Marrakech: The Top 5

Our selfies need a little work

We came back over a month ago, and I still smile when I think about the long, sleepy days we spent exploring. I wish we had more time (don’t we always!) to do all the things we never got a chance to do –browse the galleries and cafes in New City, spend more time in the mountains, spend a day near the coast in Tangier, lie on the beach in Essaouira, wander around Casablanca. Still, we were shockingly “productive” for a couple that napped for a few hours before dinner everyday. 

Cats of Marrakech

Oops, this is my mom’s cat. World, meet Oreo. She lives in New Orleans and has never been to Marrakech.

I’ve loved cats since my mom let me pick out the cutest bundle of fur to be my new best friend at the ripe old age of seven.  We had just moved from Toronto to Calgary. I was painfully shy, hated my new school and particularly my new 3^rd grade teacher, and missed my friends from home. Tabbey was a fluffy orange tabby cat  who grew up to be about the size of  a small dog. He liked sleeping in my bed – preferably on my face, so I’d wake up with a mouthful of fur right around his preferred breakfast time. He also liked lying in the sun in our backyard patio, carefully watching the birds chirping in the nearby trees.  A year after we moved to Florida, in 8^th grade, I came home to find my neighbor sobbing. A speeding driver had hit Tabby as he crossed the street in our ordinarily sleepy and safe neighborhood to get from my neighbor’s garden to our front door, where he waited for me to come home from school. We waited another ten years to get a cat (Coco first, then Oreo) and I still have a soft spot for big orange tabbys. Long story short: I love cats. So of course, I had to take a picture of every adorable, beautiful stray cat in Marrakech. 

Detour from Marrakech: Ourika Valley Waterfalls

Dusty and pink at the base of the mountains

Marrakech sits just an hour or so from the base of the Atlas Mountains, which spans nearly all of Morocco and most of Northern Africa. When I originally thought about traveling to Morocco, I wanted to do a 7-day backpacking trek, up to the amazing Jbel Toubkal – topping 4,167m as the tallest peak in all of North Africa. That didn’t happen for our first trip, but we did take a one-day detour to hike up to the beautiful Ourika Valley waterfalls. 

Four Days of Marrakech

Gorgeous sunset over a bustling Marrakech market.

Ever since I studied abroad in Spain – way back in 2011 – I’ve always wanted to go to Morocco. This year, we finally made the trip!  

We flew from JFK to Marrakech via American Airlines with a short layover in Madrid. The Madrid Barajas Airport happens to be my favorite airport in the entire world – beautiful, airy, with so much sunlight you feel like you could be outside and a massive selection of cafes and restaurants. The transfer between domestic and international flights is a bit of a hike, but I could use the walking after sitting in the middle seat for 8 hours. Speaking of cramped middle seats, and speaking of flying, it is so not cool to be on a long-haul flight without a TV. Get it together, American! I was so bored. The only thing that made up for the flight was the food. I love airplane food because it comes in little packages and I love things that come in little packages. It’s very eco-unfriendly, but so are long-haul flights.