Day 47 - Pananarama

A massive thunderstorm rolled through nice this morning and woke me up at 7am. We had laundry drying outside and I had to run around on the roof, half asleep, in the pouring rain, chasing our underwear and other garments as they blew around in the wind. Went back to bed, woke up again around 9 and the sun was shining once again.  I took a walk to the beach because I wanted to go for one last swim before we left Nice. As soon as the beach was within eyesight I slowly realized that swimming was not an option. The storm had brung in all the gunk from the ocean to the shore and all the water from the shore until about 40-50 meters outward was an unwelcoming brown color; a strange site. And no one was swimming. So instead I climbed many stairs to reach a park located atop a huge hill right near the centre. The park had an amazing panorama view of the entire city of Nice. It also had a wide array of playgrounds and snack bars, and even a magnificent waterfall that can actually be seen all the way from the bottom when you're walking along the main strip. I admired the view for one last time and then headed back to the house to pack. The next day  we were headed to a little village in the french alps near Dignes to meet with some friends for a night before heading to Italy! 

Day 46 - BONNE FETTE A MOI :D

Celebrating my birthday in Nice, 2 pinkys up! We went snorkeling again today since we had so much fun last time. We swam around for 2 hours, saw even more cool fish, and hunted some crabs and sea shells. After we dried off we headed back to the house excited because we were making sushi for dinner! Neither of us has made it before. We had all our ingredients ready and prepared with some YouTube videos. What we thought would be a bit of a disaster turned out quite good! We were very impressed with our sushi skills! Because we already went out last night, we stayed in and watched a movie while we snacked on our dinner. 

Day 45 - Cannes

Today our couch surfing host kindly offered to take us to Cannes, which is about a 45 minute drive from Nice. On the way there we stopped by a few old medieval towns located in the heart of the French countryside. Both towns were both too cute for words and located on top of mountains, providing us with some breathtaking views. Eventually when we got to Cannes the first thing we noticed was the insane amount of expensive cars; BMWs, Lamborghinis, audis, ferraris, Mercedes, etc. I've never seen so many nice cars in such a short time period. We walked around the main shopping strip which consisted of all the designer brands such as Armani, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci. We eventually headed to a more affordable area where we felt more comfortable entering the stores. For dinner we had McDonald's, since its all we could afford, lol. Then finally we went to the beach for a bit which was more enjoyable than in Nice because it was sandy. The only downfall was that most of the beaches are private, so the one beach where you didn't have to pay, where we went, was very overcrowded. You could smell the money off of people here, not sure I fancied it very much. Later that night after we got back to Nice, we had some drinks at our place in celebration of my birthday! It was just us, our host, and the Latin dancer who drove us from Paris. Later on we went out to a few fun places to dance and we all had a great time :) ! 

Day 44 - snorkeling

The weather in Nice is gorgeous. We took advantage of this beautiful Friday and walked around the town, exploring different areas of it. At one point we ended up in the main square and ended up buying some snorkeling gear. After our purchase we headed down to Coco beach, a beach further away from the centre and surrounded by beautiful bigger rocks that are easier to sit and walk on and where the water is perfect for seeing life beneath the water. As soon as we got there, we dived in and spent hours swimming and observing hundreds of fish and other sea life. The evening ended with dinner at a popular restaurant by the port where we indulged in mussels and authentic Italian pizza. When we got home, we decided to invite a few friends we met the previous night. A perfect Friday, I must say. 

Day 43 - so niiiiiiice

Our Thursday in Nice was spent getting to know this beautiful town. We grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant by the shore and then hit the beach later that afternoon. The water here is crystal clear and very warm but the beach itself has no sand and is made up of large pebbles that are very uncomfortable to walk and lie on. After getting our tan on, we walked up a lengthy flight of stairs to get a panoramic view of the city. Our eyes were lit and the view of the sea and the town of Nice was mesmerizing. Dinner was simple. We bought a rotisserie chicken and some baguette bread and feasted before heading to a couple local bars where we indulged in a some drinks and met fellow travellers. 

