Thursday, March 14, 2024

Paris Update #3 - Feb Trip to Morocco

 March 14, 2024

Hi all - Happy Pi Day!!!!! from a rainy and wet Paris, but spring is coming ๐ŸŒ‡....i have to say, i had no idea how wet the wether was here in the winter....everyone has been saying to me that this is a very wet winter....more so than usual....ugh...but i did escape the weather for a week in february and hit my 91st country - Morocco.....this update will focus on that trip, because me and my friend laurie visited many different parts of Morocco....and for the most part, the weather was lovely....

a quick update about paris though....lots of folks have swung by or are coming through....which is so much fun for me to see everyone...again, it is amazing to live in a place so many folks want to visit....and because of this, the added bonus for me is a meal and drinks with people as they see the sites and have a trip of a lifetime....the spring is starting here and the rain is lessening....so i am excited for what this season will be like...since my last update i have been traveling a bit.....i was in london for a middle school conference, and had a bunch of reunions for that visit....and because it was such an easy trip i have included some more european travel this spring....i am off to helsinki, amsterdam, estonia, latvia and lithuanian, normandy, two visits to friends who live in france and another trip to london.....i am living my best life ⭐ it is sooooooo great being back in europe, where travel is so easy....love the trains!!!! so let me know if you are headed this way and me and eiffel tower will say hi๐Ÿ˜Ž

Laurie and i visited Morocco and saw my friends peter and jenny in casablanca....no, we did not make it to the famous bar....didn't really have the time....we also connected with friends of mine in Tangier and Fes....so it was a cool trip of old friends and new friends, as well as making new friends along the way....we were in casablanca, tangier, chefchaouen (the blue coity), asilah, and fes.....it was filled with tasty food, train rides, haggling for taxis, medinas, call to prayer, a hammam, cool sites and tons of cats....the cats were everywhere, but they were the well kept street cats....fed by many....so on with the pictures from morocco.....sorry that they are backwards from the way we traveled, but this way you will end back in paris with a shot from my bus stop in the morning๐Ÿ˜Ž


The food in morocco was quite tasty and we got into the fun habit of having lots of appetizers, that way we could try more different flavors....this particular rooftop restaurant in fes had an amazing cauliflower dish and really tasty zucchini croquettes...plus the view of the sunset was pretty spectacular....you'll see it below๐Ÿ˜‰


this shot is some graffiti from casablanca....we jumped the tram to a cooperative to pick up some souvenirs and food things and i snapped this just before we got on....the tram was easy and really clean....we had our tickets checked by ticket monitors and it was quite impressive...all above ground....you can tell morocco is getting ready to host world cup in 2030...we saw it everywhere....


this is a shot of our cooking crew in fes....we went shopping for ingredients, where some vendors had us decide who served the best mint tea....it was hilarious and then we made a smoked eggplant dish, a soup, some veggie couscous and a dessert....a very tasty, rainy afternoon....with some very cool women๐Ÿ†


we had a five hour tour of the medina in fes...during which our guide told us there are over 9000 alleyways and 40000 dead ends....this medina is from the 1200's and is still very much a working medina....when they are yelling for you to get out of the way, you better move....the shot above is of the original water clock of the medina...from the 14th century...metal balls were released from the windows into brass bowls, which would hit the bowls and make a sound to mark the hour....the balls and bowls are no longer there and the clock does not work....but how amazing that they could tell time this way....love the history and science๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ’ก⏳


the different bread products we had in morocco were quite tasty....i was not a huge fan of their croissants, compared to paris, but the flat breads and phyllo dough things were incredible....


ramadan was less than a month away when we were visiting, so people were starting to stock up on all of the treats they have before it starts and when it ends, as well as during the meals they eat before sunrise and after sunset....these were some of the treats that we saw everywhere....yes, we had some as well...yum!!!!

this is that sunset i mentioned earlier....it looked like the sky was on fire....the tall building in the middle is one of the 300 mosques found in fes....fes is considered to be the spiritual capital of morocco....
 

fes was and still is a huge stop on the trading routes through morocco...it is no longer done by caravan for the most part, but camels are still found in morocco, especially as you get closer and closer to the sahara desert....camel meat is also a delicacy in morocco...this camel head was for sale the morning we went shopping for our ingredients for our cooking class....anyone????


