Marrakesh Express

Greetings!

I would like to thank you, the readers, for making my blog so successful. I have received both positive and negative feedback, and I greatly appreciate both. If you have any particular comments about my blog or specific questions you would like me to answer, please e-mail me at jstoffl@gmail.com or post it in the “comments” section. I know that some of you may not know me, but I would love to answer whatever questions you may have about the trip. On to the updates…

Weather
In Madrid, we experience fairly moderate temperatures. The mornings were cool around 60F, and around noon it warmed up to 65-68F. It lightly drizzled one evening around 2am, but it did not disrupt our plans. 2am? You read correctly: 2am. Let me explain: in Spain, lunch is consumed around 14:00-15:00 (2-3pm), and dinner is between 22:00-24:00. As for the famous Spanish nightlife, the locals begin their evenings at 1:00. Most clubs do not close until 6:00. Mother, for the record, I only stayed out until 3:30.

In Morocco, the sun is extremely hot! Thankfully, there is very little humidity, so it is cool in the shade. The temperature is probably 78F and around 66F in the shade.

Time
Spain is 6 hours ahead of the US’s Eastern Standard Time. Morocco is only 4 hours ahead.

Fotographia
I apologize for the lack of photographs on this blog to this point. I promise there will be some in the near future. My friend Tyler wants to be the official photographer of “Mis Viajes.” I could not turn down this fine artist! I will supplement Tyler’s great pictures with a few of my own. Just wait until you see his photos from today’s lunch!

Class
Sadly, today started the “study” portion of this study abroad program. My two classes (Christian History to 1500 and International Economics) were painless, and they appear rather promising. Both professors are integrating information about Spain/Morocco into the courses. What a genius idea!

Best part of today’s classes= Class was held outside on the hotel’s patio adjacent to the pool.
Worst part of today’s classes= Other UD students were lounging around and swimming while I was in class.

Cars
I have only seen three American cars in five days (two Fords and one Chevy). Believe me, I have been keeping track. How many international cars have you seen today in the US?

Food, Glorious Food
The food here is great. It is a culmination of many different cultures. Favorite foods I experienced in Marrakesh include crepes, freshly-squeezed orange juice, olives (some spicy and some salty), flan, and mint tea.

Marrakesh
Today, we traveled an hour away from the city of Marrakesh to Ourika Valley. On route to our destination, I noticed a plethora of construction. It appeared to be high-end apartments and condos. Many Europeans are investing in this area. Some of the places look really top-notch. It is very cheap for Europeans to travel to Morocco, and some have summer homes here. Does anyone want to go 50:50 with me and start building over here?!

Ourika Valley was breath-taking. It reminded me a Florida, California, and Colorado all in one. There were millions of olive trees and other tropical trees in a huge oasis (Florida). Surrounding the oasis is a massive snow-capped mountain range (California). Between the oasis and the mountains, you will find red-dirt cliffs with the locals living on tiny, winding roads (Colorado). This area was truly beautiful, and everyone in the group was in awe. There is actually a ski-resort in the mountains! Nobody expected this from Morocco. This was one of my trip highlights so far.

The group traveled to a local souke (spelling?) which is a market. It was intimidating to be completely surrounded by locals. I could see every pair of eyes on us, as we strolled the streets. It was interesting to navigate the tents and vendors of this particular weekly market. All types of spices, live animals, vegetables, and random junk were found here. For me, this was a frustrating experience because I did not know which vendors I could trust or not. Some of the merchants would not leave us alone and were pushing their products to the point of annoyance. There was no real danger here, but, it is uncommon for Americans to visit this local market. At the market, I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I am glad I experienced it.

I need to do my homework now because I have a quiz tomorrow morning. Yes, a quiz on the second day of classes! Definition of grimy. Remember, e-mail me at jstoffl@gmail.com if you would like me to answer any of your questions.

Hasta mañana.