Morocco! 

So last weekend I went on an organized trip to Africa, more specifically Morocco.  The trip was all inclusive which was really nice for a change, I didn't have to worry about transportation, activities, food, it was great!  We left mid-day on Friday and after a 2 1/2 hour bus ride we arrived at the ferry that would take us over to Morocco.  Once we got to the hotel it was pretty late but we had an amazing dinner!  It was a four corse meal with bread, salad, chicken cous-cous with grilled vegetables and cranberry sauce, and then some of the best ice cream I've ever had.  Since I've been eating like a poor person and I make the same 4 meals I was so excited to eat some different food!  Then we called it a night early because we'd be getting up very early to start our adventures! 

The first town we went to was called Chefchaouen which was a little bit of a drive but on the way we stopped at an view point.  The landscape was awesome, tons of mountains and valleys.  

Sitting on the bus and watching the landscape go by was actually really enjoyable.  It gives you the opportunity to really observe what some people's lives are like and compare them to our own. Most of the people that I saw were farmers that lived just randomly throughout the country side.  I would all of a sudden see a man hiking down a mountain path with a herd of goats following him.  I also saw some men and women carrying massive baskets full of crops.  It's just a completely different lifestyle and it makes me think about what it would be like to live in a more simplistic way.  Since I'm not really into the whole technological age and whatnot I can't help but wonder if that's the better way to live.  Also the whole time I was wishing I could get out and take pictures :) 

Chefchaouen is that famous Moroccan city that's all blue and white.  It was gorgeous!! I heard a couple of reasons why it's painted that way, one is that the colors keep the mosquitoes away and another is that blue is the color of the sky and ocean, both of which are free. 

This blog post is also pretty picture heavy, but that's because I have less to say about Morocco and more to show.  The whole trip was really about looking and experiencing a completely different culture.  In the city they took us on a short tour where we literally just had a guide wander us through the streets, and then we got let loose to spend money!  I felt throughout the trip a constant encouragement to spend my money, I did buy a couple things but mostly took pictures instead. 

The colors in general were amazing! Most of the clothes, bags, tapestries, and jewlery were very colorful and that with the blue walls just made everything very vibrant. 

To the left is Belinda one of my roommates and some circle bread.  We would be walking around the streets and then be overcome by the delicious smell of bread!  Among the houses were little bakeries where Moroccians would be cooking delicious thick circle bread over wood fires! We ate a ton while we were there, so good. On the right is Keliana just hanging out, the town was surrounded by gorgeous mountains.

Here's our tour guide! Omg he was the cutest little man. 

There was a little river that ran through the city which is where the people would wash their clothes.  The water would run through these little washing houses where they had washboards and then the soapy water would run back into the river.  It was cool to watch the women wash the clothes, another extreme cultural difference which makes you ponder your own life haha.

We then got to have another amazing meal, we were on the roof of this awesome restaurant, above is the view from the roof. 

Salad and chicken with fries and apricots, I'm really into taking pictures of food now...

Leather bags. 

I think that this was powder to make dye, but I'm really not sure, just thought it was pretty. 

They legit use donkeys to carry things from one place to another, serious cultural differences.  I think that's why I liked Morocco so much, the whole experience really got me thinking.

River/stream 

That night had dinner at the hotel and then hung out in the hotel bar and had a few drinks, above is a picture of all the lovely ladies I went to Morocco with.  This picture and a couple others in this post were taking on Keliana's analoge camera so they look a little vintagey.  

In the morning we decided to wake up early and watch the sunrise because our hotel was conveniently located right on the Mediterranean! It was pretty freaking cold but totally worth it, watching the sunrise is just such a nice way to start a day, especially one in Morocco.  Above is a picture of me before the sun rose. 

I had Marielle do some yoga poses in front of the sunset, they came out pretty cool

The second day we went to Tetouan in the morning, it's just another city in Morocco.  I really didn't learn much about the places I was in, I think that was kind of the downside to my tour program.  Like I said they seemed more concerned with us spending money that really letting us know what we were doing there. But we wandered around the area too and through this old market, which actually was pretty intense.  There were chickens all kept in little crates and some were just laid out with their necks cut and hanging. 

Later we stopped in this pharmacy where we could....buy more stuff! But a lot of the stuff was like natural herb beauty products, there was aragon oil that a lot of the girls bought because it is supposed to work wonders for your hair and skin and it's a lot cheaper in Morocco than in America.  I ended up getting  Moroccan mint tea, a detox tea, and some lip balm that is good for not only lips but cuticles and blackheads.

OH YEAH WE SAW A SNAKE CHARMER!!! So, the guy takes out a snake and puts it on the blanket and the snake is clearly pissed, he taunts it and it was like snapping at him.  Then he starts staring at the snake while the other guy was playing music and something happens and all of a sudden he can put the snake on his face.  He did it with two different snakes I'm not sure the name of the first one but the other was a cobra (shown below), yeah he finished by kissing the cobra.  It was completely unexpected, I didn't know we were going to see a snake charmer!