i loved these things....they looked like something a tailor would be using, but it is actually the way they make phyllo dough....so the white stuff on the top of the mannequin head like thing, is actually very thinly rolled phyllo dough, that they kind of throw around like a hand tossed pizza....it was just cool to watch..


this shot is of the choaura tannery in the middle of the fes medina....it is the oldest and the largest of the three tanneries found in this medina...it was incredible to watch...men work in the tannery in the morning hours, because it is such hard work, and they stop around noon due to exhaustion and many months of the year it being too hot....this tannery is over 1000 years old....wow!


i loved all of the little stalls as you walked around the medina...and i have to say there did not seem to be that big of a hassle here, compared to the big medinas in cairo and istanbul....many people said nothing to the tourists wandering around....this particular shop caught my eye....it is ALL cassette tapes...how crazy is that....i just wondered how many of these they are still selling....i don't own anything that would play cassettes anymore๐Ÿ˜œ

it was also cool to see how they got products in and out of the many alleyways in the medina, no cars are allowed...although in some places they can have scooters....we kept seeing these donkeys carrying the gas tanks to the cooking stalls all around the medina....donkeys....carrying compressed gas....just wild...๐Ÿซ


This is a shot from the courtyard of one of the madrasas in fes....it is called the al-attarine madrasa....it was the school of the perfumers....and was built in 1323...and is now a tourist destination to see the arabic calligraphy, mosaic tile work and pillars made of marble....it is still used during religious events, but is no longer used as a school....it was stunning....


this is the blue gate of fes...known as Bab Bou Jeloud...this is considered to be the entrance to the old city...and we stayed a few streets away....it was re-built like this by french colonialists in 1913....most people in fes spoke arabic and french...although now moroccans are learning english in schools...so lots of younger folks spoke english....we also heard some spanish up north by spain, and some berber...which is the language spoken by the berber tribes of the desert.....


we stayed in riads in both tangier and in fes....riads are traditional moroccan houses or palaces...which orginally had an indoor courtyrd and a garden...i am so glad we stayed in these, as they showed off the true flavor of morocco architecture...this is the entrance-way to the breakfast area in the fes riad....


this shot was taken the first night we were in fes...it was a beautiful sunset and we watched the boy on the roof near us make a school project from cardboard, plus we were right next door to a mosque for the call to prayer....i really enjoyed this part of morocco....


EVERYWHERE we went in morocco there were street cats...i love this shot of laurie and the one sitting above her like a lion in a tree...many of them were well fed and did not look like street cats...the moroccans seem to feed them and keep them around....


another town we visited was asilah...this is sleepy little beach town on the atlantic ocean....it was filled with murals and had lots of little alleyways we could wander through in the kasbah (walled part of the town)...the buildings were mostly painted white....


i loved this mosaic of glass pieces around this door of asilah....loved many of the doors located in morocco as well....the shapes and the colors were amazing....


this was one of my favorite doorways in chefchaouen, also known as the blue city...this place was mind-blowing....blue was painted everywhere...as you can really see in the image below....but this particular doorway was lovely.....

why is chefchaouen known as the blue city??? well, there seem to be two main reasons....the first is supposedly because jewish refugees, who escaped to here during the time of hitler in 1930, painted the city blue to represent the sky and heaven....the second reason is much more practical...blue deters mosquitos and flies because they think that the blue paint is really water and that they will drown....both interesting reasons that have created a simply amazing place to visit...


i loved this shot as well...an older woman, not a nun, coming up the walk in her hijab....she was walking slow, but she was making it....her in all white, along with the blue walls...just a striking shot....when you are in the medinas or kasbahs of morocco, it really feels like you are going back in time....


this city is car free, so only for pedestrians....they have painted the walls and doors a multitude of times...and the blues don't even have to match....such a cool place...


and the day we were in fes it was amazing weather....so here i am in an instagram location...it is so funny to me that so many cities around the world have now set up spots for folks to get the instagram shot they want to show all of their friends and family....i just had to do it ๐Ÿ˜‰


this is our breakfast at the riad in tangier...it food was simply tasty and plentiful throughout the whole trip....and the mint tea...we had it constantly...moroccans certainly known how to be amazing hosts....


