LONDON, BARCELONA, MARRAKECH, MADRID TRIP

A couple weeks ago, Román and I returned from a trip to Europe and North Africa.  My brother invited us to join him on his month-long backpacking trip through Europe, so we said yes (for part of it at least)!  And, just because we would be so close, we decided to go to Morocco as well.

Instead of recounting everything we did, I'll just leave you with some notable notables... because, if you can't tell...I'm pretty lazy these days.

1. Madrid - Madrid looks like Paris to me...more than Paris looked like Paris to me.  Crazy I know.  I loved it though.  It's located in the mountains (well...foothills maybe) and has fresh air and clean streets (I've come to value those things lately).  It is not stuffed full of people like London, so I felt more relaxed.  Also, Madrid has the best Spanish olives I've ever tried in my life.

Park in Madrid

2.  London - I could easily live in London.  It was fabulous.

3. London Food - GOOD LORD, London has so many fabulous food options.  We had ethiopian, indian, vegan, and raw food.  I was even able to order a gluten-free, vegan pizza at a chain restaurant there.  I can't tell you how much I love the food in London.

Román, Keaton, and his awesome friend Sarah in front of the Tower of London

4. Barcelona's Park Güell - Barcelona was nice, but I liked this park the best.  Designed by Gaudí and overlooking the city, it's a great place to relax and look at the landscape and the people.

Gaudí at his finest

5.  Tarragona - While in Spain, we stayed with Roman's friends.  They were wonderful, kind hosts and took us all over the area near where they live.  I was really impressed by some of the oceanside towns that were quiet and lovely.  It would be great to go and spend more time in any one of them, as they are not full of tourists.  If you can't tell, I don't like tourists, even though I am one and I think you should be too.

6. Outer Marrakech - Our first day in Morocco, we took a tour with my cousin Miranda through the high Atlas Mountains, which included a stop at a local house for tea as well as a traditional market.  It was amazing to experience a culture so different from my own, and the first day in Marrakech was nice and beautiful.

On the way to the lake in the Atlas Mountains 

7. Marrakesh - I've always tried to respect cultures that are different from my own, even if I don't agree with all aspects of them.  That being said, one day in the city of Marrakesh was enough for me.  Tourists there are constantly haggled.  Every five seconds, a local will come up to you on the street and tell you that you are going the wrong way or give you incorrect directions on purpose.  They will try anything to get money out of you.  Don't even think about looking lost or you will be attacked by men pulling and pushing for you to follow them.  It is almost mandatory that you bargain for whatever you buy, but we didn't want to by a single thing (save a henna tattoo, which turned out to be terrible) because everyone was so aggressive.

8.  Marrakesh Food - I ate vegetable tangine four times in a row. :-(

9.  Marrakesh Male-Female Relations - Our tour guide the first day told us that Muslim women have a choice when it comes to covering their bodies.  'Choice' (if there was ever a good time to use air quotes, this would be it) is more like it, however.  Most of the women in the city wore either a headscarf or a full-on burka.  I felt very uncomfortable wearing shorts, so I tried to balance coverage with heat while I was there.  Typically, as I mentioned before, I respect cultures that I may not agree with, but it was especially hard this time.  As a woman, at first, I felt incredibly uncomfortable.  Then, that discomfort turned to anger and disgust.  I have never had men look at me the way they did in Morocco: from foot to head, obvious, ogling, and disrespectful.

10.  Marrkesh Architecture and Design - Several places we went were incredible.  Even our hotel was so exotic.  Román keeps saying that he wants our future house to be like a riad with an open courtyard in the middle.

Tombs of the Berber Kings (sorry this picture is tilted...I have no excuse other than I am a terrible photographer)

11. Marrkesh Overall - I got a terrible henna tattoo, had an ATM steal fifty dollars from me, and became horribly ill on the last day so that we had to cancel our trip back to Buenos Aires and stay in a hotel in Madrid a few days.  But, even with all of those things, I would say that I'm glad I experienced the place.