On the Road with Julie

Man did we have a great time in Morocco! 

We enjoyed wonderful Moroccan hospitality, saw cobras in a bustling main thoroughfare, we rode camels through the Sahara, slept in a comfy bed inside a tent in the cool desert night air, ate delicious Chicken Tagine (and plenty of it) and, of course, drank plenty of Moroccan mint tea.

Of course, here, it is simply called tea.\

Oh, and, of course, I sought out a gluten free crepe. And I found one! This one was made from lentils and was a uniquely Moroccan crepe experience.

We wandered the kinetic streets of the UNESCO world heritage site known as the Medina of Marrakech and quickly fell in love with the functional chaos that is a walk down and through these amazing streets. (To read more about our Medina adventures, click here.)

It’s hard to put words to the Moroccan experience. And, of course, all I could even attempt to do is to capture the 5-day-tourist experience in Morocco, which I’m sure is deeply different than the living experience of a day-to-day life – which is always the case wherever you go. What I can say quickly is this. If you have a chance to make your way to Morocco for the tourist – or any type of – experience, I recommend you do it. 

Thanks to a recommendation from our adventurous niece, (shout out to Claire!) who had gone on a Moroccan trek into the desert while she was studying a semester abroad in Madrid, we participated in an absolutely fantastic 3-day guided tour from Marrakech to the bright orange sands of the Sahara Desert. We traveled through the UNESCO world heritage site of Ait Ben Haddou (that you might recognize from a slew of movies, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to both Gladiators to the Bourne Ultimatum and many more), through the stunning Atlas Mountains into the beautiful small town of Dades, through the stunning Todgha Gorge all the way to the desert town of Merzouga sitting right on the western edge of the Sahara desert.

From there, we hopped on camels and rode (from at least 7 feet in the air!) our way into the sunset amidst the Saharan dunes. We slept the night in a desert camp and danced around a campfire to a rousing drum circle with 35 of our newest friends from all over the world, France, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, China, Japan, Peru and, of course, Morocco. 

I learned how to say “Thank you” in both Arabic and Berber – and used both words a whole lot. There was a lot to say “thank you” for. (To learn more about the thrill of Morocco as part of my linguistic, international adventure, click here.)

And, we did all this while Ryan celebrated his 55th birthday! And what a way to celebrate indeed. 

I must say, at this point in my life, I’ve done a lot of pretty cool things. When I swung my leg over a camel in the Sahara and it popped me 7 or 8 feet up in the air in the heat of the setting desert sun, I have to say, that shot right to the top of the list. 

I don’t quite have words to say how wonderful our time in the desert was. I don’t know that everyone would enjoy the long van rides and the expansive desert landscape and the feel of riding high above the ground on a massive beast built fo desert living as much as I did, but I will say, I hope everyone in this world gets to do something they enjoy as much as I enjoyed this time in the desert. And to get to share it with Ryan, who seemed to be enjoying it every bit as much (with the exception of a painful landing he had at the end of a badass surf down a sand dune on a snowboard), is a memory I will treasure forever.

To say we had a good time here in Morocco is an understatement. 

We learned that, here in Morocco, an invitation to tea means more than it does back home. It is a way of sharing warmth and generosity and a thoughtful connection between people. The priorities here are different than those we are used to. Yes, when certain logistical navigation were necessary, in some moments, that was difficult to adjust to. But, in more moments, it is what stitched together the warm, welcoming and beautiful world we got to enjoy for 5 full days that flew by so quickly. 

At home, I always love an order of Moroccan Mint tea. Before this trip, “Moroccan” was just an adjective for a drink that I enjoyed. It was just a word. Now it is a memory. Now it is a flood of sounds, colors and warm feelings. And, now I realize that, as a word to introduce the beverage I so enjoy, it is actually the perfect adjective. For me, a cup of Moroccan Mint tea has always been warm, refreshing, soothing, delicious and delightful. And so, too, are my Moroccan memories that I am carrying home with me.