Our fun summer trip this year took Toren and me to Morocco and Spain with two of our best friends in the world, Jennifer and VG! Jennifer has always wanted to go to Morocco, and they've both spent a lot of time in Spain, so it was the perfect pair.
Friday, June 29
Jennifer and VG left a little early to spend time in London, but Toren and I left for the trip Friday morning. Our flight left at a very reasonable 10:40am, but we got up at 4am. We had been gradually changing time zones for the past week, so our usual 6am wakeup turned to 4am. We also tried to up our daily step count in preparation (after being woefully underprepared for the 30K days in Eastern Europe last year), but we didn't quite hit the 12K per day I was hoping for before we left. We spent our four free hours that morning doing final packing, relaxing, and prepping for our pet sitters. This was our first time leaving Wikolai alone for more than a workday, and even though he had a wonderful set of pet sitters checking in on him every day, we still spent way longer than we should probably admit trying to cuddle and pet him before leaving for the airport.
It was a breeze to get through the airport, and we spent the rest of our time waiting, playing cards, and eating a super early lunch at the food court.
The flight was easy, and two hours later we landed in New York City at JFK. Neither of us knew much about the JFK airport before landing, but now we've decided its our least favorite airport, at least for international travel. When we got off our flight, there were no signs to our terminal, and then we had to walk outside and along a road to get to the next building with our terminal. That building was also confusing, but we finally got through a surprisingly fast second security line, which was lucky because we only had a two hour layover at JFK before boarding our long flight to Paris.
We were seated in the second to last row on the plane, row 51, which was unfortunate because we also had a quick layover in Paris. The flight itself wasn't bad. We had some good food, and I finally got to watch Black Panther, but neither Toren nor I were able to sleep more than a few minutes.
Step count: 7,082
Saturday, June 30
We landed, exhausted, in Paris at 6am Parisian time. We stressed over everyone not exiting the plane quickly then ran through the airport and security, which confiscated three lotions from our bags, and we were on time to board our last flight.
The last flight was only four hours, but by then we were miserable. I was nauseous, Toren was exhausted, and we both couldn't wait to land. Which we finally did! At 9:30am local time.
We had a cooking class in town a few miles away at 10am (or so we thought), so we again rushed through passport check, got our bags, exchanged money (Morocco has a closed currency, so we couldn't exchange outside the country), and caught a taxi.
The taxi ride was terrifying. Everyone drove really closely together and wove in and out of lanes, including the bikes and the tons of motorbikes. Sometimes in really tiny alleyways with pedestrians with everyone really close together. My research had told me to confirm price and location for a taxi before getting in. We did, agreeing to 200 dirhams (~$20), but he asked for 250 dhs when we got there, saying something stupid about the conversion between euros and dollars, but we just wanted to get going, so we handed over the extra 50 dhs. Actually, looking at message boards, I think we paid way too much, considering taxis in Marrakesh are supposed to be very inexpensive.
We drove straight to the Dar Les Cigognes Hotel for a cooking class, but there was a miscommunication about the time, so we walked back to the hotel, using the app maps.me, which we used in Eastern Europe last year, to find our way.
We met Jennifer and VG at our hotel, Hotel Cecil. The hotel was close to the main medina in Marrakesh, Jemaa El Fna. The hotel was exactly what we needed: clean, with beds, showers, and a rooftop breakfast area. I particularly loved the central courtyard, which is common in Islamic dwellings to maintain coolness in the building and to provide privacy from the outside world for Islamic women.
We went to the Zeitoun Cafe in the medina to get an early lunch. We got some traditional mint tea (green tea with mint) and a sugary iced coffee. We also got our first taste of some excellent Moroccan couscous.
After lunch, we found our way to the Badi Palace. A guard near one closed entrance said "it is prohibited" to go in, but we found another door that was a the real entrance. The fee was small, about 10 dhs per person. The palace was commissioned by the sultan of the Saadian dynasty in 1578. The site is mostly ruins and mosaic tiles. We also got a great view from the top.
We went back for our cooking class at 2pm at the Dar Les Cigognes Hotel. We were served some mint tea in a lovely courtyard. Our French chef/translator Pierre first took us on a market tour. We had seen some of this already, but he showed us even deeper into the market. An incredible number of people said hi to Pierre while we were in the market, and he kept saying it was because he was famous! He actually later told us that he was a translator for a BBC cooking show in Morocco, so there are some foreigners who recognize him, but he's mostly just a warm and charismatic person who has apparently charmed half the city.
When we returned to the hotel, we started Saida's cooking class. Saida was shy but sweet and would joke around with Pierre. We made three salads (cooked vegetable dishes as starters), couscous, and chicken tanjine. Pierre translated and spiced it up with his jokes and constant supply of the fantastic Les Trois Domaines Guerrouane Gris, a gray wine, which can only be found in Morocco and South Africa and is dangerously easy to drink. We spent a good deal of time sitting around talking and drinking with Pierre, though we also helped cook. At one point, Pierre tricked Toren into handling incredibly hot couscous, which Saida handled with ease. VG decided to try mixing the couscous himself and did just as poorly as Toren.