Day 42 - Road trip 2 Nice

We had to be up very early this morning to embark on our next adventure to the south of France! We had booked a carpool online so we weren't quite sure what to expect. Before our ride arrived we grabbed some fresh croissants for breakfast - we both agreed that they were the best croissants we have ever tasted, they were buttery and savory and they melted in our mouths. YUM. We thought that the car ride would be very quite because we didn't speak much French and our driver didn't speak much English, but we were very wrong. It's amazing how easily you can communicate with people when you're forced into the situation. I brushed up on my French and the driver wasn't as bad at English as he thought. He was a passionate Latin dancing teacher. Along the way we also picked up a young pastry chef and a student from Lyon. We all got along famously and the drive turned into a fun road trip with great new friends. Not to mention the scenery which was breathtaking the entire way. Endless fields of green with mountains and castles on hills. About 10 hours later, we finally arrived to beautiful Nice! Paradise. 

Day 41- the city of LOVE

For our last day in Paris we had quite a few things on the agenda. We wanted to see the catacombs, the love lock bridge and the stained glass chapel. We made our way to the catacombs and were left  disappointed by the size of the line. It wrapped all the way around the building and the wait was around 4 hours. Since we didn't want to spend half of our last day waiting in line we decided against it. We had plans to try some fondue for lunch but since the restaurant didn't open for another hour we just walked around for a bit. We were in a very cute little area that wasn't very touristy, so it was quite a different feel but very a very nice change. While we waited for fhe restaurant to open we did some errands - bought toothpaste, bobby pins, and other things we needed. When we finally walked over to the fondue restaurant, both very hungry, we were left disappointed again. We are not sure why but it was closed. We were really hungry and we really wanted fondue so we were in quite the pickle. It's harder to find fondue in the summer as its more of a winter season meal in France. We walked Into another little cafe and asked for help and a very friendly older man walked us down the street and directed us to a place where he said there were a few good fondue spots. We walked in that direction and and eventually we found our fondue. We made it inside the restaurant at the perfect time as it started thundering and pouring rain right after we sat down. Apparently the weather is usually cold and very rainy in Paris;  we've been blessed with sunshine since we arrived. This was actually the second rainfall we've had on our entire trip (it rained once in Lisbon). Our cheese fondue was very delicious! We dipped into it Slices of baguettes, apples, and potatoes. After lunch we waited a bit for the rain to die down. Eventually we made it to the love lock bridge, where we romantically secured our personalized lock and threw away the key. Interesting fact: they recently had to cut off a bunch of the locks because the bridge was beginning to collapse from all the weight. They now actually have two bridges in order to support a higher volume of locks for all the lovers and friends. After the bridge we made our way to the beautiful stained glass cathedral and were taken aback by the many colorful windows. Our last stop of the day was at a popular underground (hipster) bar in Paris called point ephemere. It reminded us a lot of the bars we would go to in Ottawa; very grungy, lots of graffiti, affordable drinks, and great music! 

Day 40 - Typical Tourists

Our Monday in Paris was spent embracing this beautiful city in all it's glory. We started off at a famous cemetery called Pere Lachaise, where many famous people are buried such as Chopin, Jim Morrison, and Oscar Wilde. It's a huge beautiful cemetery and the tombstones are like no there. From there we went to visit the Arc De Triomphe. Beautiful and larger than we expected, the glorious Arc is located in the centre of the city and is considered to be one of the nations most significant landmarks. We also walked down the famous street, Champs élysées, known to be the most beautiful streets in the world, along with some of the most expensive real-estate. Soon after, we grabbed a croissant and headed to see the Eiffel Tower. You don't really see the beauty of the Eiffel Tower until you see it in person. No words can describe the perfection of this famous landmark whether you are standing fifteen feet away from it or three hundred. We walked around the tower and saw it from many different angles, and not once did it disappoint. We decided to do what most tourists do and had a picnic under it later that evening. Fresh baguettes, French cheese, cold cuts and wine, no meal could have been more fitting. Tres Bon! 

