Essaouira

Essaouira was a small seaside town about 3 hours southwest of Casablanca. It was perfect after being in such a busy, big city. We caught a bus around 8:00am from the central bus station in Marrakech for about 4 euro. We were told we wouldn't have to book for accomodations ahead of time (much to my initial discomfort) because dozens of people would be offering hotels, hostels, apartments, and riads upon our arrival at the bus station in Essaouira. They were right. We got a two bedroom apartment with living room, bathroom, and kitchen for about 8 Euro a night total. Amazing.

I liked Essaouira a lot. It was small, cozy, and everything you'd expect in a coastal town. People were friendly, souks were bustling but not too crowded, and the weather was windy but warm.

We also celebrated Wyatt's 21st birthday by going to probably the only liquor store (heavily-guarded, too) in the entire place. Unfortunately he and Ana got stomach issues the next day and I went to the pharmacy to get them medicine and I was surprised at how cheap it was. It was also one of the only places I found was run predominantly by women.

We spent two days there, which was the perfect amount of time, and then left for Casablanca.

On the Road and In The Desert

Part II: On the Road and the Sahara Desert

After three days in Marrakech, we were ready for the desert. The Sahara, that is. We arranged a three day excursion through our Riad (again, Fran and Abdullah were wonderfully and unexpectedly accomodating what with our last minute planning).
The first day was all driving. We stopped at a Casbah -- a kingdom or walled town of sorts, but otherwise it was pretty much all driving through Moroccan towns and sheep herds. We stopped at a very nice hotel by a stream of water in a mountainous area. I'm sad to say I don't know where most places we stopped actually were because we didn't have a map and the driver was very difficult to communicate with.
The next day was more driving, but we stopped in a gorge (I think), and then finally we were at the Sahara! At sunset, we took camels with a couple other tourists about an hour and a half (at walking pace) into the dunes. The berbers who hosted us were friendly and hilarious. We were shown to some tents, equipped with single mattresses and heavy blankets. We then gathered around communal tables lit only with candlelight. After becoming fully acquainted with several of our company, the berbers served us some pretty succulent chicken couscous. After, there was a bonfire of sorts with song, dance, and drums! They regaled us with their traditional music, and we reciprocated in kind with Young Money, Lady Gaga, and Creed.
After all the merriment had died down, we decided to embark on something incredibly stupid and exciting: climb the sand dune and sleep at the top. The berbers laughed us. "You can't sleep at the top. It's a sharp edge. It is this side of the dune then that side of the dune. Nothing else at top." But we just thought, silly berbers. And so we went with a mattress in one hand and blanket in the other.
It was silly. That dune was at least 50 feet high. And if you thought running in sand was difficult, try climbing with a mattress and a blanket (heavy one). Some of us gave up half way. Some threw up from exertion. And some did make it to the top. But the berbers were indeed correct. At the top was nothing but an edge.






(Note: The light writing is "stop" in Arabic)

Spring Break Part II: Marrakech, Morocco

First stop: Marrakech!
We stayed in this amazingly cozy Riad called Riad Marrakech Rouge near the the main square, Jemaa El-Fna, which is run by this warm, incredibly friendly English-Moroccan couple, Fran and Abdullah. There was a problem with the reservation and they managed to fit all 8 of us into a tiny room! It was nicknamed "the harem," hah!
Our days usually started with spiced coffee, bread, butter and jam. Then we'd head over to the square to get some fresh orange juice (this stuff is unbelievable. I can't even describe why), and inevitably get lost in the souks on the way to a museum or a palace. We ate like kings for the equivalent of 4 Euro. Rich couscous, succulent lamb tagines, and risky but delicous street food!
We then walked around the souks, bartering with people for scarves, hand-made leather shoes, or sunglasses. We went to two palaces, the first university open to women in Morocco, and Jardin Majorelle (designed by Yves Saint Laurent).
And then there were the hammams. Oh the glorious hammams. It was literally a rebirth. First of all, no one speaks french in there, so it's really hard to communicate, but the old women gesture for you to remove your clothes, take some buckets, and follow them into the baths. Then they scrub you down with savon noire (a blend of eucalyptus, argan oil, and other herbs) until all the dead skin flakes off and you're entire body is as soft as a baby's bottom!
As I appreciated later, Marrakech is extremely progressive in terms of behavior towards women. I was able to walk around in a tank top by myself and not feel threatened or like I was being too culturally insensitive.

Spring Break Part I: Espana

Spain was wonderful for several reasons. First, it was much, MUCH cheaper than Paris. Second, it was sunny. Third, the culture was so friendly and chilled-out (siestas...duh).

In Madrid, we stayed at Hostel Bahia Madrid, which was right near Plaza del Sol -- right smack in the middle of the city. I've got to say, it had a lot of character. And by "it," I mean the senora who ran the place. She was an interesting person to put it nicely. But, anyway. We went to the Prado, Reina Sofia, and explored the giant botanical garden. We also found out that our concept of the Spanish schedule was completely off. The whole eating reallllly late, like 11 o'clock late, was not true. Places started closing when we wanted to go out, and it was surprisingly difficult to find bars open during the week. I'm convinced we were just not going out in the right places. We did do a tapas night, though, which was very tasty.

Barcelona was another story. I've been to both Madrid and Barcelona before, and I always remember that I like Barcelona better than Madrid for some reason. Barcelona is often advertised as "young people" city with lots of nightlife and progressive culture. This is pretty accurate. First of all, our housing experience was completely different. We found a very nice, very well-equipped apartment near the arc de triompf (yes, it seems every major city has one of these) for 6 people for a little bit less than our "just okay" hostel in Madrid. Amazing! The city itself just has so much character. The weather was beautiful, so we walked everywhere, went to visit Park Guell of course, and found ourselves at a heavy metal bar with random chippendales one night.