Our trip to Spain and Morocco

During the last month that Zane was in Afghanistan we began to plan our post deployment leave vacation. We began looking at the map of the world and decided that we would spend 2 weeks in Spain and Morocco.  We did a lot of planning, picking out places that we wanted to see, finding the best ways to get there, etc, but we also wanted to leave our itinerary somewhat open just to go with the flow once we were there. The first stop of our big trip however was in Nashville, TN. We stayed with John and Mary at the lake for a few days to get Cally accustomed and to make sure she was comfortable there. Needless to say, she wanted nothing to do with us after the first half  hour there. There was so much to see and do that she forgot all about Zane and I. This actually made me feel better since our trip was for 13 days and I was already a bit nervous about leaving her that long. It was comforting to know that she wouldn't miss us much.

So after a few days in TN, we headed to the airport to board the first leg of our flight. The flight was going to JFK airport in NYC and ended up departing an hour later than scheduled. We made it to JFK with only 15 minutes to spare before our international flight to Spain was scheduled to take off. We literally ran for those whole 15 minutes across what felt like the entire airport and made it just before they closed the doors! It was a hectic time, but we were able to relax for the next 8hrs while we flew across the Atlantic Ocean to Spain.

We arrived in Madrid, Spain around 7am local time. We picked up our rental car and headed south to Granada. The roads there are great, wide, and freeway-like so it was easy to find our way. Four hours later we made it to Granada. Granada is a large bustling city with historical places and landmarks mixed in. Once we got off the main freeway and into the city, it took us quite a while and alot of driving around in circles to find our hotel. We finally found it, checked in, and settled into our room. By that point we were absolutely exhausted since we were going on 24 hours without sleep. We found a local cafe around the corner and decided to have our first Spanish meal. We were not impressed. It was bland, there weren't many options to choose from and it was overpriced. After a disappointed first meal, we headed back to the hotel and decided it was best to just sleep through the night to get adjusted to the new time zone and catch up on our sleep so we could  have a productive following day.

The next morning we were up and ready to go and very excited about our day in Granada. Zane had researched Granada and was especially interested in this city because of a historical site called the Alhambra, a Moorish palace built by the Muslim settlers back in the 13th century. I too couldn't wait to go check it out, walk around the city and submerge ourselves in the Spanish culture. Although the Alhambra was a few miles away, we decided to walk to check out the city and see other great things that we may have missed if we had driven. So we headed towards the direction of the Alhambra, stopping by a bakery and having a Spanish donut for breakfast and then a sandwich at a cafe shortly after. But as we started getting closer to the Alhambra, the streets began to get more narrow, street signs were nowhere to be found, and we soon realized we were lost. After a few detours up and down some hills, we finally made it to the Alhambra. We went up to the ticket window to buy tickets into this beautiful palace only to find out that they were already sold out! It was only 1 in the afternoon! We could not believe it! We were pretty disappointed especially since this was the main reason we came to Granada. However, we began to walk around and there were many parts of the Alhambra that were open to the public, including the courtyard. We got to hang out and see pretty much the whole thing other than the inside of the palace. After being there a few hours we headed back into the town and caught an early dinner. We spent some time in an outdoor cafe eating pasta and paella while listening to Spanish music, with the beautiful view of the palace in front of us. We finished up the night by sharing a few jugs of delicious Sangria. Overall, Granada was great, and although a bit disappointed that we could not see everything at the Alhambra, the overall experience was wonderful and we were eager for more.

The next day on our itinerary was left open so we decided to head down south to the coast of Spain and stay in a small beach town. We began heading south but when we arrived, the weather wasn't cooperating with our beach plans. The sky was gray and there was a constant down pour as we drove around the "beach town"  which turned out to be more of a port town, with large container ships and lots of industrial buildings everywhere. So we decided to continue on to Seville. After a few more hours on the road we made it to Seville and the weather followed us. We headed towards the downtown area and tried to find a hotel. Little did we know, it was the first day of "Semana Santa," (Holy week). Easter was the following Sunday and apparently in Spain they celebrate the whole week prior by parading around town these beautiful floats of the Virgin Mary,  and Jesus Christ. The women in the parade are all dressed in black as if to signify the mourning of the death of Jesus Christ and the men are dressed in what looks like purple "Ku Klux Klan" members who are supposed to signify the catholic knights and the higher hierarchy of the catholic church. So with all this commotion there was not a single hotel room in the entire city of Seville. We must have stopped at over 20 hotels and we finally gave up. By that time, it was getting dark so we decided to park downtown and enjoy the city for a few hours and then head out. As I mentioned, the weather wasn't great, drizzling here and there and cold but we made the best of it. We walked around Seville, had dinner, ice cream, a few beers and finally got back on the road looking for the nearest hotel room. About 20 miles out of town, we pulled off and found a hotel on the side of the road. It was pretty old, but very clean and we were exhausted by this point so we called it a night.