After cooking and spending more time drinking wine, Pierre headed out, and we went to the roof to enjoy our dinner and watch the sunset.
Step count: 14,677
Sunday, July 1
Toren and I slept like logs that night, exhausted from the long trip the day before. We had breakfast at the hotel on the roof before heading out for the day.
We did the 30 minute walk beyond the city center to the Jardin Majorelle. We saw a lot more poverty, underfed animals, and uneven roads than we had near the medina, but we still felt safe.
The fee to the gardens were again inexpensive. The gardens were created when Jacques Majorelle fell in love with Marrakesh in 1917. Over the next 40 years, he created the garden with plants from five continents. We walked around the gardens for about an hour.
We took a taxi back to the medina to get coffee then headed to the Bahia Palace. At first it just looked like one tiled room, but we kept finding more and more doors that led into a huge palace. The intricate wood and stone carvings and painted doors were amazing. We thought it was interesting that the ceilings and doors were so intricate next to plain white walls.
We then took a short walk to the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets. It was definitely worth the 30 minutes or so we spent inside and free entrance. We finally learned how looms work from a video in the museum. But the most amazing part to me was off a courtyard, rugs made by artists. They were so lovely I thought they were paintings, and I was shocked to find out they were not.
We stopped at the Cafe Terrassee Palais El Badia for lunch and had an incredible time. Our waiter was so friendly, the food was fantastic, and it was nice sitting on the covered porch.
Next, we went to the Saadian Tombs. We got a little lost finding the entrance but eventually walked around enough times to find it. Most of what there was to see was outside, with tiled graves, but we got to again see the intricate Moorish carvings on several buildings. Considering this was supposed to be one of the top things to do in Marrakesh and Morocco, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting more. Maybe if there had been signs explaining the history...
For the afternoon, we booked spa treatments at La Sultana hotel. We went early and were able to have (the most expensive I'd seen in Marrakesh) drinks on the rooftop and hang out for a few hours before heading into our 4 hours of treatments. We all decided to splurge and get couple's packages. We had a hammam, which is essentially a deep scrub to remove dead skin. The scrub ended with cups of increasingly cold water dumped on our heads, and the last, cold, cup was shocking! While relaxing in a room near the hammam room later, I hear tourist after tourist exclaim in surprise from that last cup of cold water. Then we had massages, mani-pedis, and time in a fully body jacuzzi massager. Afterwards, we each felt scrubbed clean and super relaxed.
We went back to the hotel for about an hour to rest then got dinner at the Restaurant de la Palace. The food was fine, but the view from the rooftop seating area was perfect for watching the medina light up for the evening as the sun set.
We then moved to Taj'in Darna for another rooftop view and some traditional pastries.
Toren and I were pretty tired by this point but wanted to do a little shopping in the medina before bed, in part because the sunglasses I had bought the day before broke and in part to experience it. Shopping in the medina is certainly an experience I'm glad we had, but it was not exactly fun. We were two of just a few tourists, and we were aggressively bothered by people selling and asking for tips. One lady was particularly aggressive and tried grabbing me. We couldn't even stop to look at our phones for directions without being surrounded. We quickly went to find the few things I wanted to buy, then we fled back to the hotel to go instantly to sleep.
Step count: 20,526
Monday, July 2
We woke up a little later in the morning to get backed and checked out. Our next stop was Camp Scarabeo in the desert, and the sent a jeep to drive us the 45 minutes out of the city to the desert. I was surprised that the desert was more rock than hot sand, which made it slippery in some places but generally cooler and easier to walk on than pure sand. The camp is a lovely set of white tents. We were led to a living room tent to rest and drink mint tea while our room was being finished.
We got an 11am hike with just the four of us and our tour guide Abdul. He took us about 2 hours into the desert. The views were lovely, but it was kind of hard to see them because we had to watch our feet pretty closely. It was warm, but there was a nice breeze that mostly kept us cool. We stopped at a Berber village for lunch, which was great. We didn't see too many people in the village, but an elderly lady came to our lunch spot to give Jennifer and me bracelets. Abdul told us that most of the people living in the village mostly worked in tourism, at camps like ours.
We did a one hour hike back (a more direct route) but this time with the sun higher and the breeze lighter. It got hot really quickly when we got back to the camp in the late afternoon. We lounged around in our tent and outside sitting areas for a few hours.
