Marrakesh: An Intro to Morocco

One of the highlights of summer vacation this year was a 10 day trip to Morocco. Yes it was hot (late July/ the beginning of August was the only possible time to go --- so we didn't go to the desert this time), but we sure packed a lot into those few days. We visited three cities: Marrakesh, Casablanca and Rabat.

We started the trip by flying into Marrakesh. After making our way through security and finding a taxi, we arrived at our riad. A riad is a traditional home. Many have been converted into hotels with only a small number of rooms (ours had 5). The rooms look onto a courtyard in the middle. Our riad, Riad Eldar, had a pool and relaxing areas in the courtyard and was located in the medina, which is the pedestrian zone with windy streets. We had a delicious, traditional breakfast of bread, a type of pancake, cake, and a fried egg there every morning.

We packed a lot into a few days, and it was tricky to figure out a schedule to beat the heat. It's best to stay inside during the hottest part of the day. One day we (or rather I) insisted on sightseeing during that time, and even my kneecaps were sweating. Won't do that again. Let's talk about some of the highlights of our days in Marrakesh.

1. The souks and Jemaa el Fna

The souks are the markets, and boy they can be overwhelming, but hey, that's part of the adventure. There are hundreds of little stalls mostly in covered areas with people selling all sorts of stuff: leather goods, traditional clothing or shoes, lamps, spices etc. I found it quite difficult to shop but did get a beautiful scarf. Basically as soon as you slow down in front of a stall to get a look at something, the shopkeeper is at the ready to talk to you about the item (and convince you to buy it of course). There are no prices and bargaining is a must. Supposedly you could get some pretty good deals, but it's hard to know! 

Jemaa el Fna is the main square in town. We passed by during the day and there were loads of fresh fruit juice vendors so we enjoyed a fresh squeezed orange juice. At night, the square turns into craziness. Smoke rises from the barbecue and food vendors. There are snake charmers and musicians, monkeys and street performers. I enjoyed my sweet mint tea on the edge of the square as the sun set.

2. Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace was probably my favorite site in Marrakesh. It's a 19th century palace complex with beautiful mosaics, carvings, fountains and colors.

 

 

3. El Badii Palace

An easy walk from the newer Bahia Palace is the El Badii Palace, completed in 1593. This feels somehow more "earthy" since the walls are a red dirt. However in fact, at the time of its construction, the palace was full of marble, gold and onyx which were later reused in other buildings after the fall of the Saadian kings. Today you can see the layout of the former palace and lots of storks sitting along the walls.

4. Saadian Tombs

The Saadian Dynasty ruled Morocco from 1549 to 1659 and they left behind a legacy with some beautiful buildings and architecture. One of the most beautiful things you can see today in Marrakesh is the tombs of the Saadians. It's a small area with some tombs inside and others outside. My favorite was the room of the kings that was covered in ornate mosaics, arches and ceiling carvings.

5. Majorelle Garden

Something a little more modern to visit in Marrakesh is the Majorelle Garden. This was a nice respite from the heat. There are many varieties of cacti and flowers. At the center sits a colorful house designed by Yves Saint Laurent.

6. Walking the streets and eating the food

Of course no trip to Morocco is complete without tasting the local cuisine. And taste I did. I tried three different kinds of tajine, pastilla, Moroccan mint tea and Moroccan pastries. We found some great recommendations on TripAdvisor and I can really say we ate well at Atay Cafe (a special rooftop restaurant in the medina - perfect for a sunset dinner) and La Cantine des Gazelles (a delicious restaurant by Jemaa el Fna with a French owner that makes a mean tajine).

In the medina - on the hunt for the Photography Museum

Chicken tajine with olives and pickled lemon

View from El Badii Palace

Marrakesh was colorful, confusing, busy, enlightening and special. It is a gateway into a new culture and my first time in a place like that. At times I definitely felt out of place, but it's such a touristy town that people there have seen everything. It's easy to spot the tourists from the locals. Most obviously, many Moroccan women (but not all!) wear headscarves and many men wear a type of long dress. Donkeys and carts are led through the streets and scooters can whizz past at any time in any little street. We mainly stuck to the historic, traditional center, but keep in mind that Marrakesh is quite a big city and has a modern business area of town too. I plan on getting back to Marrakesh sometime to keep exploring. There's so much to see and do!

