 

Catholic baroque and gothic watch over the mighty Ebro, the influence of The Moors  treasured, regions steeped in history like Aragon and o sweet Catherine a sad end with a humble grave in England.

 Goya,  Picasso exhibit once again-si si Espana has much to celebrate-a cultural superpower where the world wants to visit,  a colonising language, a serious EU player, banking acumen in Santander and Aviva, solar and wind powerhouse,  muy buena health care, The Veulta,  a Nadal or Real,  a land of beaches, ex pats, goats herds, ham, olives, fish, and catch crops for Europe.

Espana,  a country on the camino way, deep wounds healed of civil war, the Catalan quest, challenge of jobs for the young- ever moving towards Santiago Compostela-  muchas grasias senor senora, hasto luego!