Then Toren and I were supposed to have a camel ride, but the time kept getting pushed off. We finally left around 7pm for the 30 minute trek with 4 of us on camels and a handler. The camel ride was nice because it had seriously cooled off. We got to see a lot of the same views as before, on our hike. It was a little scary going up and down hills because the footing was difficult the camels didn't have much space in between them to maneuver. I think I would have been happy just doing the hike or the camels because it was the same view, but it was fun!
We sat looking over the desert and watching the sun go down for a while before going into a tent for dinner around 8pm. Dinner was tanjine, salads, and vegetables again, but we also got a nice apricot pie for dessert. A man played the guitar and sang while we ate, and the candles on the table were the only sources of light once the sun went down.
After dinner, we enjoyed the dark landscape and stars a little longer around a blazing fire before bed.
Step count: 23,932
Tuesday, July 3
The night wasn't as pleasant as the day. A few bug scares and the heat in the tent kept all of us but Jennifer awake for much of the night. Then Toren and I realized that the shower was only warm during the day because the pipes had been heated for hours by the sun. Toren braved the cold for a full shower, but I opted to just quickly wash my hair. Pipe heating will definitely be something to remember next time we're in the desert.
We were the first ones to breakfast and had yogurt, bread, jam, eggs, orange juice, and coffee. After breakfast, we played bocce ball in the morning cool then sat under a tent as it heated up.
We got an airport transfer from the camp at 10:30am. Unfortunately, the check-in counter at the airport was incredibly long - we waited probably an hour - and we had some issues finding the right security line, but we finally made it through with enough time to grab a quick lunch before boarding the plane to Madrid.
Some impressions of Morocco: The driving was crazy, with cars, motorbikes, bikes, and pedestrians weaving in and out of each other like it was nothing. I did not see the signs of poverty I expected in the middle of the city, but I did elsewhere. There were a lot of skinny animals, but I saw few children who were begging or even working. Most people were very friendly to us and would mention that they do not see many Americans. Although none of us spoke Arabic or French, everyone we encountered spoke enough English for us to basically communicate, and many who worked in tourist spots spoke English fluently.
In Madrid, we had a four hour layover, so we stopped for drinks and cheese, meats, and fruit at a restaurant called Mas o Menos.
Immediately after landing in Seville, Jennifer and VG rented a car and we drove to the city. We all reveled in the fact that we could read a lot of the signs and could hold a basic conversation in Spanish with a local if need be.
Downtown, the streets were incredible narrow, and pedestrians darted in and out everywhere. We finally found a parking lot, where VG performed a miracle by not hitting another car while parking.
We made it to the street just in time for the flamenco performance Jennifer booked for us at La Casa del Flamenco. I was surprised to see such a small stage, but Jennifer said that was normal. We had a guitarist, singer, male dance, and female dancer. The couple danced together then each took a turn alone, and the musicians had time to sing/play together without the dancers. The performance was phenomenal. Jennifer said that flamenco is like jazz, all improv, which made it all the more impressive. I had no idea that flamenco was essentially tap dancing, mostly adding to the sounds of the song rather than being more movement based, like tango, which is what I was expecting. It seemed like a mix between tap and pasodoble to me. The performance lasted about an hour.
After the show ended, it was 11pm, and dinner was starting to wind down around the city. We got tapas and sangria at one restaurant then quickly grabbed some Mediterranean food before everything was closed.
Our AirBnb was close, within a 10 minute walk, so we grabbed our bags from the car and headed over. We had some difficulty getting into the building, but it was so worth it once we did. There were plants and tiling everywhere, and our beds were raised, like we were royalty. We all fell quickly asleep.
Step count: 10,162
Wednesday, July 4
We woke up fairly early to check out. We got some toast and coffee for for breakfast at Bodega Santa Cruz, which was good but very hectic. Then we headed out!
Our first stop was the Catederal de Sevilla, or the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, a magnificent cathedral. It was initially built in 1172 as a mosque then was converted to a cathedral in 1248 after Ferdinand III conquered Seville. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside, we braved 35 ramps up to the roof and got an amazing view of the city.
Next we headed to the Real Alcazar Palace. Outside, the line was long, and we waited maybe half an hour. The palace was beautifully ornate and had lovely gardens.It was first built in the 10th century as a fort, and Fernando III and later monarchs used the palace as their main residence.
We started to run out of time before we needed to leave Seville, so we rushed through the palace and to a nearby shop to grab sandwiches and empanadas for lunch. Then we headed to my favorite part of the trip, the Plaza de España in the Maria Luisa Park, a 15 or 20 minute walk away.
I thought we were just going to see some statues in a garden, and so I was blown away when we came across the plaza, built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It has a moat, a tower to climb, and dozens of unique mosaics depicting scenes from history in each Spanish provinces. Each of the four bridges represents an ancient kingdom of Spain.
We spent a little bit of time walking around the rest of the gardens in the Maria Luisa Park, but I definitely want to return to see more. It is one of those parks in which each turn reveals a new fountain, pond, or other site to behold.
