Part One: Madrid, Spain~Friday, Oct. 16-Monday, Oct. 21
Kirsten and I woke up nice and early on Friday morning to head off to Madrid. After arriving around noon, it was off to our hostel (located right in the heart of Madrid) then we started walking around nearby streets to see what we could find. We ran upon the famous Palacio Real and the beautiful gardens that were right outside of it. It was a bright and sunny day so we tried to take in the sun and walk around to see the Plaza Mayor (busy plaza) and saw several street performers including: a soldier, Mickey Mouse, Spiderman, a Fruit Lady, newspaper man, a couple covered in mud, etc. I have never seen so many street performers in such close proximity! Then it was off to go see Retiro Park, which was simply breathtaking. I love parks so much and this one was complete with a pond and paddle boats as well as beautiful fountains. We decided to go to the Reina Sofia art museum full of Picasso and De Goya’s work afterwards then called it an early night.
Saturday it was off to see Spanish parliament and try to take a tour, but it was under construction so we weren’t able to go inside. Instead, we spotted a Starbucks and enjoyed our drinks while walking around the city. We ran into a building with ‘America’ on the front (we thought it was the Embassy, but were informed otherwise), then headed back towards our hostel to shop around in the little stores and then took a tour of the Palacio Real. This Palace was quite gaudy inside, but still pretty nonetheless…after a while, all palaces start looking the same but I still enjoyed seeing the fabric embellished walls and beautiful chandeliers. After this, we changed for an outdoor dinner at the Plaza Mayor where we ate Paella (Spanish stirfry) and watched performers in the distance-such a great, bustling setting! It was time for some Flamenco dancing to end the night, so we hurried over and were seated just in time for some flamenco dancers. Now this was definitely my Madrid highlight-the footwork and flicking of the dresses did it for me and reminded me of the days I used to clog/tap dance. I absolutely loved it! You will have to watch the video below to see how fast they move their feet…so cool!
On Sunday, we went to the largest market I have ever seen. The streets were lined with stall after stall and there were so many items to buy, it was a bit overwhelming! After buying a few things and getting our fill of shopping, we ventured to Canal del Isabella II to try and see a view of Madrid, but instead it was converted into an art expedition. We still saw some great photography then decided to head out for quick lunch then to see the famous Spanish Bull Fighting-I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The whole process was extremely gruesome…8 bulls in all were apart of the full event, but only 6 were able to fight and eventually die-so sad! It was quite the experience and we didn’t think we would be able to last, but somehow we sat through it all to get a full understanding of bullfighting. Never again will I go watch it, but it was definitely cool in it’s own way! I just cant believe that men would literally fight with a bull and eventually spear it with his own hands…disgusting! Only one of the matadors was really good out of 3, but it was still an interesting show. It was back to the hostel where we met some Americans who were travelling…we ended up playing charades which was a lot of fun then went to bed around 11pm.
On Monday, Kirsten and I headed off to Toledo, Spain (former capital) where the famous Don Quijote was based from…I read it in High School so it was really cool to actually go see the setting of where it was based. There were so many hills we had to climb so it was a bit tiring, but we had fun just walking around and exploring the many sights of this old city. There was a mote that encircled the inner part of the city complete with two bridges on either side…it was a true castle! We took some pictures, shopped for a sword for Kirsten (they are famous for their swords) then headed back to catch our returning train home. The thing I liked most about Toledo was that I really felt like I was walking through history in such a quaint town…it was a great day trip! That night, we decided to go Salsa dancing with our American friends and danced the night away with some locals who were pros…I definitely picked up a few dance moves here and there, but they are pretty intense! The language barrier was a bit difficult at times, but we made it through and had a great time!
Tuesday was our last day in Spain (sad), but it was a gloomy and rainy day so we walked around town with our umbrellas and spent the rest of our euros. We also finished up at the Chocolateria where we had yummy churros with hot chocolate to dip it in. This was a great ending to our amazing Madrid experience…I am so glad I got to go there and experience the Spanish culture and even speak Spanish-I forgot how much I missed speaking it, since it has been since high school. Maybe one day I will become fluent…we shall see! We finished up the night and packed up all of our belongings to head off to Morocco the next morning. Although it was sad to leave, Kirsten and I were both so excited to experience another continent…Africa!