More markets

Later we went to these caves in Tangiers which wasn't too exciting but the ocean was pretty.  

We ended the trip with a camel ride, which actually turned out to be a pretty weird and slightly scaring situation.  The camels were in like this random parking lot and were clearly over worked and treated kind of badly.  All the camels were really exhausted and the whole vibe of the situation was kind of awkward and uncomfortable.  I almost didn't do it because I felt kind of weird about the whole thing. Also 2 girls were on one camel and the whole seat fell off the camel and the girls went with it, I was already on another camel but needless to say that added to the...weirdness. But to make it better there were two baby camels that were hanging out and being super cute.  

Before we got on the bus to go back to Spain we went over to the ocean overlook and took this picture. I love it!! The program we went on as a whole wasn't that great, but the country was so different and intriguing that I think it was one of my favorite places I've been so far.  It made me think about the different styles of living and comparing what I have to what a typical Moroccan has, it's really crazy to think about.  It gave me a taste for what a lot of this world is really like.  It would be interesting to grow up in a less materialistic and corporate society and instead just live in tiny shack with livestock, fields, and mountains.

J'adore Paris! 

So I finally got to go to Paris.  For me Paris has always kind of been this fantasy city because I spent so much time in French class learning about it.  I knew that when I came to Europe that I had to make it to Paris, especially because one of my friends from college is studying abroad there.  Marielle and I left Sevilla at 1 am and after 5 different modes of public transportion we arrived in Paris at 3 pm.  Becca, our friend studying there, was in class when we arrived so we decided to meet up with her at Notre Dame that way we could get an eyeful first thing!  More than once I would really think about where I was and what I was looking at and I'd get all giddy.  It is just so surreal to have heard about a place for so long and then to actually be in that place, staring up at one of the most famous landmarks.  It's just crazy.  

The day we arrived was the only day we got blue skies, Paris is known to be overcast a lot of the time so it was a nice treat on the first day.  Above is the front of Notre Dame. 

  Marielle in the park finishing Pride and Prejudice 

Seriously, one of my favorite things about going to all these different places is to see the different types of architecture, each city has its own style.  France was very...French! haha, almost victorian looking, I loved the curved tops.  

That night we decided to head over to the Louve because it's free for young adults on friday nights.  The whole visit turned out to be a little crazy just because the Louve is such a massive museum and we got lost more than once.  Above is the triangle at the entrance of the Louve, its so cool and it always makes me think of the Da Vinci Code haha. 

One thing I noticed about the Louve is that there were artists sprinkled everywhere, they would be sitting in front of paintings or statues drawing the art that they saw.  It gave a cool feel to the whole museum, just all very artsy.  The paintings were beautiful, I love going to art museums because often times the art gives you a glimpse into a time that no longer exists.  I like looking at a painting or a statue and thinking about the story behind the art or the life that that piece is trying to represent.  The Louve was obviously a very good place for that, and of course a good place to see the Mona Lisa!!

Not the size that most people imagine, but still very stunning to be in front of.  The Mona Lisa is apparently the most recognized painting like ever. 

Dinner consisted of home made stir fry and obviously a baguette and cheese.  This trip I really went crazy taking pictures of every French food that I ate, most are included in this blog post.  Food is just so fun to take pictures of! Too bad I don't actually eat any real meals because I'm too poor, but I hope that you enjoy the pictures of all the delicious treats. 

Saturday

We started out the day with a yummy French breakfast of coffee and croissants and then headed back over to Notre Dame.  We decided to go up on top of Notre Dame which I was actually really glad we did because it was my favorite part of the trip!  It was cool to be chillin on the set of Quasimodo's story.  Also most famous monuments in Paris you can go to the top of and look at the city, we figured that one was enough for time and money sake.  After a long walk up stone spiral staircases we emerged at the top to not only a gorgeous view of the city but also an amazing collection of unique gargoyles.  They were on almost every corner of the top of the building and each one had its own personality, all very cool.  After our tour of the top of the building we went downstairs into the church itself, which was magnificent.  The only downside was that... it is Paris, which means TOURIST CENTRAL. Literally it was a mob scene in there, I did a quick run through, and then was on to the next thing. 

Oh what? Is that the Eiffel Tower in the background? OMG I went to Paris. 

Seriously so beautiful and Becca was very knowledgeable so it was nice to have her point out different parts of the city.  

Oh damn, so gothic and cool and Notre Dameish! 

We went to Shakespeare and Company which is a relatively famous English bookstore, and in the 1920's was a gathering place for many writers including Ernest Hemingway.  The store was super cute and gave you that old bookstore feel where you just want to sit in a massive leather chair and read a good book. 

Paris street art! 

Then we headed to the Sainte-Chapelle to get our stain glass window fix.  This Chapel was built in 1248 for King Louis IX and the stain glass depicts the bible from Genesis to The Apocalypse, amazing right?  It was literally 360 stain glass, we stood their just imagining the amount of craft that had to go into making it.  My only wish was that I could see it with the sun shining through the windows, that must be a truly jaw dropping experience.  

