Morocco

Wow, my trip to Morocco was so wonderful! It was an escape from the everyday Madrid life and felt like such a long vacation! Partly because of all the complications, but also because of all the stuff we did while there.
Molly, Judy, and I were supposed to take a 1 am bus to Sevilla but the company lost our reservations and we ended up on a bus to Cordoba and then taking a train to Sevilla. Met with our big tour group and bused to Algecira, then took a ferry over the Straights (saw dolphins along the way!!) and arrived in Ceuta, my first time on African soil!
We crossed the border and drove to Tetuan, got a walking tour of the Medina (the oldest part of the city) which was so different from life as we know it!! We had dinner and crashed at the hotel after 2 days of virtually no sleep (bus napping isn't exactly restful).
Saturday we got up early to visit the mountain village of Chef Chaouen. It was beautiful, all the buildings were light blue or periwinkle and white and it was so charming.

Our tour guide was this short man who we affectionately called "Habibi" (sweetie/honey) and he was, no joke, a mix between Yoda and Abu! We learned some tidbits about Moroccan culture, such as bowing when you pass through the small 4'10" doors, crossing the threshold with your right foot, and other little things. I had coffee with Habibi and listened to him talk about his life for a bit and offer pearls of wisdom. It was a relaxing time and my favorite point of the trip.
Back in the Medina in Tetuan, we had the most delicious lunch I've had in... I can't remember! Everything was fabulous and they had entertainment for us as well. We left after lunch for Tanger, the famous city on the northern coast. We visited the Caves of Hercules, so beautiful on the Atlantic coast! I got to ride a camel for like a second, but it was still unique and fun! They are awkwardly adorable (Leigh! :P) and the baby was so cute!
We saw the lighthouse on the cape which is the closest point from Spain to Morocco and just enjoyed the beautiful seascape. We went to our hotel and a private dinner + show complete with the Moroccan cavalry, live music, fire dancers, child acrobats, belly dancers, magician, and amazing food! (I think Moroccan food beats Spanish food without the slightest contest!) Went swimming at night, very exhilarating in the dark cold water, and there was a wedding going on at the hotel which had Moroccan music blaring til after 5 am! (Other countries go ALL out on celebrations, it's really awesome!)
Got maybe 3 hours of sleep, then we traveled back to Ceuta in the morning, (saw dolphins AGAIN on the way back! my personal feeling is that the trip was blessed! lol) and then Sevilla which took all day. We had to wait until a 1 am bus again, so we watched the sunset over the river at a park. The bridge lit up and people were out and about, so I had a new version of Sevilla to remember (I like the city more now that I've seen it without SO many people crowding it).

Got into Madrid at 7 am on Monday, went homevthen straight to classes. After classes, had my internship, then my final class, came home and realized I was running on fumes and passed out at 11. It's been a tiring week since then, still need to catch up on sleep.

My advice: make it to Northern Morocco at some point in your life! It is beautiful, so green and was the perfect temperature, plus the culture is unique and the people are friendly even if they are trying to sell you a 2 E necklace for 20. If you can master bargaining, you'll love the shopping! Always chop the price at least in half, then stick to your guns. :)