Morocco! - part 2

We had a couple of days to explore the desert. The first day we were off-roading in the SUV, seeing camels roaming about, meeting nomadic Berber/Amazigh families, visiting an oasis, and climbing trees.... I just couldn't resist! We found out that there are no wild camels in the desert - all are owned and tagged. They do eat camel meat, but it is expensive and rare because the camels are more valued for tourism and transportation. The Berber people make up more than 60% of the population in Morocco and they prefer the name Amazigh - which means wild and free! No wonder I felt so at home with them :)

Roaming camels

A lone tree in the desert must be climbed!

There were two distinct deserts: the great sand dunes of the Sarah with the red sand, and the black rock desert, which was exactly what it sounds like - rocks that looked like they've been burnt. In the desert there are oasis, which are like huge community gardens. The natural springs are diverted through irrigation channels and each family gets water for a certain amount of time each week. They grow crops for their families and to sell in the souks.

Black rock desert - Sand dunes backdrop

Sand Dunes

Irrigation in the oasis

After exploring by car, we got to explore on camels! A two hour ride through the dunes at sunset, out to a camp to spend the night. I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive about the camel ride, as I'm not a big fan of horses, and wasn't sure how I'd do, but I LOVED it! The camels are super slow and the ride was surprisingly smooth. It really did feel like I was riding a "ship of  the desert". It was a meditative, mesmerizing experience.

Off and running, errr..... walking!

I made friends with Shooma 

Out at the camp we each had our own sleeping tent, which had an actual bed and carpets on the sand floor. There was a bathroom tent with flushing toilets and running water sinks. I'm still not sure how that actually worked?! The camp had solar power electricity - I learned that Morocco is leading the way in solar energy and will soon have the largest solar plant in the world. There was also a community tent where we had dinner and music. We had beautiful weather, but the winds kicked up when we got to camp, so star-gazing was pretty limited that evening. However, back at the riad, we had a magical night on the rooftop, under the stars, with a bottle of wine and local music.

Camping in the desert

The camels settling down for the night

Our camel guides also provided the after-dinner music and entertainment

The next morning we were up early to catch the sunrise and ride back to the riad to continue the adventures.

Sunrise in the desert

Algeria is on the other side of the plateau on the horizon

Camels are just cool!

To be continued (again)....

Morocco! - part 3

Leaving the Dunes behind, we got to spend some time in a small village souk (market) where they were selling livestock, spices, dates and anything else you can think of.

Spices that smelled so good

Date paste - they use this a lot during Ramadan

The donkey parking lot that didn't smell so good!

We traveled the Road of 1000 Kasbahs, which was an ancient trade route from the Sahara into Marrakesh. The kasbahs are ancient fortified villages built from mud and straw, and some are still inhabited today.

One of the many kasbahs

Travel companions

Snow-capped Atlas mountains in the background

Our next night was spent in a hotel at the bottom of the Dades Gorge. We drove up 24 switch-backs and then got to walk down the road at sunset to get to our hotel. Evidently this road is famous - Cadillac filmed a commercial here.

Dades Gorge

One of the hotels in the Dades Gorge

After our serene night in the gorge, we drove through the City of Roses, through the Atlas mountains and on to Marrakesh. 

Making Rose Oil

Marrakesh is the tourist capital of Morroco. The souks were laden with treasures - pottery, leather goods, spices, sweets, fruit, fabrics, lamps, rugs.... there was so much to take in! After dinner, we went out to the Jemma el-Fna Square to take in the nightlife. It was teaming with people and coursing with energy.... snake-charmers, trained monkeys, musicians, and juice vendors, along with henna tattoo artists and shoe-shiners.

Souk

Pottery

Nuts, seeds and dried fruit

There were more than 20 juice vendors all in a row

We stumbled upon a beautiful rose garden just a few steps away from all of the chaos of the souk. The peace in the garden was tangible after the noise of the souk and the asymmetrical nature of this bench caught my eye - a reminder that beauty isn't predictable or balanced, that life is imperfect and messy, but that's where the real living happens.

