During my winter break, I visited the city of Marrakech in southern Morocco. I along with twenty-seven other Americans, spent the weekend exploring the city but we also took trips to the Ourika valley and the Atlas Mountains. In Marrakech, we visited the souks, the Jamma El Fna Square, the Ben Youssef Mosque and the Marrakech Museum. Outside the city, we visited a Berber family (the native people to this region of Morocco) who live just outside the city, where we drank mint tea and ate traditional Berber bread.
Morocco’s national drink is mint tea, a green tea with a ton of sugar in it; it’s delicious. One, night, we ate dinner in the Djemma el Fna , where we were served brochettes of grilled chicken, beef, lamb, and vegetables, as well bread, olives, fries, and mint tea. It was an interesting experience because while we were eating dinner outside, many people approached us tried to sell us food and cigarettes, and children tried to sell us packages of tissues. We also ate lots of tajines and couscous during our stay.
One of the most exciting parts of the trips was going canyoning in the Atlas mountains. It was an exhilarating experience climbing down waterfalls, and jumping and wading through the streams. We began our journey a little bit late (everything in Morocco happens about two hours after it’s scheduled to begin) so by the time we finished it was dark outside but it was still an amazing afternoon.
It was also fun to explore the souks and barter with the shop owners. In one store I, along with three friends, found scarves we liked. The shop owner originally said they cost 200 durhams each (20 euros) and we offered 200 durhams for four scarves. He said no and went down to 150 each etc… When he wouldn’t go any lower (we were at about 70 durhams each) we said thank you and walked away. About thirty seconds later he followed us and agreed to sell us four scarves for what we had originally offered.
I loved my time in Morocco. It was nice to not have to plan anything but to follow a schedule and have someone else be in charge. It was also nice to spend time in a culture so different from any I had previously visited (even though the cat calls did start get to annoying). In the end, it was nice to come back to my home in Toulouse.
Lauren in Lisbon
Lisbon is an incredible beautiful city, and the beach is equally as gorgeous as the city! After spending a few days wandering the around, we decided that we needed a bit of sun and relaxation. Despite how difficult it was to find the right bus to get us there, it ended up being the best part of our trip! Discovering the other side of the Atlantic, I think, is the most impressive experience I have had in my european travels to date.