We then drove the couple hours to Marbella, where VG's family's house is. We spent the rest of the night swimming, drinking, eating, and talking. It was wonderful.
Step count: 17,101
Thursday, July 5
We woke up late, or rather, normal time in Spanish time, to drive 45 minutes to the mountain city of Ronda. The gorgeous city straddles a lake and has views stretching miles.
We found a cafe on the main square to eat pizza and drink sangria at Los Candiles while the crowds started to build. Then we went to a lovely park next to the bullfighting arena to enjoy the view.
Next we all headed to the Palacio del Rey Moro gardens and "mines" (we aren't sure why they're called mines). In the gardens, we saw a mama peacock with several of her babies walking around the garden. The mines, the main attraction, are a ridiculous number of stairs down leading to my second favorite part of the trip, the beautiful river.
We then headed to the Baños Arabes, which are Roman-inspired baths ruins. Interestingly, the Roman baths were usually designed for people to completely submerge themselves in water, but these baths were more like steam rooms.
On the way out, we realized we had gotten a flat tire (after half a dozen people very nicely honked and waved at us to stop and check) from a large pothole outside the city and stopped to change it.
Then we drove back home to eat from a local Dutch cafe, rest, play games, and talk for the rest of the afternoon.
Later, we dressed up and headed to the Marbella beach for dinner at Alabardero, where we got a view of the water, tons of apps, and a huge noodle paella.
We walked along the boardwalk on the way back to the car to enjoy the lovely weather and beach sites.
Step count: 12,648
Friday, July 6
Friday was beach day at San Pedro beach! I'm not usually one to enjoy beaches, in part because I burn so easily, but for 5€ per person, we got chairs under umbrellas and access to food and drinks from the La Pesquera restaurant behind us.
The water was freezing cold and the sand was burning hot and rocky, so we spent most of the day under our umbrellas reading and talking. I am very proud to announce that I did not get a single sunburn, so it was a very successful day in my book! We took a couple breaks to have a real meal at La Pesquera and to get ice cream along the boardwalk.
For dinner, we drove to the town of Benahavis to go to Rufino, a restaurant that VG suggested due to fond family memories there. The food was great, and we ate a ton, including dessert, after they tantalizingly brought the dessert tray over to us. Interestingly, they put our duck and lamb leftovers, with sauce, straight into a plastic bag, without a box. It certainly made eating leftovers more trying.
Step count: 7,614
Saturday, July 7
We woke up super early Saturday morning to make the 2 hour drive to La Alhambra in Granada. Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex originally built in 889. It has been the inspiration for countless pieces of art and has been described as "a pearl set in emeralds."
We had to rush to find parking after being led astray with parking by a shoe shine who we think was just trying to be helpful and make a little extra money from parking. Anyway, because we rushed in to get to our Palacios Nazaries tour time at 9:30am, we didn't have time to get an audio tour, but I have heard they are good.
The Palacios Nazaries were lovely, with even more intricate ceilings and walls that I came to appreciate in Morocco. There were also some nice gardens.
After, we went to see the other main attractions at La Alahambra, including the Palacio del Generalife, which had my favorite garden, and the free Alhambra museum. We were surprised to need to scan our tickets so much, to get access to almost every building and terrace. I was also surprised that there were so many gardens, as opposed to buildings.
We had lunch at the Parador restaurant at La Alhambra before hitting the baths and heading out.
Jennifer and VG had been to La Alhambra before and said that they liked going earlier in the day, when it was cooler and less crowded. Overall, I wasn't as impressed with La Alhambra as I thought I'd be. It's such an important site that I thought there would be more. Maybe if I'd had the audio tour, I would feel differently, but I doubt it. Jennifer, on the other hand, adores La Alhambra, so I guess it appeals differently to different people.
From La Alhambra, we walked 20 minutes down a looooong hill to the main part of Granada to see the Granada Cathedral, first built in 1523, and the Royal Chapel, where Isabella and Ferdinand are buried. I thought both were worth the admission fee, but I particularly loved the Cathedral. Both came with a great free audio tour to walk you through the spaces. We were not allowed to take pictures in the Royal Chapel.
After an exhausting hike back up the hill to the rental car, which was parked at La Alhambra, we did the long drive back home. We spent the evening eating leftovers, swimming, and watching Casablanca, one of Jennifer's favorite movies.
Step count: 21,424
Sunday, July 8
We went to bed early Saturday night so we could wake up at 4am to get to the airport. Jennifer and VG were headed back to London, and Toren and I were headed home! Toren and I had a few snafus at the Malaga airport, including Toren's bag being pulled at security, both of us being selected for random extra security at the gate, and us needing to ask around to trade seats to sit together, but we soon made it to NYC for our layover and eventually home to see our beloved kitty!