We had another 4-hour train ride from Marrakesh to Casablanca before we flew out to head home. With a couple delayed flights, I had tight connections and got to run through two airports, but thankfully made all of my connections, and made it home safe and sound. It was an amazing adventure filled with so many memorable experiences. I am grateful for the awesome friends I traveled with and the new friends I made along the way. I also discovered some new food I'll be trying to replicate in my own kitchen, so stay tuned for those recipes!

Morocco! - part 1

I recently had an unexpected opportunity to visit Morocco with some friends, and so I jumped at the chance to spend 10 days exploring a new Country and my first visit to Africa.

It was a whirlwind tour that overwhelmed and delighted my senses. I flew into Casablanca (via Atlanta and Paris), then took a five-hour train ride up to Tangier to meet up with my friends who were flying in from Amsterdam. I had a few hours to explore the beach and see the Strait of Gibraltar. When my friends arrived, we took a taxi to Chefchaouen, arriving after midnight - making it a 36+ hour travel day for me!

Beach at Tangier

Chefchaouen hillside

Chefchaouen street

Chefchaouen - the Blue City

We had a delicious breakfast on the rooftop of our guest house before heading out to wander the streets of Chefchaouen, known as the Blue City. Stories say the Jewish community began painting their houses blue, and soon everyone else did so too. Others say they're painted blue to keep the mosquitoes away, and still others say it's to represent the sea. Regardless of the reason, it is a strikingly beautiful little village nestled in the Rif mountains. From there we hopped on a bus for a five-hour ride to Fes where we had two days to explore. Fes has an ancient medina built of a crazy maze of winding roads that are barely wide enough for a donkey, and there were many of them! The oldest university in the world, Al Quaraouiyine, which was started by a woman can be found in Fes, and it is also well-known for its many tanneries. The leather tanning process was fascinating, and gave me a whole new appreciation for the time and skill involved in preparing leather to be used to make products. I had a hard time resisting all of the shoes, and I did come home with a new leather bag!

Donkeys have the right-of-way

Tannery

Covered Market

Our last evening in Fes, we took a taxi to the famous Blue Gate and wandered through the medina. As we were leaving, we found our way through the medina to the farmers market, then to the flea market, and finally into a courtyard filled with locals sitting around with their families watching the birds swooping as darkness fell. It was magical!

The Blue Gate in Fes

Early the next morning we were picked up by our hired guide and we drove through the Atlas Mountains. There were apple orchards, olive groves, wild monkeys, date palms as far as the eye could see, and nomads roaming the hills and herding their sheep. The monkeys may be wild, but they sure aren't shy. They will take peanuts right out of your hand.... expect I wasn't too keen on getting that close, so was happy to just take pictures.

         

Shepherd in the hills

Nomad dwelling 

River of Date Palms

After driving through the picturesque mountains, we arrived in the desert - the pinnacle of the trip! Our riad (hotel) was a lovely place in Merzouga right at the base of the Dunes and just 20km from the Algerian border. We were able to walk out the back door  into the Dunes and watch the sun set. It was beautiful and so very quiet. 

Courtyard view from my room

View from the rooftop - yep, there's a pool!

A few steps away in the backyard

To keep this from being ridiculously long, I'll write a second post for the second half of the trip.

To be continued...

A Season of Transition: Finding My Roots

I've now been back in the States for seven months, which is crazy to think about. Time sure does fly by and yet stand still at the same time. So, can I still say I'm in a season of transition? How long will my transition home take? I've moved often, and am quite familiar with the tasks and feelings involved in starting over and establishing a new life, but this returning and re-establishing is a new experience. It might seem like a minor difference, but it's actually been quite substantial for me.


I was away for nearly a year and had some significant life experiences which have shaped me and contributed to my continued growth. Returning to Denver, I wasn't sure how the "new" me would fit in and where I would belong, but friends have welcomed me with open arms. Some saved space for me while I was away, and others have made new space for me. What I sometimes forget, is that others also had a year's worth of life experiences that I was not a part of, and so when I can't figure out where I belong or why I no longer have the same place, I have to remember life continues to move forward for all of us.

