Welcome back for your Weekly Dose of Sunshine! I hope you’re all having a lovely week and are excited to hear about my trip to Morocco this past weekend.
Friday morning my friend Lexi and I got up early to catch the bus of our tour group “We Love Spain” that would take us on our weekend journey! We drove from Sevilla to Gibraltar, a British territory on the coast of Spain, and spent the day there. We took the cable car up the side of the Rock of Gibraltar for a gorgeous scenic view where on clear days (which it was) you can see the mountainous coast of Africa. There are also monkeys that inhabit the top of the rock, so we took some selfies and enjoyed the views. We then boarded the bus to go to a nearby town for our ferry to Africa. We arrived that night at our hotel, after crossing the Spain/Moroccan border, just in time for dinner and to go to bed, as we were all exhausted from the day of travel.
The next morning, we had breakfast and boarded our tour bus again to head to Tangier where we drove through the city, and then went to a lookout point marked by a lighthouse where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Next, we had the INCREDIBLE opportunity to ride camels on the beach, which was super fun and freeing. I think I laughed the whole time and you’ll get an insiders perspective on the vlog I will soon be posting of it!
Next, we drove to Chefchaouen, a small town in the mountains that was once white and is now painted almost completely blue! We walked through the narrow streets and went to a beautiful handmade weaving factory where I purchased a gorgeous rug which took one of their workers three weeks to make. It felt amazing to support the people of their town in this way and to be able to experience their culture of hand-making many of their goods. We had a tour of the city and then had free time to shop the little stands the villagers had set up. Lexi and I got fresh squeezed juices that tasted amazing.
That night, we went to a traditional Moroccan palace where wedding receptions are typically held for our “Moroccan Fantasy Dinner” where we were treated to traditional Moroccan dishes like couscous. There was also a show of dancers and musicians and one woman was giving traditional henna tattoos! After dinner we all danced along with them and they all seemed so happy to share their culture with us.
The next morning, we headed for Tetouan to go to a Moroccan “pharmacy” where we were presented with traditional healing goods that Moroccans use for a variety of needs. There were oils (yes, Moroccan oil for your hair, which is actually argon oil), mint teas, creams, and spices that were all very interesting to learn about! I purchased a few gifts for my family and friends at home and I can’t wait to try the argon oil in my hair. After walking the city a bit more and shopping at their leather market, we got on the bus and returned to the ferry to head back to Sevilla.
We arrived that night in time for the gorgeous sunset over the river and it made me realize how little time I truly do have left here. Oh, how bittersweet leaving will be. I hope you all enjoyed this quick recap of my weekend in Morocco and don’t forget to be on the lookout for my vlog I am working on of it! If you haven’t yet, click this link to subscribe to my channel and see my last video I posted. Thank you all again for your amazing support and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!
XOXO
AV
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"Seek the LORD and his strength; seek His presence continually!"
- 1 Chronicles 16:11