Outdoor Mix Festival

In mid-May every year, I go to a sports and music festival located in a town called Embrun. Embrun is a pretty, 2.5 hour drive through the mountains from Grenoble. It's also right next to a lake, more precisely the Lac de Serre-Ponçon. 

It's a cute town and a nice spot to relax. My friends and I like camping there, and for this year's festival, we rented a couple little bungalows in a campsite. They were perfect with inside space devoted to beds and storage and a nice large terrace equipped with all the kitchen essentials. It still felt enough like camping since the toilets and showers were down the road, but it was a good alternative to tent camping since it rained a bit everyday.

The lake is a nice idyllic spot in a mountain setting. In May, it's still too cold for me to swim, but there's a few brave souls that try. Later in the year, it warms up nicely. In fact, two years ago we were camping there and there was an inflatable obstacle course on the water. That was fun!

Outdoor Mix is a sports and music festival that happens annually towards the end of the school year (I've finished my exams and am doing a summer internship at the moment) and is a time to relax and enjoy some fresh air. It also always happens on a holiday weekend, so it's nice to take advantage of three days off to travel a bit. During the day, there are extreme sports to watch, including rock climbing, kayaking, kite surfing, bmx and dirt bike competitions, longboard races, and my particular favorite, jumpline. Jumpline is a relatively new sport, where people use a slackline to do acrobatic tricks. Check it out :

The sports competitions last all weekend long, with the finals usually on Sunday or Monday, and competitors come from all over the world. This year there were BMX riders from France, the USA, Colombia, Brazil and more for example. At night, there are concerts to check out with live music starting at 8pm. My group likes to check out a concert one night, but stay and hang out at our campsite for the other nights we're there. 

I really enjoy this festival and I expect it won't be the last time I go. It's a great combination of friends, camping, mountains, interesting sports to watch, music to dance to and laughs to be had.

Fête du Citron

A couple years ago, I stumbled across a picture on the internet of some crazy sculptures created with lemons and oranges. It seemed weird but fun. I thought about this picture for a couple years, thinking it would be fun to check it out but never having the opportunity since it was a festival in a little town in the south of France on the French Riviera. Forward to this year, and I finally made it!

What I'm describing to you is the Fête du Citron (Citrus Festival) that is held in Menton, France each year around the time of Carnaval. The small city is known for its micro-climate in which citrus fruits grow at an alarming pace. What does the city do with the extra lemons and oranges? Well they put on a festival with enormous citrus sculptures and a parade.

Every year, the festival has a different theme. This year, for their 85th anniversary, the theme was Bollywood! Sculptures had themes related to Bollywood such as elephants, Indian dancers and a Buddha. The parade performers all had elaborate costumes and floats covered in citrus fruits as well.

Confetti galore!

While the event goes on for two weeks and the sculptures can been seen at any time, the parade only occurs on Sundays. Other special events also go on other days and times. The entire festival also coincides with Carnaval, which can be experienced in nearby Nice and other surrounding villages.

My advice for a nice visit to the Fête du Citron, arrive mid-morning on a Sunday to see the sculptures in the morning. Grab a bite to eat (like some lemon and ricotta ravioli - to die for!), and stay for the parade (called Corsos des Fruits d'Or) that starts at 2:30 pm. It goes on for about an hour and a half, so it'll be time for happy hour on the beach when it's done. Enjoy!

Menton has a beautiful beach on the French Riviera

Two Days in Turin

Turin (called Torino by the locals) is a city in the Piedmont region of Italy that sits near the French border and the Alps. Back in November when my dad was visiting me in Grenoble (France), we decided to take the short trip over the Italian border to visit this great city. We took a short three and a half hour bus ride early Tuesday morning. Since we left at 5:45 AM, we fell asleep while leaving France and woke up in Italy! We spent two whirlwind days in Turin before catching the bus back to Grenoble the next evening. Here are some of the highlights.