we stayed in the kasbah at the top of tangier....soooooooooo hilly....but the street art in this section of town was great....i loved these dudes...and they were all over the place....of course with the artist's instagram handle....

this was one of the many alleyways in the kasbah...more blue, but nothing like chefchaouen...but i loved this area with the plants and artwork on the walls....


another shot of laurie and i, looking over the port of tangier...in the far distance you can see the outline of spain...that's how close we were...we did not take the ferry over, but it seemed like an easy/fast thing to do....


this is the inner courtyard of the riad in tangier...it used to be a fountain...but now it holds fresh flowers and is a way to show what it used to be...this riad was lovely and they gave us mint tea and sweets whenever we wanted....so nice....

this is the hassan II mosque in casablanca from the balcony of my friends jenny & peter's place....it is huge...it is the second largest functioning mosque in africa and is the 14th largest in the world....it is also one of the few mosques open to non-muslims...unfortunately we did not get a chance to visit while we were there...it was great to see jenny and peter while in casablanca...play it again.....


my last shot in this round of pictures is from my morning bus stop....this was taken over a week ago...it is sooooo nice to have light in the mornings again and later into the evening....i love it when it is clear skies...because this view never gets old...whether morning, with sun glinting off of it or evening when it is all lit up and sparkles on the hour....the eiffel tower has won my heart ๐Ÿฅ–

so these are the pictures and my update from my 91st country visit....morocco...it was a wonderful week, traveling with laurie, catching up with friends, making new friends, and experiencing a new land...i even got to use my french and spanish while there....it was a fabulous trip with fun, new experiences and really reminded me how much i love to travel and how happy i am to be able to do this with ease now....yay!!!!๐ŸŽ‰

feel free to send any questions my way and again, please let me know if you are paris bound....i will be in the states for a short month, but otherwise i will be here....be warned though....paris is in total gearing up phase for the olympics and there is a lot of construction, cleaning of buildings and price hiking going on....i am soooooo excited i will be attending 10 different events, and am hopeful it will all go smoothly, but you just never know๐Ÿ˜œ

thanks for reading all the way to the end and i hope all is well with you and the folks in your life....
have a fab day ๐Ÿ˜Ž
dani



Monday, January 01, 2024

Paris Update #2 - Happy New Year!

 January 1, 2024

Hi all and Happy New Year to you and yours, from me and mine! I hope it has been a good start to this year. My year has been a bit crazy as you know. It is weird for me to think that I was in china last year at this time, as i am so removed from there now...we were still dealing with the covid restrictions disappearing overnight and trying to find cheap and easy flights for chinese new year...it seems like a lifetime ago, because my world is so very different these days.....

living in europe again is so very nice and i love how many people "swing" through paris on their way to someplace else in france or in europe....i have not lived in a place this popular to visit before and have been enjoying the visits with all of the folks coming by...no one is staying with me because my apartment is too small, but it is fun to see them as they enjoy the aspects of paris on vacation.....living in paris is a bit different than visiting paris...i take notice of different things than people who are here for vacation....like all of the dog poop...i have heard it is less than previous years...but who really knows...or all of the trash....even though the trash folks seem to be out collecting 24-7....let's hope they do not go on strike...or the crazy strikes....everyone in paris strikes and protests....they go after what they want, which has led to amazing workers rights...its wild....but sometimes this makes my commute to work crazy ๐Ÿ˜‰ BUT...i live in paris....and the art, food, music, walkability of the city, food, dance, theater, food, architecture, museums....did i say food๐Ÿ˜‰   it really is amazing.....i love jumping on the metro and going and exploring a new part of the city....even in the rain, of which there has been a lot of in october, november and december....but overall, i would say paris is growing on me and i am enjoying my time there....if you are passing through or coming somewhere near by...be sure to let me know....i will always grab a meal and drink๐Ÿ˜€

although the fall was quite busy getting used to my school, i am now using my free time much better - which the french really cherish....i am so impressed with workers rights here and the fight to keep things a life-work balance and not the other way around....the french enjoy their lives and this is so very different than other countries i have worked in where they squeeze every drop of effort and work out of you....i have to say i could get used to this....there is a ton of bureaucratic stuff and the amount of paperwork and mailing of things blows my mind, but the place is growing on me....come and visit....i am not sure you should do that before the olympics, because things are definitely ramping up, but after the olympics, i highly recommend you come and visit๐Ÿท๐Ÿฅ– 

i also was able in the fall to get to my 90th country - Malta...i wanted to get back under the water and scuba dive and was able to at this quirky island...below you will see some pics from my trip....it was an interesting mix of all of the countries that have once ruled over the island...so its a combo of roman, slavic, arabic and african flavors...which makes for an interesting world of the maltese....the dive company and the diving was wonderful though...and that was my main focus....