Day 39 - Le Louvre

Our Sunday began at the Louvre, one of the worlds most famous museums. While there are many well known works of art found in the Louvre, the most popular is the Mona Lisa, an exquisite portrait painted by Leonardo De Vinci. She was the reason why most visited and as soon as we walked into the room where she was displayed, all you could see was crowds of people snapping pictures like paparazzi. We managed to get to the front of the crowd and saw the Mona Lisa in all her glory. Afterwards we continued to walk through the museum and saw most of the exhibits, one of our favourite being the ancient African exhibit. We stayed at the Louvre till it closed at six and then managed to catch the Tour De France. Being there watching it in person is a completely different experience than seeing it on television. So many people with so much spirit cheering for their country. Though we are not so into the sport of biking, we really enjoyed watching one of the biggest French sporting events of the year. After the race we headed home and made dinner (spaghetti) and spent the rest of the evening admiring the view at the top of the Sacre Coeur. Not only does it have one of the most gorgeous views of the city but its also a popular spot to relax and hang out with friends. 

Sent from my iPhone

Day 38 - So much to see!

Being one of the most popular tourism spots, Paris has so much to see. It was hard to choose where to start. Our first stop was the Notre Dame church, which was magnificent. It gave me goosebumps as soon as we walked inside. Almost 900 years old it's noticeably ancient inside, but very well preserved. After this we strolled around the city streets that surrounded the church and had an enjoyable rest in a small nearby park. Our next stop was the sacre coeur, which is quite near where we are staying. This church is located atop a beautiful hill in Montmartre, the old part of Paris, with all the small narrow streets. The view from the hill lets you see the entire city and is packed with people most of the time; tourists, locals, street performers, and the usual vendors. Before heading home we stopped for a bite to eat. We decided to be extra touristy and ordered some French onion soup and escargot. Both were very yummy! We walked home from there, which only took about 25 minutes. The walk was very entertaining as we walked through a very busy part of town which consists of a bunch of bars and late night clubs, including the world famous moulin rouge.

  

Day 37 - Travel 2 Paris

This morning we had to be up very early to head to the airport. It was a bit sad leaving Marrakech but we were very  excited to go to France. Our flight went very smoothly; we landed in Paris around 1:30pm. From the airport we bussed and took the subway to where we were staying. This was going to be our first experience couch surfing. Our kind host greeted us and we hung out for a while getting to know each other. After this Tanya and I went out for dinner, and realized how expensive Paris was going to be. Later that night our couch surfing host, Antoine, took us out. The first club we went to wouldn't let us in because we weren't fancy enough - thank god, because I wouldn't want to go inside anywhere like that anyway. So instead we went to this other place which is located right be beneath the Alexandre III bridge, it's called showcase and is apparently rated one of the best clubs in France. We had an amazing time; very tasteful music and a great crowd. Before going home we took a late night stroll to the Eiffel tower since it was close by and we couldn't resist the chance to  see it in real life. 

Day 36 - Desert day 2/back to Marrakech

The second half of our desert excursion began in the wee hours of the morning. We watched the sun rise whilst enjoying traditional Moroccan breakfast prepared by the hosts of the excursion/desert men (not sure what to call them). After breakfast, we jumped back on the camels and rode them back to the nearby town. I gotta say, we absolutely LOVE camels. They are very friendly when you show them love and affection, as well as patient and obedient. We took several pictures and they embraced the camera like top models (move over Tyra). Even cuter, one of the camels smiled every time we aimed the camera at him. Kim Kardashian, you got competition. After the camel ride, we hopped back on the mini bus and drove for about six hours, once again through the beautiful Atlas Mountains. Once we finally got back to Marrakech, we showered, rested and headed to the main square for our last meal. Moroccan salad, lamb and chicken skewers, lamb cous cous and fresh orange juice was on the menu tonight and my oh my did it hit the right spot. After walking through the square we visited our favourite kittens and treated them with leftover kebab from dinner and cream cheese. Our last night couldn't have been better and ended with saying bye to all the amazing people we've met at the hostel and in Marrakech. Thank you for the memories!