Step count: 10,679
Some impressions of Spain: I loooved Spain. It had all of the Moorish decor we saw in Morocco but with that extra level of development and ornateness that I had been hoping for. Jennifer and VG also took us to a neat variety of locations so we could see history, religion, culture, beaches, and mountains, and it all had the magic I was hoping for, except La Alhambra. I don't usually feel the need to return to a place I've visited, but I definitely want to return to Spain, particularly to the park with La Plaza de España.
Overall, we had a fantastic trip with some fantastic people! We love you both, and we loved our trip. Until next time!
It was a breeze to get through the airport, and we spent the rest of our time waiting, playing cards, and eating a super early lunch at the food court.
The flight was easy, and two hours later we landed in New York City at JFK. Neither of us knew much about the JFK airport before landing, but now we've decided its our least favorite airport, at least for international travel. When we got off our flight, there were no signs to our terminal, and then we had to walk outside and along a road to get to the next building with our terminal. That building was also confusing, but we finally got through a surprisingly fast second security line, which was lucky because we only had a two hour layover at JFK before boarding our long flight to Paris.
We were seated in the second to last row on the plane, row 51, which was unfortunate because we also had a quick layover in Paris. The flight itself wasn't bad. We had some good food, and I finally got to watch Black Panther, but neither Toren nor I were able to sleep more than a few minutes.
Step count: 7,082
Saturday, June 30
We landed, exhausted, in Paris at 6am Parisian time. We stressed over everyone not exiting the plane quickly then ran through the airport and security, which confiscated three lotions from our bags, and we were on time to board our last flight.
The last flight was only four hours, but by then we were miserable. I was nauseous, Toren was exhausted, and we both couldn't wait to land. Which we finally did! At 9:30am local time.
We had a cooking class in town a few miles away at 10am (or so we thought), so we again rushed through passport check, got our bags, exchanged money (Morocco has a closed currency, so we couldn't exchange outside the country), and caught a taxi.
The taxi ride was terrifying. Everyone drove really closely together and wove in and out of lanes, including the bikes and the tons of motorbikes. Sometimes in really tiny alleyways with pedestrians with everyone really close together. My research had told me to confirm price and location for a taxi before getting in. We did, agreeing to 200 dirhams (~$20), but he asked for 250 dhs when we got there, saying something stupid about the conversion between euros and dollars, but we just wanted to get going, so we handed over the extra 50 dhs. Actually, looking at message boards, I think we paid way too much, considering taxis in Marrakesh are supposed to be very inexpensive.
We drove straight to the Dar Les Cigognes Hotel for a cooking class, but there was a miscommunication about the time, so we walked back to the hotel, using the app maps.me, which we used in Eastern Europe last year, to find our way.
We met Jennifer and VG at our hotel, Hotel Cecil. The hotel was close to the main medina in Marrakesh, Jemaa El Fna. The hotel was exactly what we needed: clean, with beds, showers, and a rooftop breakfast area. I particularly loved the central courtyard, which is common in Islamic dwellings to maintain coolness in the building and to provide privacy from the outside world for Islamic women.
We went to the Zeitoun Cafe in the medina to get an early lunch. We got some traditional mint tea (green tea with mint) and a sugary iced coffee. We also got our first taste of some excellent Moroccan couscous.
After lunch, we found our way to the Badi Palace. A guard near one closed entrance said "it is prohibited" to go in, but we found another door that was a the real entrance. The fee was small, about 10 dhs per person. The palace was commissioned by the sultan of the Saadian dynasty in 1578. The site is mostly ruins and mosaic tiles. We also got a great view from the top.
We went back for our cooking class at 2pm at the Dar Les Cigognes Hotel. We were served some mint tea in a lovely courtyard. Our French chef/translator Pierre first took us on a market tour. We had seen some of this already, but he showed us even deeper into the market. An incredible number of people said hi to Pierre while we were in the market, and he kept saying it was because he was famous! He actually later told us that he was a translator for a BBC cooking show in Morocco, so there are some foreigners who recognize him, but he's mostly just a warm and charismatic person who has apparently charmed half the city.
When we returned to the hotel, we started Saida's cooking class. Saida was shy but sweet and would joke around with Pierre. We made three salads (cooked vegetable dishes as starters), couscous, and chicken tanjine. Pierre translated and spiced it up with his jokes and constant supply of the fantastic Les Trois Domaines Guerrouane Gris, a gray wine, which can only be found in Morocco and South Africa and is dangerously easy to drink. We spent a good deal of time sitting around talking and drinking with Pierre, though we also helped cook. At one point, Pierre tricked Toren into handling incredibly hot couscous, which Saida handled with ease. VG decided to try mixing the couscous himself and did just as poorly as Toren.
After cooking and spending more time drinking wine, Pierre headed out, and we went to the roof to enjoy our dinner and watch the sunset.