Beaches always remind me of the fluidity of life

Now that I am back, I find myself struggling with finding my place and purpose in this season. My life looks almost exactly like it did before I left, which can be comforting, and I have received it as a gift; yet, before I left I was restless and dissatisfied, looking for more. So I went away and had a life-changing adventure, which was not at all what I had expected, but exactly what I needed. And now, I find myself with the same shell of a life, but my soul has changed, so things don't fit the same anymore. It's kind of like going back to visit your childhood home after being away for many years - it doesn't seem as big or grand or impressive as it once did, yet it is still so comforting and full of sentiment. You can cling to the memories and be disappointed with the reality, or you can embrace the reality and treasure the memories for what they are and how they brought you to the present.

This sign above the door at a local coffee shop recently caught my attention

In times of transition, I often find myself on an emotional roller coaster - loving the thrill of the new discoveries, the excitement of new routines, and the richness of new relationships; but also the exhaustion of unfamiliar rhythms, the burden of discovering all of the necessities of daily life, and the loneliness of casual acquaintances. In this time of returning and rediscovering, my roller coaster is off the rails as the juxtaposition of new and old, familiar and foreign collide.

I realize that some of my tension comes from trying to keep a foot in both worlds. My dad has often told me, once you make a decision, be all in, don't look back and wonder "what if", because you'll never know. Instead, embrace the decision, and if you don't like the results, make another decision and keep moving forward. So, rather than wondering "what if...." I am continuing to practice being present and making decisions that will keep me moving forward on a journey of growth and discovery, embracing this crazy adventure called Life!

I don't know the name of the artist, but what a perfectly lovely sentiment

Failure is simply part of the adventure

I've been in my own place now for almost three weeks. Which means there's been lots of unpacking of boxes, sorting, purging and finding the right place to put things away. The amazing thing is, I'm back in my same adorable place that I was living in before I left. Yes, that's right, as fate would have it, it became available the same week I accepted a job. So, two months after returning to Denver, I now have a car, a job, and a place to live!

My little car and my neighborhood

The view from my office window

 

To settle in and really make it feel like home, and to have a good excuse to take a break from unpacking, I've been doing a bit of baking. Last Friday, after I heard the news of the horrific tragedy in Paris, I was in shock and unable to focus on anything as I waited to hear from friends. As I waited, I decided I would bake a batch of macarons - something I learned to bake while living in France and something minor that I felt I could do to connect with and honor my French friends. Since I don't yet have a food scale, I spent some time converting the recipe from grams to cups and was hopeful it would work. Sadly, it did not. Here is failed attempt number one at baking french macarons at altitude.

I didn't get the air out of the meringue, so they cracked when I took them out of the oven

I didn't cook them long enough, so they turned into a pile of chocolate crumbs as I tried to get them off the paper

Don't worry, I didn't throw away all of those chocolatey macaron crumbs, instead I made a crème anglaise and created a little trifle adding fresh blackberries. Sorry, no picture of this one, but round two of macarons will commence soon!

Shortly after returning to Denver, a friend ordered a pie to support my baking addiction, and patiently waited while I figured out which end was up and got reestablished. So, earlier this week, I finally fulfilled that order and made a salted-caramel apple pie. This one is always a big hit and has earned me more than one marriage proposal over the years! It's the perfect blend of flaky crust, crisp apples and crumbly topping, with the creamy caramel holding it all together.

Salted-Caramel Apple Pie

A few days ago I was headed to Boulder to spend an evening with new and old friends and wanted to bring a little dessert to share, but didn't want to make a trip to the store. So, scouring my pantry (thanks to some dear friends who generously re-stocked my pantry with baking supplies), I found the things I needed to make a gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake! The balance of the crunchy nut crust with the smooth pumpkin cream seemed to be greatly appreciated by all.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a nut crust

 

As I was looking at my sad pile of macaron crumbs, I was reminded that while things don't always turn out the way we expected them to, it doesn't mean it's a failure, it's simply part of the adventure, and an opportunity to creatively explore new ideas.  As I continually work to adjust my perspective and expectations, whether in the kitchen or in life,  I often find new surprises and hidden gifts where I least expect them.