Day 35 - Desert Excursion

Today we woke up very excited as we were embarking on a two day excursion through the mountains and into the desert. We woke up 5:30am, ate breakfast at our hostel and headed towards our minibus. We weren't given an itinerary so we we had no idea of what to expect or when to expect it. Lets just say that our destination  was much further than we imagined. To arrive at the zagoura we had to cross the Atlas Mountains - which held the most breathtaking views. From Marrakech to the zagoura it takes about 5-6 hours, but it took us a bit longer because we made a few stops along the way. Our first stop on the way there was in an old city called Ouarzazate.  Ouarzazate is at an elevation of 1,160 metres (3,810 ft) in the middle of a bare plateau south of the High Atlas Mountains. To the south of the town is the desert. The town is mostly inhabited by Berbers, who constructed many of the prominent kasbahs and buildings for which the area is known. There are currently 8 families living in the town (including our tour guide and his grandma), with no running water or electricity. It's very strange to think that in 2013 there are still people living an 11th century lifestyle, by choice. Our tour guides parents and sisters all live in the city but he has chosen to stay in the old city and take care of his grandma instead. The Ouarzazate area is also known as a popular film-making location. Many popular movies such as the mummy, gladiator, prince of Persia, and game of thrones have all filmed multiple scenes here. It is also on the list as one of UNESCOs world heritage sites. The cities building are built from hay and mud so whenever it rains (not very often) many buildings have to be repaired. UNESCO helps pay for some of these reparations. After the old city we continued through the Atlas Mountains, stopping at various locations to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Eventually, we made it to the Zagoura, the bare outskirts of the Sahara desert. Upon arrival, we mer our tour guides and camels who were patiently waiting for us. The whole camel experience was quite interesting and lots of fun. The camels are all lying down and as soon as you hop on they begin to stand up and from there it's quite the ride. Most of them are quite uncomfortable as the seat is place directly on top of the hump. My camel was pretty cool but Tanya's camel was angry about something and wouldn't stop grumbling the whole way there. Apparently he was separated from his best friend and this made him upset. As we walked deeper into the desert we could noticebaly feel it gettin hotter and hotter, the wind felt like being blasted with a blow dryer.  We rode the camel for about an hour and a glad until we reached our campsite. It wasn't as 'deserted' as I expected... There were very sturdy tents with cots inside them, bathrooms, and a larger 'common' tent where they seved us dinner (chicken tajine) and dessert (juicy watermelon). Afterwards, everyone sat around and listened to our hosts play some traditional Moroccan music. When they were finished they made a great effort to interact with the crowd; they brought us their instruments and encouraged us to play and song some of our own songs. As we sat underneath the moonlight and gazed at the stars we got to know our guides a little better. We asked them about their life here and want they do on their time off and how they perceive the outside world. They have no idea who Justin timberland or Justin Beiber OR the Beatles are .. But they seem quite content with their lifestyle. They believe in ghosts but they don't believe in aliens. And I course they are all very religious. It was interesting talking to one of the younger guys about how religion is can be quite confusing, with so much to believe and think about. I handed one of them my phone and he had a ball playing fruit ninja for a while haha. Tired from our lengthy travels we headed to bed at a reasonable hour. We had to be up very early to head back with the camels before it got to hot. 

