A few weeks ago I started the second half of my study abroad session in Morocco. So, as I said goodbye to the amazing friends that I made during summer 1, I anxiously awaited the arrival of the new group. Even after a few short weeks I can already tell they are going to be a great group. Last weekend, I accompanied them on their first excursion to Volubilis & Fes. Despite the fact that I had already done this trip with my original group I decided to tag along for a few reasons...

1. I truly wanted to get to know the new members of the ISA program, and from past experience, I remember how getting lost together on excursions served as a strong bonding moment with my friends from summer 1. 
2. It was free...hey, I will take a private & air-conditioned ISA bus over the Moroccan train system any day.
3. Shopping!! If there is anything, and I mean anything, that you need to find/buy-it will be in Fes. So, I used this trip to purchase some early christmas gifts and to take advantage of the outstanding quality and prices of Moroccan leather. 
4. Lastly, I wanted to make a video! During the last session I got no footage from my excursion to Volubilis. This time around, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make a video with the new members of summer 2. 

Before I attach my video, I should probably explain what Volubilis is! Voluilis (aka Walili) is located midway between Meknes and Fes. It is a archeological site of Roman ruins complete with corinthian columns, mosaics, and other well preserved remnants of the former city. I think I managed to capture the beauty of these ruins in my video {So Enjoy Everyone}

ISA Blogging

Recently, I was hired on as a featured blogger for ISA (International Studies Abroad). Essentially my job is to write a minimum of two blog posts on ISA's blog . This past week I wrote my first entry reflecting on my time abroad in Morocco thus far and why I decided to keep a blog. Attached to this post is a link to my first blog entry. Feel free to view and comment on the post. Also, make sure to look at my updated page on "people on my travels that I've met and liked." {Enjoy}

ISA Blogger: Taylor Renee {link}

Las Ramblas {Barcelona}

                  

Hello Everyone, please excuse my idleness. The combination of final exams and traveling has forced me to neglect my blog for longer then I liked, but I'm back with a lot of new experiences and stories to tell! Last week I  spent about six days in Spain & Catalonia. Half of my trip was spent in Madrid and the other in Barcelona. Despite the beauty of both cities, Barcelona was undoubtedly my favorite place. I was really amazed at the architecture and the overall vibe of the city. Everywhere you turned there is something new and exciting to capture your attention. I think the video montage that I made to document my time in Barcelona will express this notion. The video is a jumble of food, architecture, and primary sites in Barcelona. Most of it was shot on Las Ramblas which in now my favorite street in the city. Las Ramblas is a long stretch of interconnecting streets that forms one long pedestrian mall. I loved it because of the fact that there was always so much to do and see in this area and you could always find excellent paellas along this street. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my video. Stay tuned for   more pictures from Barcelona & Madrid & check out the new updates on my "people on my travels that "I've met and liked" page. 

The Cities by the Sea: Tangier & Asilah

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This past weekend, I went on a final excursion. I traveled to two gorgeous cities, Tangier & Asilah. The sole purpose of the trip was to relax (i.e. no monuments or tours). Thus, all of us fled to the beautiful beaches of Asilah. After the long weekend, Asilah quickly ended up being my favorite city in Morocco. Not only was the city calm and undeniably peaceful, but it consisted of two of my favorite things, art and water. Art seemed to be one of the unmistakeable themes of the city. Almost every person I met there was artisan. Moreover, the art of Asilah is mostly displayed along the cities sprawling white walls. Large vivid murals cover commonplace residential walls throughout the city. Besides its thriving artistic culture, Asilah is most significantly a beach town. The endless expanse of beach is breathtaking. An entire day could literally be spent relaxing along the ocean. Anyway, here is the video from my last excursion, I hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed making it!

This Side of Wanderlust

One of the hardest parts of running a blog is narrowing down and selecting pictures to post on it. As not to clutter the site I try to limit my picture uploads. However, this presents a conundrum because there are many more pictures that I would love to share. So, I have created a tumblr account as a more efficient forum for my images. Here is a link to my new tumblr page "This Side of Wanderlust," I really hope you enjoy the miscellaneous cluster of images, music, video, and inspiration from my travels.

                                                   
                                                                                               ---CLICK HERE---

Adventures & Wanderlust

 

This past weekend I went on a 1 day excursion to the quiet towns of Ifrane and Azrou. Unlike many of my previous excursions, this trip lacked a lot of the hustle and bustle that has come to define a lot of my time in Morocco. This particular excursion was different. Walking through Ifrane during the early hours of the morning and being surrounded by the wide open space of Azrou was incredibly peaceful. In the video above, all of the footage is from my time in Azrou. My goal was to try and capture some of the memorable moments from my hike. So, hope you enjoy the video! Until next time.

moroccan hammams

{hammam + chefchaouen}

Thus far, one of the most memorable experiences i've had in Morocco has been my visits to the "hammam." First, you might be wondering what exactly is a Moroccan hammam. It is a public bath separated for both men and women. Essentially, imagine a modern steam room combined with a traditional Turkish bath. Hammams are usually visited once a week or based on personal preference.  Moreover, the primary function of it is to cleanse & rehydrate your skin.They are very much apart of the community, meaning that women, children and men of all types frequent the hammams.

Visiting a Hamman: 

Bring all the things that you would normally use in the shower. Also, when going to a hammam one has to bring a plastic bucket for water. Once there, ask for the "black soap"- the soap is made form all natural products and makes it easier to remove dead skin from your body. Lastly, a plastic mat is necessary so that you don't have to sit directly on the marble floor. 

What to Expect: 

So far I have visited two hammans; one in Meknes and Chefchaouen (pictured above). The initial entrance fee is about 10-16 dirhams ($1.13-$2.03 USD). They all have the same basic layout. There is always a changing area, however, it can be private or public. For the actual shower, there is a communal hot room with individual cisterns. 

Also, for a about 25 extra dirhams ($2.83 USD), a hamman attendant will scrub you with a kiis-which is a mitt made of a harsh material meant to remove layers of dead skin from your body. 

Overall, the hammans are so interesting/ and fun because of the fact that it is such a new experience. Once you get over the initial awkwardness it instantly becomes one of the most relaxing places to go after my three hour Arabic class.