Torino Specialties

Turin celebrates a rich history with various delicious specialties. They are known especially for coffee and chocolate. Roll up to the local café to try an espresso, but beware that sitting down costs extra. If you don't want to pay extra, do like the locals and drink your coffee at the counter.

Their famous chocolate called Gianduiotto is smooth chocolate and hazelnut in the shape of a golden brick or possibly an upturned boat. It is said that at the time when cocoa was very expensive, local producers mixed it with roasted hazelnuts to make a more affordable product. Today, this is one of the favorite souvenirs that tourists can take home but also a treat that locals like to buy for themselves.

Turin also boasts some delicious alcoholic drinks and is credited with starting the aperitif (before dinner cocktail) trend. One of my favorite aperitifs that I tried in Turin was the Aperol Spritz. You should also try the local wine and why not some bubbly Prosecco? Just a word to the wise, look up your quantities in the metric system before going, or you may very well end up with an entire carafe of wine for what you'd imagine is the price of one glass. The prices of wine and food are very affordable.

Of course, pasta is another "must try" item when in Turin (or anywhere in Italy)! It comes in all shapes and sizes. You can have your pasta with tomato and meat sauce, clams and cream, or veggies. In any case, the pasta is always the highlight of the dish. My advice, ask your server what they recommend. My dad got the best pasta of the trip from our server's recommendation. 

City Exploring

Besides eating your way through the city, I also recommend taking a moment to look at your surroundings. There is a variety of plazas, streets and walkways. We lucked out and happened to arrive at the perfect moment for a free walking tour departing from the tourism office at 10:30 am. Our guide, Angelo, was incredibly knowledgeable of the history and uniqueness of Turin. Our walking tour lasted a few hours and covered good ground. I really feel like I learned a lot from our guide. 

Photo Opportunity

Our walking tour was all in the city center, but I wanted a view from the city from above. For this, we climbed up the hill to the Museo Nazionale della Montagna. At the museum, there was an area outside that was a great stop to take some pictures of the city from above. Even in November, the sun was shining bright! On the way down, we also visited a church that was established in 1831.

There are so many more spots to visit in Turin that what I have to tell you, but that'll give you a good idea of what to expect and a couple things to do. Just wandering around the streets and finding the old, winding alleys or the large avenues is an experience in itself. Don't worry about getting lost. We found our way easily around town, and if ever we were feeling a bit tired or needed a break, there was a café around almost every corner. Enjoy!

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Some extra advice:

To stay: Best Western Plus Hotel Genova (by the train station, the best Best Western you'll ever stay in, complete with fresco ceilings and faux Roman pillars)

To eat: Ristorante Marcello at Corso Stati Uniti, 4, 10128 Torino (so good we ate there twice!)

Free Walking Tour: http://www.freetourturin.com/

Year in Review: 2017

2017 was an interesting year, with lots of change but some newfound stability at the same time.  I decided to stay in Grenoble, where I've been living for the past couple years, and for the first time since high school, I kept the same apartment for more than a year. I felt really good not having to move during the summer. On the other hand, big change happened as well as I decided to start studying for a master's degree. I chose to pursue a master's degree in Communication and International Management (taught entirely in French!), and I'll be continuing my studies over the next year and a half. It feels really strange to be finished with teaching (for now) and back on the other side of the classroom. I have a different respect for teachers, but also more of a critical eye I suppose.

Thinking back over the past year, there were some highlights that make me smile. Let me share them with you:

• Hiking along canyons, to mountaintops, and through fields of wildflowers
• Spending a VIP summer with my mom
• Celebrating the holidays with friends in a wintery wonderland
• Seeing my first Grenoble hockey match 
• Traveling with Dad to Turin and eating a 6 course meal in Lyon
• Biking through the tulip fields of Holland with Mom in "turbo mode"
• Introducing my brother to the French Alps
• Celebrating the love of friends with weddings in Perpignan and Grenoble
• Watching the sunset over the Mediterranean from cliffs
• Rock climbing with my brother until my muscles gave out
• Buying a new bike to zip around
• Feeling confident and loved
• Ending the year watching a bald eagle fly overhead while sitting in some Colorado hot springs

 Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!