From Friday to Friday, 35: Christmas Edition

[When whatever ends up on my phone, ends up here.]

My Winter Adventure: A Few of My Favorites

From Friday to Friday, 34b: Morocco Edition (Azrou/Ifrane)

The next morning Katy deposited me in the Azrou taxi, and I went to meet another set of her friends. They toured me around the souk, where I saw all kinds of interesting things that didn't get photographed, such as the livestock area, where a woman stood holding sheep circled around her by rope, and skinny bones-poking horses nuzzled each other and little donkeys followed men in traditional Berber garb. 

 [This souk had a little bit of everything...]

 [Olives are a big deal in Morocco, and so tasty.]

 [Here's an interesting thing: Apparently it is acceptable to eat the goods while you do your shopping. I stood in this spot while my host gathered up what he had come for, depositing his bags in a cart he'd procured to take to his truck, eating orange after orange that he brought to me and his wife...]

[I was fascinated to watch the sellers weigh out the goods into bowls to match the kilogram weights on the other...] 

Following our souk adventures, I was taken to the house of friends of my hosts-for-the-day. I took no pictures, because it felt a little rude, but let me tell you: This was a delightful part of my trip. We sat along the walls on typical Moroccan cushioned benches. In the center was a table, progressively laid with more and more deliciousness. Meloui is a traditional pancake like pastry, which I smothered in a date paste (from the hostesses family in the desert I was told) and then rejoiced inwardly as I smiled sweetly in appreciation. I drank glass after glass of sweet mint tea, and then was brought a round of still-warm "house" bread. Let me tell you what: It was divine.

Then, my hosts brought me with them to pick up their many children from school, because they have a mid-day 2-hour break. They then took me to their home, where I ate a communal lunch with them all, the children teaching me things like how to take the bread to capture the food in the tagine shared between the four sitting around it, and "it is rude to turn the plate" (when--I guess--I turned the tagine...).

After lunch the children returned to school and I was taken to Katy's school, where she showed me all around and then I hung out in the coffee shop for a bit. 

 When she was done with work, we hit the road,

 seeing this Berber lion (now extinct)

 and the other sites

 the town had to offer.

We then dined in Ifrane's Chinese restaurant 

(which was very tasty), 

 finishing the night off with tea and Moroccan pastry.

 The next morning I taxi'd to the airport,

 and took my leave.

 Headed into Portugal, the plane was quite empty,

 so I stretched out for a bit,

 until I got to this sweet London room for a brief rest.

Early the next morning I was back in the airport, 

on my way home at last.