i am also including some shots from paris and strasbourg, where i was over a weekend to hit up the christmas markets with a friend.....i have to say it was lovely to be back in a country/city that really decorates for the xmas holiday....store fronts are beautiful and completely decked for the season.....this coming year i do have travel plans and the olympics on the horizon....so it should be another good year ahead.....plus, i really am grateful for the ability to travel and see the world and take you along for the ride....plus, thanks to those who have stopped by or are coming in 2024 and for those who have allowed me or will allow me to stop by and see them....thanks for your friendship.....anyway, here are some pictures from october to now....happy new year to all ๐Ÿป

Of course i had to include a shot of me at the musee l'orangerie.....with one of my favorites, on a day that it was not so very crowded....i love monet's water lilies and really do hope to go on a day and just sit and read and admire his work....one of my goals of 2024!!!

this is a shot of malta - specifically st julian's, where i stayed...this is a shot of one side of their harbor from the rooftop of my hotel....i stayed here because of the dive shop, but it was a bit crazy of a town...who knew they had so many gentlemen's clubs๐Ÿ˜‚

i love being under the water, so i had to include a shot or two of this....malta is not known for soft corals or huge reefs, the water is too cold at times to sustain them...but there were lots of rock formations and rock walls, as well as wrecks...i saw tons of fish and moray eels and barracuda and trumpet fish and fire worms, etc....this was a cave with a statue of mary in it....a perfect place to visit on a sunday๐Ÿ˜€

this is me and one of the dive masters who watched over our group....i was always checking out the walls and rocks for the small things....they were quite surprised at the things i found....you just have to slow down and look in my opinion๐Ÿคฟ

this was one of our dive spots the day before this shot was taken...it was of a wreck....that was carrying ammunition and supplies during one of the wars and had been hit by a torpedo...malta was a spot in the Mediterranean that countries fought to control in many wars....hence why it has a mix of so many different cultures....

here is a shot i loved getting....just a guy hanging out his window on the second floor...this style of window on the second floor really reminded me of some of the middle eastern places i have visited....and they were in lots of different colors....so cool....


with malta being an island, obviously fishing is a huge part of their economy...i loved the colorful fishing boats you saw on the southeastern side of the island...i think that part was less rough....we did not dive here, we dove on the northern side and in one of the harbours...

of course i had to try the local beer of malta.....it was a great spot to visit and to dive...very quirky...yay for country number 90!! This year i am hoping to add a few more new countries to my list - morocco, lithuanian and estonia are already booked....i am back to my old traveling ways!!! yahooooo ๐ŸŒ๐ŸŒŽ๐ŸŒ

of course i needed to include a picture of the eiifel tower here...i see this monument almost every day...either on my walk to the metro or my bus ride to school or walking around in my neighbourhood...i cannot see it from my balcony, but the light that goes around at the top, it used to be a lighthouse at some point in its history i have heard, i can see from my balcony as it goes overhead....so cool and what a reminder that i live here in paris....so wild ๐Ÿฅ–๐Ÿง€๐Ÿท

i also decided to include this metro stop entrance....i know folks always like the ones by hector guimard and of course i will have one here at some point....but this one, down by the louvre, always makes me smile๐Ÿ˜€

during my fall break, i also headed out to chartres....which is a town outside of paris by about 2 hours, that is known for its lovely cathedral - which you can see in the picture above...it was an interesting place, but very, very quiet.....

this is the inside of the cathedral...it is known for the sculptures throughout the cathedral of the different stories of the bible....amazing work....

we also visited this amazing house where everything was a mosaic....it is called La Maison Picassette, after the artist who covered literally every surface of his and his wife's house in mosaic....it was incredible....