Day 34 - "I give you special price, what you wanna pay"

Anyone and everyone that's been to Morocco knows that it is a country famous for it markets,  also called souks. Marrakech is known to have one of the biggest souks in all of Morocco, where you can find anything from jewelry to leather products, clothing, hand crafted decor, food, herbs and spices, and fabrics. Having visited the souks throughout our trip to morocco, we realized that bargaining is a big part of shopping here. Every salesman will ask for a ridiculous, outlandish price and you should always pay at least 75% less than what they're asking. Having mastered this theory, Anya and myself spent the whole day shopping at the souks bargaining like it was our day job. We had mastered the trade to the point where even some of the local salesman would compliment us on our skill. We were able to find some gems throughout the day and had lunch at a quiet spot that served fantastic food. We headed back to the hostel to rest and had dinner with Mohammed, one of the hostel staff. Classic Moroccan soup and mint tea, a perfect meal to balance out our long day. The evening didn't end there. We later went to the main square to pick up some snacks for tomorrow's excursion and while we were there, we visited our favourite kittens who are looked after by a kind local. Five little beauties who we've become quite attached to, spend most of their day prancing around and playing with their mama. I can only hope that these little guys continue to live a happy life, even if its on the busy streets of Marrakech. We've thought of a million ways to bring them back home and if I could, I would without a doubt adopt them all and be a crazy cat lady.

    We love our fresh OJ 

   We met a one eyed kitty 

Day 33 - Fasting 4 Ramadan

As mentioned yesterday, today we decided to fast, so we were going to try and spend most of our day out of the sun - because no water. We were both woken up pretty early by the heat from sleeping on the roof so we moved downstairs to the common room to sleep some more. We woke up again around noon and were feeling pretty good I'd assume from the late suhoor. I went out for a quick stroll to the post office; inquired what it would cost to send a box of Marrakech goodies to Canada - not happening. I almost got a fresh orange from one of the vendors until I remembered that I was fasting... Dang. When I got back me and Tanya both took a little nap. Around 4 we decided it might have cooled down a bit a thought it would be a good idea to go try and find the palace - unfortunately it was a terrible failure. First off, it didn't cool down, it was way hotter than any other day and we were quite thirsty. Second, we couldn't find the palace and all the locals kept pointing us in different wrong directions. So finally we gave up and headed back. Tanya bought water - I don't blame her, I probably should have drank some too but I have too hard of a head. As we walked back to the hostel my mouth began to more closely resemble the Sahara desert. By the time we got back to the hostel it was about 5 ish and I headed straight for the shower. If I couldn't drink any water I was going to at least throw some at myself. Best cold shower I've ever had. The whole experience was actually very enlightening for me. It made me think about all the unfortunate people who are so thirsty and hungry and don't have regular access to food and water. It killed me to walk past all the fresh juices, fruits, and other food stands. It killed me even more to watch Tanya chug her ice cold agua. Certain individuals are faced with these issues on a regular basis and I usually take all of it for granted. It was a nice reminder of how lucky I am to be able to eat and drink whatever I want whenever I want. Around 7:30, our new friend, Tanya and I headed to the square to EAT! The second I heard the echoing chants coming from the mosque, piercing through the town, I chugged nearly my whole liter of water. We feasted on some delicious lamb and grilled vegetable skewers and watered them down with some freshly squeezed oj. On the way back to our hostel Tanya bought some cheese to feed her favorite little kitties. There is an over population of cats here and I'm almost positive that Tanya has petted over 75% of them. Back 2 sleep on the roof. Goodnight :) 

