With the avalanche of finals upon us, it definitely was a leap of faith to go on a 3-day trip. But how could we pass up an opportunity like this. In the wise words of my generation, “You Only Live Once”. Literally working up till we boarded our plane to Marrakech, we were on a journey that would be a major memory in our semester abroad. This was my first trip to anywhere on the continent of Africa, so I was super excited. From the minute we arrived into Marrakech, the city was already coming to life. We were dropped off into the big square of Jemaa El-Fna, debatably the most popular market in the area. The tune of snake charmers playing instruments filled the air; combined with the rubble of horse carriages and car horns. The market was as mesmerizing as it was hectic, but we found our way to our Air Bnb and finished up our essays for our history final. It was time for the festivities to begin so we made our way out back into the city. The first night we decided to go out to the market’s street food vendors, and little did we know the amount of heckling, persuading, and entertainment we would experience. Everyone wanted you at their shop and eventually you had to choose one.
One thing that stood out about the cuisine here was the spices. Every bite was a masterpiece of blended flavors and textures. In all I would say I had chicken tagine about 4 times in the span of 3 days and each time it was amazing and had a different palette of flavors. Oh, and don’t let me forget about the tea. They served tea all day every day and there we were accepting it whenever it was offered, because it was just that good.
In addition to the amazing food options, Morocco offered some of the most beautiful sites in the world. We took out one of our days to visit the Atlas Mountains where the Berber’s lived. Somehow my friend Victoria thought that the mountain trip was just going to be a stroll up some paved pathways, but it was not that at all. We hiked and climbed our way up through the forest and up the mountain side till we reached a waterfall. We then continued to go further up for a better view. Looking out into the landscape was one of my favorite moments. It was breathtaking. All I could think was, “Wow, I’m really in Africa!”. It sounds pretty funny looking back, but I was just in awe of all the natural beauty of this place. The following day we visited some of the palaces and gardens in the nearby area. The YSL Museum in the Le Jardin Majorelle had a great exhibit and displayed the work of Yves Saint Laurent in a very interesting and thoughtful way.
Later that afternoon we found ourselves drinking tea, yet again, in the palm groves. Then a herd of camels came walking in and it was finally our turn to take a trip through the groves. For anyone wanting to ride a camel, I can tell you that it isn’t like anything you’d expect. They’re slightly scary and very strong. Also, you must have pretty good balance because even though they were saddled up, it was a challenge not to fall over. But in all it was a great experience.
Hours later we found ourselves landing in Rome after traveling all night and then running to our history class. Everything perfectly fell into place with the right amount of planning. Besides being a bit fatigued, there were no other repercussions. Traveling to Marrakech was one of the best decisions I made this semester and I am glad I didn’t let the stress of oncoming finals stop me from going. With the right work ethic its possible to get a lot more done than you think you can. Anyways, if you’re contemplating booking a trip to Morocco, DO IT!
Ciao,
Cornelius Tullovh