Step count: 14,677
Sunday, July 1
Toren and I slept like logs that night, exhausted from the long trip the day before. We had breakfast at the hotel on the roof before heading out for the day.
We did the 30 minute walk beyond the city center to the Jardin Majorelle. We saw a lot more poverty, underfed animals, and uneven roads than we had near the medina, but we still felt safe.
The fee to the gardens were again inexpensive. The gardens were created when Jacques Majorelle fell in love with Marrakesh in 1917. Over the next 40 years, he created the garden with plants from five continents. We walked around the gardens for about an hour.
We took a taxi back to the medina to get coffee then headed to the Bahia Palace. At first it just looked like one tiled room, but we kept finding more and more doors that led into a huge palace. The intricate wood and stone carvings and painted doors were amazing. We thought it was interesting that the ceilings and doors were so intricate next to plain white walls.
We then took a short walk to the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets. It was definitely worth the 30 minutes or so we spent inside and free entrance. We finally learned how looms work from a video in the museum. But the most amazing part to me was off a courtyard, rugs made by artists. They were so lovely I thought they were paintings, and I was shocked to find out they were not.
We stopped at the Cafe Terrassee Palais El Badia for lunch and had an incredible time. Our waiter was so friendly, the food was fantastic, and it was nice sitting on the covered porch.
Next, we went to the Saadian Tombs. We got a little lost finding the entrance but eventually walked around enough times to find it. Most of what there was to see was outside, with tiled graves, but we got to again see the intricate Moorish carvings on several buildings. Considering this was supposed to be one of the top things to do in Marrakesh and Morocco, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting more. Maybe if there had been signs explaining the history...
For the afternoon, we booked spa treatments at La Sultana hotel. We went early and were able to have (the most expensive I'd seen in Marrakesh) drinks on the rooftop and hang out for a few hours before heading into our 4 hours of treatments. We all decided to splurge and get couple's packages. We had a hammam, which is essentially a deep scrub to remove dead skin. The scrub ended with cups of increasingly cold water dumped on our heads, and the last, cold, cup was shocking! While relaxing in a room near the hammam room later, I hear tourist after tourist exclaim in surprise from that last cup of cold water. Then we had massages, mani-pedis, and time in a fully body jacuzzi massager. Afterwards, we each felt scrubbed clean and super relaxed.
We went back to the hotel for about an hour to rest then got dinner at the Restaurant de la Palace. The food was fine, but the view from the rooftop seating area was perfect for watching the medina light up for the evening as the sun set.
We then moved to Taj'in Darna for another rooftop view and some traditional pastries.
Toren and I were pretty tired by this point but wanted to do a little shopping in the medina before bed, in part because the sunglasses I had bought the day before broke and in part to experience it. Shopping in the medina is certainly an experience I'm glad we had, but it was not exactly fun. We were two of just a few tourists, and we were aggressively bothered by people selling and asking for tips. One lady was particularly aggressive and tried grabbing me. We couldn't even stop to look at our phones for directions without being surrounded. We quickly went to find the few things I wanted to buy, then we fled back to the hotel to go instantly to sleep.
Step count: 20,526
Monday, July 2
We woke up a little later in the morning to get backed and checked out. Our next stop was Camp Scarabeo in the desert, and the sent a jeep to drive us the 45 minutes out of the city to the desert. I was surprised that the desert was more rock than hot sand, which made it slippery in some places but generally cooler and easier to walk on than pure sand. The camp is a lovely set of white tents. We were led to a living room tent to rest and drink mint tea while our room was being finished.
We got an 11am hike with just the four of us and our tour guide Abdul. He took us about 2 hours into the desert. The views were lovely, but it was kind of hard to see them because we had to watch our feet pretty closely. It was warm, but there was a nice breeze that mostly kept us cool. We stopped at a Berber village for lunch, which was great. We didn't see too many people in the village, but an elderly lady came to our lunch spot to give Jennifer and me bracelets. Abdul told us that most of the people living in the village mostly worked in tourism, at camps like ours.
We did a one hour hike back (a more direct route) but this time with the sun higher and the breeze lighter. It got hot really quickly when we got back to the camp in the late afternoon. We lounged around in our tent and outside sitting areas for a few hours.
Then Toren and I were supposed to have a camel ride, but the time kept getting pushed off. We finally left around 7pm for the 30 minute trek with 4 of us on camels and a handler. The camel ride was nice because it had seriously cooled off. We got to see a lot of the same views as before, on our hike. It was a little scary going up and down hills because the footing was difficult the camels didn't have much space in between them to maneuver. I think I would have been happy just doing the hike or the camels because it was the same view, but it was fun!
We sat looking over the desert and watching the sun go down for a while before going into a tent for dinner around 8pm. Dinner was tanjine, salads, and vegetables again, but we also got a nice apricot pie for dessert. A man played the guitar and sang while we ate, and the candles on the table were the only sources of light once the sun went down.