I GOT A CREPE, I actually don't think I've ever had a real crepe.  Obviously I knew what they were, but I'm glad my first one in Paris, complete with Nutella and bananas. Yummm

Next Stop: Eiffel Tower! Once we got to the tower I instantly turned into a little girl screeching and running around.  Obviously a million pictures were taken but since this blog post is already picture heavy I picked these two.  The Eiffel Tower was build as an entrance way for the World Fair, I'm finding that a lot of the cities I go to have a monument that was built for the World Fair, which I hadn't realized was such a trend. That aside, Eiffel Tower = fantastic. 

French man, in Paris, with a beret? Had to. 

So we attempted to go to the Musee D'orsay which is another art museum that's filled with some amazing impressionist artwork including Monet.  But when we got their not only did not have my passport that would have gotten me in for free, but it was closing in half an hour.  I was pretty upset that I wasn't going to be able to go in, so while Marielle ran around the museum, Becca took me to drown my sorrows in some superb Creme Brulee.  Check that out.

Paris, city of loooove. 

We stopped by the Louve real quick so we could get some daylight pictures, I wanted the reflection in the water :)  Also to the right is the LOVELY Becca, it was so awesome visiting her.  She lives in a tiny one room apartment nestled on the top floor of her building with a view of rooftops and in the distance Notre Dame, it was very Paris. 

Above is the Lock Bridge, when people come to Paris with someone they love they write their names on a lock, attach it to the bridge and then throw the key into the river.

Sunday

We decided to take the hour trip out to see the Estate of Versailles where Louis XIV and other French royalty lived.  The palace was absolutely amazing, their were gold gates welcoming guests followed by some very impressive architecture.  One thing that Louis wanted to be incorporated with a lot of the building was the symbol of a sun because he thought of himself as the sun.  He was very full of himself and reveled in attention from others.  The one downer about our trip here was that I made the rookie mistake of forgetting my student visa, yet again, so instead of getting into the palace for free I had to pay 15 euro.  After getting over my initial frustration, I decided that I was just making a donation to the cause.

This is the chapel that's in the palace, this is the upstairs area where King Louis would sit during services, he liked to be on the balcony.  One interesting fact is that on the lower level, during the services the King had all of the people turn their chairs to face him because he didn't like having anyones back to him.  As you can see in the picture the ceiling has some amazing paintings and this was a common trend throughout the entire estate, all the different rooms had such intricate paintings.  A lot of the times the rooms would have a theme like "Hercules Drawing-Room" and the paintings on the ceiling would depict whatever that theme was, it was awesome.  

Above is the Hall of Mirrors, probably the most popular room in all of the palace.  It's a long room that runs the length of the back of the building, one side is lined with windows and the opposite side is lined with mirrors.  It's really amazing and insanely decorated, actually all of the palace is kind of insanely decorated, interior design has surely changed.  Regardless it was pretty and had countless statues, chandeliers, and paintings.  Quite a sight. 

Our reflection in the hall of mirrors! 

This is a picture of Marie Antoinette's bedroom, which was very extravagant.  The picture is of a couch and the mirror above it because I thought it showed the room in the best way.  Versailles was also full of tourists so it was hard to get a good picture without any people in it.  But in the back you can see her bed and also a large wooden chest, which was her jewelry cabinet. 

The gardens were huge and I probably could have spent the rest of the day wandering around it but since we were short on time and it was still cold we just took in the main view.  I can only imagine what it looks like in the summer time, they were some lucky kings and queens. 

Croque Monsieur, I legit remember learning about this specific dish in high school and wondering what it would be like. Finally got one :) It's basically just toast, ham, and cheese French style.  

Marielle and I jumping at the Arc de Triumph! 

We walked down the main shopping street Champs Elysees, didn't buy anything because everything is very high end, but it was pretty and a good way to see another aspect of Paris.  Below is a picture of the Abercrombie and Fitch make sure to note the golden fence, male models, and roped off line.  We could smell this store a block away. 

Before we had to run off to begin our long 20 hour trip back to Sevilla, we made one more stop at Jim Morrison's gave.  Marielle and I are both pretty big Doors fans so it was really cool to be able to see his grave.  Next to it was a tree covered in quotes, messages, gum, and carvings. It was pretty cool to stand their and reflect on who Jim was and his role in American music.  I particularly liked the song lyric someone wrote which was "People are Strange." After contributing our own little something to the tree we were off. 

The Lifestyle

It's kind of difficult to go these famous enormous cities for a weekend or a couple of days because there is just so much that you want to see and in reality it's impossible to see it all.  It can be a little discouraging when you realize that only half of your to-do list is actually going to be accomplished.  It's a constant battle between being able to do things in a timely fashion and still enjoy and absorb everything you are doing.  But on the 6 hour bus ride from Madrid to Sevilla I reflected on the trip and I'm happy with what we saw and what we accomplished.  I guess that make shift meals, 20 hour travel times, sleeping on floors and in airports, and taking midterms 2 hours after getting home is what being young, poor, and in Europe is all about.  So bring on the love!!

Morocco Tomorrow :)