Video Part One of Sights around Madrid:
Part Two: Marrakech, Morocco~Wednesday, Oct. 21- Sunday, Oct. 25
I just need to begin by saying that this is my favourite place that I have EVER visited…I loved Morocco the best out of all of my trips and want to return someday! Okay, so Wednesday it was up and out of Spain to fly directly into Marrakech.
When we arrived at the airport, we were greeted by a man with our names on a sheet and were then guided to our shuttle to the hotel. As we started driving around, I could already tell that this would be a place that would be completely different from anything I have ever seen or done. We stayed inside Medina (an inner circle within Marrakech) and were dropped off at a corner where somebody else put our stuff in a wheel barrow and guided us to our hotel. There were donkeys passing by us as well as motorcycles zipping through the streets…this was quite odd to experience all the hustle and bustle happening around us.
Another thing I liked about this place is that it is extremely touristy. Although we were getting many stares, I didn’t feel as intimidated because of all the many tourists around town. After dropping our stuff at the amazing Sherazade (complete with a garden inside and beautiful Moroccan décor), we ventured around the city and went into the different stalls that lined the streets. Our first cultural experience involved having tea with a local son and father while smelling different spices. He had us try to guess the different spices and fragrances then he would tell us what they are used for and what they can treat. He then gave us a neck massage (kinda strange) and also let us try a homemade mask (used for the face) on our hand. In the meantime, they made us some tea to try and then Kirsten bought some tea ingredients to make for our own Moroccan tea at home then decided to move on to see the Palace. Now this was kind of a letdown considering all of the extravagant castles we have toured throughout the past few months…but then again we paid less than a euro to get in.
It was comprised of many empty rooms as well as a large courtyard in the center. It was fun to walk around and take a few pictures, but we decided to move on and go on a carriage ride through the city to better familiarise ourselves with the surrounding area. It was quite interesting to see women carrying baskets on their heads, donkeys trotting through the streets, random vendors honing away at their craft within their stalls…I have never seen anything like it. Also, this was the first time I have had a full sensory experience. The smell there was quite potent-mixtures of curry and other spices filled the air as well as random incense and other random smells. I loved it!
After this, we were dropped off in the main plaza where we saw real snake charmers and snakes, monkeys, henna, etc. This was bazaar because they would literally put a snake around your neck then charge you a ridiculous amount of Duram (Moroccan currency). We finagled with them and paid them a little…we literally had no idea! It is cool to look back now and realize that I had a snake and 2 monkeys on me…but still so strange! After being haggled by so many street vendors with their animals and multiple women trying to put henna on our hands, we decided to return to our hotel and call it a night because it gets dark really early there. This was a great first day overall…I got to see so many animals and drink tea with the locals-I also learned that Shea in Arabic means tea, so that was really neat!
Side story: the locals would call us gazelles (beautiful woman) and would repeatedly say ‘fish and chips’ assuming we were from England. The broken English was quite funny to hear and all of their phrases they would say to try to grab our attention and go into their small stall.
Thursday, we woke up early to grab a quick breakfast before our camel ride. Now this was the one thing I knew I wanted to do before even going on this trip. I have always wanted to ride a camel and finally my dream was going to come true! They drove us to a new location and put a headdress on our head then we hopped on our camels and we went on the trek for nearly 1 ½ hours. It wasn’t the best feeling experience as our bodies were being thrown around, but we made it through…our guide was hilarious, although he did not speak English. Kirsten knew basic French which helped a lot. We got to feed our camels palm tree limbs then headed back to the starting point to have tea and crepes. As we were on our journey, it was beautiful to see mountains and palm trees in the background…such a cool combination! Also, camels make a really interesting sound when they are irritated…I never even knew they made a noise!