After dinner, we enjoyed the dark landscape and stars a little longer around a blazing fire before bed.
Step count: 23,932
Tuesday, July 3
The night wasn't as pleasant as the day. A few bug scares and the heat in the tent kept all of us but Jennifer awake for much of the night. Then Toren and I realized that the shower was only warm during the day because the pipes had been heated for hours by the sun. Toren braved the cold for a full shower, but I opted to just quickly wash my hair. Pipe heating will definitely be something to remember next time we're in the desert.
We were the first ones to breakfast and had yogurt, bread, jam, eggs, orange juice, and coffee. After breakfast, we played bocce ball in the morning cool then sat under a tent as it heated up.
We got an airport transfer from the camp at 10:30am. Unfortunately, the check-in counter at the airport was incredibly long - we waited probably an hour - and we had some issues finding the right security line, but we finally made it through with enough time to grab a quick lunch before boarding the plane to Madrid.
Some impressions of Morocco: The driving was crazy, with cars, motorbikes, bikes, and pedestrians weaving in and out of each other like it was nothing. I did not see the signs of poverty I expected in the middle of the city, but I did elsewhere. There were a lot of skinny animals, but I saw few children who were begging or even working. Most people were very friendly to us and would mention that they do not see many Americans. Although none of us spoke Arabic or French, everyone we encountered spoke enough English for us to basically communicate, and many who worked in tourist spots spoke English fluently.
In Madrid, we had a four hour layover, so we stopped for drinks and cheese, meats, and fruit at a restaurant called Mas o Menos.
Immediately after landing in Seville, Jennifer and VG rented a car and we drove to the city. We all reveled in the fact that we could read a lot of the signs and could hold a basic conversation in Spanish with a local if need be.
Downtown, the streets were incredible narrow, and pedestrians darted in and out everywhere. We finally found a parking lot, where VG performed a miracle by not hitting another car while parking.
We made it to the street just in time for the flamenco performance Jennifer booked for us at La Casa del Flamenco. I was surprised to see such a small stage, but Jennifer said that was normal. We had a guitarist, singer, male dance, and female dancer. The couple danced together then each took a turn alone, and the musicians had time to sing/play together without the dancers. The performance was phenomenal. Jennifer said that flamenco is like jazz, all improv, which made it all the more impressive. I had no idea that flamenco was essentially tap dancing, mostly adding to the sounds of the song rather than being more movement based, like tango, which is what I was expecting. It seemed like a mix between tap and pasodoble to me. The performance lasted about an hour.
After the show ended, it was 11pm, and dinner was starting to wind down around the city. We got tapas and sangria at one restaurant then quickly grabbed some Mediterranean food before everything was closed.
Our AirBnb was close, within a 10 minute walk, so we grabbed our bags from the car and headed over. We had some difficulty getting into the building, but it was so worth it once we did. There were plants and tiling everywhere, and our beds were raised, like we were royalty. We all fell quickly asleep.
Step count: 10,162
Wednesday, July 4
We woke up fairly early to check out. We got some toast and coffee for for breakfast at Bodega Santa Cruz, which was good but very hectic. Then we headed out!
Our first stop was the Catederal de Sevilla, or the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, a magnificent cathedral. It was initially built in 1172 as a mosque then was converted to a cathedral in 1248 after Ferdinand III conquered Seville. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside, we braved 35 ramps up to the roof and got an amazing view of the city.
Next we headed to the Real Alcazar Palace. Outside, the line was long, and we waited maybe half an hour. The palace was beautifully ornate and had lovely gardens.It was first built in the 10th century as a fort, and Fernando III and later monarchs used the palace as their main residence.
We started to run out of time before we needed to leave Seville, so we rushed through the palace and to a nearby shop to grab sandwiches and empanadas for lunch. Then we headed to my favorite part of the trip, the Plaza de España in the Maria Luisa Park, a 15 or 20 minute walk away.
I thought we were just going to see some statues in a garden, and so I was blown away when we came across the plaza, built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It has a moat, a tower to climb, and dozens of unique mosaics depicting scenes from history in each Spanish provinces. Each of the four bridges represents an ancient kingdom of Spain.
We spent a little bit of time walking around the rest of the gardens in the Maria Luisa Park, but I definitely want to return to see more. It is one of those parks in which each turn reveals a new fountain, pond, or other site to behold.
We then drove the couple hours to Marbella, where VG's family's house is. We spent the rest of the night swimming, drinking, eating, and talking. It was wonderful.
Step count: 17,101
Thursday, July 5
We woke up late, or rather, normal time in Spanish time, to drive 45 minutes to the mountain city of Ronda. The gorgeous city straddles a lake and has views stretching miles.
We found a cafe on the main square to eat pizza and drink sangria at Los Candiles while the crowds started to build. Then we went to a lovely park next to the bullfighting arena to enjoy the view.
