Arrived in Marrakech tonight…the air perfumed with desert rose as we drive past fountains and minarets that punctuate the blocks like exclamation points. Remembering my more adventurous days as a travel writer, I ventured to the Medina (and to all of you Ton Loc fans…Yes, it was funky and cold) and wandered the streets, peering into shops to see if anything caught my interest. Hundreds of shops filled with ornate lanterns, pottery, carpets, scarves, inlaid wooden boxes and silver jewelry filled my eyes. As the Medina looms in the distance, the square opens to fruit and spice stands filled with dates, nuts, dried apricots and more. Thousands of people crowd around food stands sitting at communal tables, like a family reunion…of family you just met 5 minutes ago. Undaunted, I sit down and place my order in rusty French. Obviously too rusted to be comprehensible, I place my order in Spanish, which my waiter agrees is better than my French. Plates of olives, bread with a spiced tomato dipping tapenade, French fries and skewers of chicken and beef appear before long. With my Diet Coke, the total comes to 60 dinhars…or $7.00 US. I make my way back through the crowds and stop to look at hand woven Berber tribal rugs, but stop short of purchasing one. I need to save something to accomplish for tomorrow. To all of my friends and family, wherever you may be, I send you my love from across the miles. To my beautiful wife and children, I wish you were here with me to see this amazing place. While I feel truly alive when I travel, I miss your laughter and smiles at every corner and imagine the day when we will return to see these places again, but for the first time together.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 22:56:53 +0000
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