When we got back from our trek, we returned to our hotel then walked around the main plaza again where we proceeded somehow to get free henna…we literally told them we had no money, yet they still gave us henna so that was kinda neat. After this, we went around to do some shopping and got some great deals on different things like paintings, bracelets, pottery, jewelry, a leather bag, etc. I love bargain so this was great fun and entertaining for me! We decided to go that night to eat true Moroccan food at a nice restaurant so we went back to change then headed off to supper.
When we arrived at dinner, they sat us down in this elaborate room full of chairs made from pillows and live music. Next thing we knew, we had a three course meal complete with different Moroccan salads, lamb and cous cous, then oranges and a pastry. Also, there was a belly dancer (we named her Olga) who danced with fire on her head and then asked Kirsten and I to come up and dance with her. This was quite hilarious since neither of us have belly danced but we just awkwardly laughed and danced around-quite the experience! We were also served some Moroccan tea (per usual) then were shown around the restaurant…come to find out, Alfred Hitchcock ate there, so we had our picture taken right where he ate at…so cool! It was time to return to our hotel in order to get ready for the best day yet.
Friday, we woke up bright and early to go see the Ouzoud Waterfalls (largest waterfalls in Morocco ranging at 150 meters long)! We had a personal tour guide that picked us up at our hotel then we met up with another group to caravan to the falls, which were about 3 hours or so away from Marrakech. Once we got there, we wondered around until we saw the falls from the top…this was absolutely breathtaking! We took a few pictures then we walked around to the opposite side so we could see them in their entirety…I just couldn’t get over how beautiful of a sight I was experiencing.
After going to 4 or 5 different locations around the falls, we decided to take a mini ferry up to the falls (I even learned how to row a boat!) and we got slightly wet, but it was completely worth it! I love waterfalls so much, so this was definitely a highlight for me of the trip. We also saw monkeys randomly running around throughout the paths and different birds flying around.
We ate lunch with our guide who was extremely sweet and got to learn about his life and what he hoped to do in the future. He said his ultimate dream was to have a farm with cows…this hit me how different our perceptions are depending on the lifestyle you live. In America, we are so fortunate and blessed to have all that we do, yet people in these countries can barely even afford a donkey or motorcycle…not even a car! And here I am at 20, travelling around the world and seeing all of these sights…it hit me really hard and I am still wrestling with the concept. Even when walking around and seeing all of the kids playing with a flat soccer ball with their clothing all torn up, my heart melted and all I wanted to do was provide for them. This was a hard realization, but also a good one because I knew that I truly want to serve somewhere…not quite sure what that will translate into for my future.
Anyways, we adventured around and climbed over brooks to see a different view after lunch then made our way back to the shuttle back for our return to Marrakech. This was a wonderful way to wrap up our final days in Morocco before returning to London…by far my highlight of this whole trip!
Saturday we transferred hotels to stay at a nice place outside of Medina and spent time lounging at the pool. The weather was perfect and it was so relaxing for us since we were on the go all of break. We enjoyed a small pizza then called it an early night because of our early flight the next morning at 7am. This was definitely a successful trip and I had the best time exploring both of these new places! We met so many great locals in Morocco and they passed on their email addresses for us to stay in touch…I loved all of the tea we got to drink with different people and learn more about their lives and their experience while in Morocco. I want to return one day somewhere in Africa…perhaps adventure to the dessert and see some sand dunes! I definitely have the travelling bug and am sad that we had to leave already…but now it is back to internship and classes to finish the homestretch in London.
The End!
These days are flying by…I think I am on the brink of 40 days remaining! I want to soak this all in and learn all about London. My mom is coming in about 3 weeks and I cant wait to share my life and experiences with her before returning home early December. This has definitely stretched me and empowered me in so many different ways…I wouldn’t trade this study abroad experience for anything. I suppose I will now leave you with some videos of my different experiences to let you in a bit to what I could see and hear. This is the longest post ever, so if you made it through, congratulations! I hope you enjoyed my experiencing as much as I liked reliving and remembering everything. From my trip to Spain and Africa, I walk away more humbled and even more in awe of creation and this life that I am blessed with.
I hope you enjoyed this novel of a post...I miss you all and look forward to sharing with you more adventures within these next/last weeks!
Part Two: Sights and Sounds around Marrakech, Morocco
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