Next we all headed to the Palacio del Rey Moro gardens and "mines" (we aren't sure why they're called mines). In the gardens, we saw a mama peacock with several of her babies walking around the garden. The mines, the main attraction, are a ridiculous number of stairs down leading to my second favorite part of the trip, the beautiful river.
We then headed to the Baños Arabes, which are Roman-inspired baths ruins. Interestingly, the Roman baths were usually designed for people to completely submerge themselves in water, but these baths were more like steam rooms.
On the way out, we realized we had gotten a flat tire (after half a dozen people very nicely honked and waved at us to stop and check) from a large pothole outside the city and stopped to change it.
Then we drove back home to eat from a local Dutch cafe, rest, play games, and talk for the rest of the afternoon.
Later, we dressed up and headed to the Marbella beach for dinner at Alabardero, where we got a view of the water, tons of apps, and a huge noodle paella.
We walked along the boardwalk on the way back to the car to enjoy the lovely weather and beach sites.
Step count: 12,648
Friday, July 6
Friday was beach day at San Pedro beach! I'm not usually one to enjoy beaches, in part because I burn so easily, but for 5€ per person, we got chairs under umbrellas and access to food and drinks from the La Pesquera restaurant behind us.
The water was freezing cold and the sand was burning hot and rocky, so we spent most of the day under our umbrellas reading and talking. I am very proud to announce that I did not get a single sunburn, so it was a very successful day in my book! We took a couple breaks to have a real meal at La Pesquera and to get ice cream along the boardwalk.
For dinner, we drove to the town of Benahavis to go to Rufino, a restaurant that VG suggested due to fond family memories there. The food was great, and we ate a ton, including dessert, after they tantalizingly brought the dessert tray over to us. Interestingly, they put our duck and lamb leftovers, with sauce, straight into a plastic bag, without a box. It certainly made eating leftovers more trying.
Step count: 7,614
Saturday, July 7
We woke up super early Saturday morning to make the 2 hour drive to La Alhambra in Granada. Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex originally built in 889. It has been the inspiration for countless pieces of art and has been described as "a pearl set in emeralds."
We had to rush to find parking after being led astray with parking by a shoe shine who we think was just trying to be helpful and make a little extra money from parking. Anyway, because we rushed in to get to our Palacios Nazaries tour time at 9:30am, we didn't have time to get an audio tour, but I have heard they are good.
The Palacios Nazaries were lovely, with even more intricate ceilings and walls that I came to appreciate in Morocco. There were also some nice gardens.
After, we went to see the other main attractions at La Alahambra, including the Palacio del Generalife, which had my favorite garden, and the free Alhambra museum. We were surprised to need to scan our tickets so much, to get access to almost every building and terrace. I was also surprised that there were so many gardens, as opposed to buildings.
We had lunch at the Parador restaurant at La Alhambra before hitting the baths and heading out.
Jennifer and VG had been to La Alhambra before and said that they liked going earlier in the day, when it was cooler and less crowded. Overall, I wasn't as impressed with La Alhambra as I thought I'd be. It's such an important site that I thought there would be more. Maybe if I'd had the audio tour, I would feel differently, but I doubt it. Jennifer, on the other hand, adores La Alhambra, so I guess it appeals differently to different people.
From La Alhambra, we walked 20 minutes down a looooong hill to the main part of Granada to see the Granada Cathedral, first built in 1523, and the Royal Chapel, where Isabella and Ferdinand are buried. I thought both were worth the admission fee, but I particularly loved the Cathedral. Both came with a great free audio tour to walk you through the spaces. We were not allowed to take pictures in the Royal Chapel.
After an exhausting hike back up the hill to the rental car, which was parked at La Alhambra, we did the long drive back home. We spent the evening eating leftovers, swimming, and watching Casablanca, one of Jennifer's favorite movies.
Step count: 21,424
Sunday, July 8
We went to bed early Saturday night so we could wake up at 4am to get to the airport. Jennifer and VG were headed back to London, and Toren and I were headed home! Toren and I had a few snafus at the Malaga airport, including Toren's bag being pulled at security, both of us being selected for random extra security at the gate, and us needing to ask around to trade seats to sit together, but we soon made it to NYC for our layover and eventually home to see our beloved kitty!
Step count: 10,679
Some impressions of Spain: I loooved Spain. It had all of the Moorish decor we saw in Morocco but with that extra level of development and ornateness that I had been hoping for. Jennifer and VG also took us to a neat variety of locations so we could see history, religion, culture, beaches, and mountains, and it all had the magic I was hoping for, except La Alhambra. I don't usually feel the need to return to a place I've visited, but I definitely want to return to Spain, particularly to the park with La Plaza de España.
Overall, we had a fantastic trip with some fantastic people! We love you both, and we loved our trip. Until next time!
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