this is a shot of one of the garden walls that he had covered with different cathedrals in the area....yes, notre dame, sacre coeur and st chapelle are there....amazing work ๐ŸŽจ

i also felt i needed to include a shot of a cheese plate....these are part of my life on a regular basis...some are larger, some are smaller, but all are tasty....i had no idea how many different cheeses there could be in the world and am so much happier because of this ๐Ÿง€ it is definitely making it tough to become vegan๐Ÿ˜Ž

It was fun being back in europe again for holidays...including all souls day & all saints day....the day after halloween...to celebrate i went with a friend to the pere lachaise cemetary - the famous one where jim morrison, oscar wilde, edith piaf, gertrude stein and chopin, along with many other famous folks, are buried...a perfect place to be for all souls day as the sun was setting....freaky!!!!


i loved this skeleton as an ornament for one of the graves....this was the grave a of a famous french government official, who fought for worker's rights....something that is super important in france, even today!!!!

i finally made it to one of the china towns in paris...let's just say it was tiny and did not fill my chinese food requirement....however, i did find another piece of street art done by a man known as invader...and i loved this one....i am actually playing "space invaders" on my phone, where you look for his artwork and take pictures of it for points....he has a work of art on the ISS and at the bottom of the sea in cancun on a sculpture...i love his stuff๐Ÿ‘พ


another place i was able to visit in paris once again, was sainte chapelle....it is just an amazing place....the stained glass windows are some of the most amazing in the world....and they represent the 13 books of the old testament...simply stunning....


plus i made it back to the moulin rouge with friends who were visiting....it was just as good as i remembered....and the can-can still happens and is amazing....such a fun night...


i also have been to sacre coeur basilica quite a few times now....but this is the picture of it with the best light....in the summer & fall the lawn below this basilica was teeming with people....such a fun spot to visit, with amazing bookstores, cafes and brasseries in the area....so much fun to people watch as well....


one weekend i did make it out of paris to strasbourg, france, which is known for its amazing christmas markets....i think in the two days i was there with a friend, we made it to 13 xmas markets...it was insane....the whole old section of town is decorated for the holiday and it was a wonderful visit....even if it poured rain on saturday night and interrupted our visit.....


the town is quaint and lovely to stroll around with thousands of your closest friends during xmas time...between the food and xmas gift shopping and mulled wine, we had a wonderful time.....


and literally, all of the buildings are decorated.....it was beautiful and put me in the xmas mood...all of france and germany and croatia and austria, etc do xmas markets and they really are able to put you in the holiday spirit....


the picture above is of made made mannele....a very tasty treat....the little brioche man, all covered in different chocolate....amazing!!!!! i even was able to bring some of these home for the holidays....


strabourg had a lovely outdoor tree at one of the markets...probably the biggest one...it was a great weekend away and really put me into the holiday spirit!!!


back in paris, places were also dressed for the holidays...especially the big department stores...from their decorated windows with animatronics, to their displays on the inside....parisiennes love to shop...and love to be surrounded by beauty while they do it....it is interesting to me that malls and department stores are going by the way-side in the states, because they are certainly not doing that in france....this is the huge ribbon tree at the galleries lafayette hausmann....it was incredible....


the image above is the rue des bulles - also know at the street of champagne bubbles....the french take their champagne seriously and this street was just lovely....we did not have champagne while there, but we did stroll down and buy some amazing chocolate in the area....


and of course, at every christmas market, you must have vin chaud - hot wine or sometimes referred to as gluhwein....there are many different types of this...but i have to say i am a fan of the traditional red base mulled wine...and i certainly tried a lot of it during this festive season....


even in my own area of paris - the 15th arrondissement - there were tons of holiday decorations and lights....it was so much fun to be back in a place that celebrates christmas in a very classy and traditional way...so.much.fun๐ŸŽ„

the last shot of this set is me, vin chaud, and the eiffel tower...of course....it was a great holiday season and i have had a wonderful visit to the states to be with my family....i am enjoying life in paris...there are of course ups and downs, as with any move you ever make, and believe me, i have had a lot of moves and ups and downs, but overall i am enjoying my time and all the visitors and exploring the city of lights with everything it has to offer ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜Ž

i hope you have had a great start to your 2024...and remember, if you are europe bound, let me know....you never know where paths can cross....i wish you health and happiness in 2024, and per normal, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to pass them my way....
thanks for reading the blog....i hope to have another update out in the next few months

peace out....dani๐Ÿ˜Ž