Toto I don't think we're in Florida anymore: SB13 abroad

When I normally think of Spring Break I picture myself getting in the car for a long car ride down to some beach in Florida or shopping in the windy city of Chicago. But this spring break was totally different!

I spent 10 wonderful days and 4 plane rides split between Marrakech, Morocco and Madrid, Spain!

MOROCCO:

Place ben Youssef

Souks

How can I even begin?!?! I love love love love Marrakech! Such a beautiful city with the most friendly people (even if they are trying to buy you for camels!). The first day in the city was spent doing the major tourist things; tanneries(worst smell of my life), Place ben Youssef, and an old Royal Placace whom's name escapes me. Place ben Youssef was very lovely, it is an old school that is the closest looking thing to a mosque that tourist are allowed into. Our group of 9 girls also hit up the souks and the food stalls later that night. The souks are a spirit of their own! You get to haggle with the vendors for the best prices and everyone is trying to get to you go in their stalls; "nice girls, nice price", "student discount", but my all time favorite was, "everything's free!". You have to walk threw these windy paths that are packed full of different items for sale. The next day was spent getting a sun burn visiting some gardens. Day three and four were probably the most exciting though; I got to ride a camel!!! But before I got to ride a camel I had to take a 10 hour car ride to the desert. All the other travelers I talked to complained about this car ride but I loved it for two reasons; it was absolutely beautiful and I had an awesome driver Abdul. Abdul had been doing the tours for about 15 years and he knew so many cool things. He also knew all of the shop owners that we stopped at, and even called a police officer so he could speed back to Marrakech to get us back sooner! Once we got to the desert we rode camels for about an hour and arrived at our camp site. Our host was also an amazing man! He spoke; English  French, Spanish  and Bebber, but couldn't write his own name! He had learned all of this just from listening! He made us a delicious tagine and then sang us songs around a campfire. To end the night he gave us a blanket to watch "desert television" aka the stars! But the most exciting/scary part of this trip was waking up at 3 am thinking I was being attacked by desert thieves! There was an awful wind/rain storm that shook our tent violently  My New Zeland friend thought it was an earthquake! Although we ended up getting rained in on we had a mostly restful night! Days five and six were spent doing some shopping and hanging with new hostel friends! I already know that I  want to go back to Morocco!

Dining area

Driving view

Nadja, Bre, and I 

SPAIN:

Arriving in Spain was like going threw time travel! For starters we had to take a metro to get to the city. Once we arrived there were tall buildings, neon lights, and cross walks; things we hadn't seen for 6 days. I must admit that Madrid didn't thrill me as much as Marrakech, but it was still a fun city. Our first full day was spent on a walking tour put on by our hostel. Our guide was a lot of fun and knew a ton about the city. Although it was raining he knew how to keep us entertained and took us to a friend of his restaurant after the tour for some authentic Spain food; paella: cheesy rice with meat or seafood served in a deep dish pan. Very yummy! One cool thing about our hostel in Madrid was that they put on a happy hour from 9-10 every night that served free sangria and beer! Bre and I got to meet a lot of really awesome people there. On our final day in the city, and the nicest day in the city, we went to a really beautiful garden that was massive! We spent almost 2 hours walking around, but probably only covered a little more than half of it!

Our last ours in Spain were spent a small bar drinking cheap beer and playing truth or dare! Then it was off to the airport to catch our 6 am flight! 

I had so much fun this spring break! I didn't know what to expect out of my super spontaneous location selection, but I couldn't have asked for a better time!!!! Now I'm back in Paris where it's snowing :[ but hey....I'm still in Paris!