Day 32 - More exploring of the old Medina

As we've learned along our trip to take it easy and not over exert ourselves we did exactly that today. We had no big plans to go anywhere specific but instead to just roam around until we saw something cool. We began walking towards the square and along the way we brushed up on our bargaining skills. I must say we are pretty good. The vendors always start at 200/300 MAD and we offer as low as 20/30... Usually don't go higher than 40. It works 99% of the time. They'll usually run after us and agree to sell it for the price we want hehehe. The  square is probably the craziest part, where you can't make any eye contact or else you're stuck in conversation. The vendors are always much more aggressive in the square. We walked through the square up to the Koutoubia mosque. There we ran into our friends from the hostel and decided to join forces. We walked back through the square and into the souks. Bargained some more. Eventually we sat down for some coffee and tea. After this we headed to a little outdoor restaurant where we decided to eat dinner. It was so cheap and so good! For the equivalent of $6 Canadian dollars, we had a salad, steamed veggies, mixed meat (lamb, chicken, and beef), tajine kefta (meatballs mixed with eggs), bread and tea. On our way back to the hostel we passed by another really cute coffee shop with a rooftop terrace an we couldn't resist so we went there as well. There we all enjoyed either an ice cream or a cold beverage; except for one of our poor friends who was fasting and had to watch us eat and drink at three different shops in a row. Finally we got back to the hostel and rested for a bit. Tanya went out with our friends to watch the sunset in the square, which was probably very cool because that's where everyone gathers to eat once the sun has set. I stayed a little longer at the hostel chatting with a girl from Copenhagen on the rooftop but I met back up with everyone else shortly after. Together, we all went to what I promise is our last restaurant of the day. It's right in the square and offers an unreal panorama view of the square; looks especially good at night. We enjoyed some tea and ice cream as we watched and listened to the locals celebrate Ramadan with their prayers. After getting back to our hostel we all hung out and smoked some traditional shisha. We were waiting for the clock to strike 3am so we could eat suhoor, a pre fast meal, as we are planning on fasting tomorrow just for the experience. For suhoor we had tajine again, cooked by one of the sweet hostel employees, and I must say it was even better than the tajine we had at the restaurant! Tomorrow he will show us how to prepare it ourselves! This night we went to sleep on the roof, since our hostel has no AC and it gets crazy hot at night. The roof was nice and breezy and we fell asleep to the prayers of the locals and the cock-a-doodling roosters.

Day 31 - Ohhh Haaaaaay Marrakech!

After checking out of our hotel in Casablanca, we headed to the train station and booked it for Marrakech faster than the speed of light. While we enjoyed our time inside the hotel in Casablanca, we did not find the busy, polluted, and sometimes dangerous streets as endearing. The train ride felt longer than three hours and we noticed the increase in temperature two hours into the ride. Stepping out of the train and into the city of Marrakech was a pleasant surprise. While it was scorching hot (40 degrees), it was very beautiful and tropical. Palm trees everywhere, colourful buildings and well kept lawns was a nice change in scenery from the industrial streets of Casablanca. We took a taxi to our hostel and as soon as we got there, we were welcomed with open arms by the friendly staff. Upon entering, Anya and myself were greeted with Moroccan mint tea which was absolutely delicious. Mohammed, one of the kind hostel staff presented us with a map and showed us all the places to check out in the town. After settling in, we adventured out and walked through the busy souks, which eventually lead us to the famous square. The square was anything but ordinary. Snake charmers, fresh orange juice stands, snack vendors, men with monkeys, and an immense amount of women forcing henna tattoos on poor tourists were just a few of the squares many different sites. We were also overwhelmed by the number of inconsiderate motor bike drivers that filled the square (Anya almost got run over, twice). We saw the cute monkeys and couldn't help but want to pet them but as soon as we moved towards them, their trainers piled the monkeys on us and made us take pictures with them. We had a good laugh, snapped a few pictures and then all hell broke loose. The men started hounding us asking for ridiculous amounts of money and went as far as to make us pay them separately. We were extremely frazzled and gave them the money and headed the opposite direction. After that unusual encounter, we had dinner at a restaurant nearby and tried tajine for the first time. A stew-like dish containing vegetables and meat that's cooked in a clay pot; we were more than pleased by our first taste of Moroccan cuisine. Our night ended at the hostel, meeting fellow travellers (who are hilarious), playing a game or two of chess and enjoying some more Moroccan mint tea.