The following day we headed back north and stopped in Cordoba for a few hours to check out it out. Cordoba is a beautiful city with lots of old architecture and churches that really capture the Spanish culture. It was a beautiful place to visit and we found some really cool places to see. But after a few hours there we decided to head on since we only had 1 more day in mainland Spain and we wanted to see more. 

After a few hours north we veered west and headed to Toledo. We weren't sure what to expect of this town, but when we got there we were glad we decided to come. Nestled in the middle of rolling green hills, Old Toledo looks like a big castle on a hill with beautiful architecture and things to see. We were very skeptical about being able to find a hotel, but we got lucky and found the last room in a beautiful hotel right in the heart of Toledo. We arrived in the evening so we spent the night checking out the town and planning for the following day. The next day we walked around the beautiful town again and got to check out all the beautiful places and enjoy the town in the daytime. I have to say, Toledo was my favorite stop of the whole trip in mainland Spain. It was beautiful! I definitely recommend it!

The following morning we headed to Madrid, returned our rental car, and flew out to Ibiza, one of the Spanish islands on the Mediterranean. Ibiza is known for a party town but it's also a beautiful island with crystal blue waters and many things to see. The weather again wasn't great but it didn't stop us. To change things up, we decided to rent a scooter. We drove around the island on that scooter and although we were regretful of our decision at times (due to the rain smacking our facing while going 60mph...ouch!), it was a fun experience. The first day we drove up to north of the island and we got to see some beautiful natural caverns. We also had the chance to check out the entire island and it was wonderful. From the beaches to the farmlands, Ibiza was great. We finished out the night eating a some great food and drinking just a few too many jugs of sangria!

 Since the tourist season had not quite started yet, we had somewhat of a difficult time trying to find a place that would take us scuba diving the next day. Finally, after a few phone calls, we made plans to meet with a local diver and his team and got to take a private tour out to sea and scuba. It was so much fun! It was my first time diving since I had taken my certification class and I loved it. We got to see beautiful colorful fish and found several octopus! We got to hold one and it even sprayed it's ink, it was a super cool experience. The scuba guys were all super nice and very helpful and we got to see as much as we wanted to see. Loved that part of the trip!

The following day we spent it checking out the town and then catching a late flight back to Madrid that evening. Overall, our time on the island was great, and again, although the weather did not cooperate with us, we made the best of it and had a blast!

We got back to Madrid late that evening and prepared for the next part of our trip. Bright and early the following day, we headed back to the airport and boarded a plane the Marrakech, Morocco.

When we arrived in Marrakech, we immediately noticed differences. From the temperature of the airport (pretty warm, felt like no ac was running) to the Arabic signs, we knew we were gonna be in pretty big culture shock. We arranged for a driver to pick us up from the airport and take us directly to our Riad. We got a Riad instead of a hotel because wanted to really be submerged into the culture and we definitely got what we were looking for. A Riad is a private house based in the Medina (meaning old city), and considered a place of meditation and escape . The thick, exterior walls are designed to tell nothing of the stunning interior which it hides to the outside world. We couldn't wait to check out the city and see this different world. Our driver could not speak English although he understood several words so with a few hand gestures, we followed him to his car and got in hoping for the best. The town of Marrakech is big. It's actually a big busy city, but we were staying inside the walls of Old Marrakech were the markets, are located. The roads there are completely chaotic with everyone driving in every direction. They are filled with cars, mopeds, motorcycles, horses, and donkeys and everyone wants to get where they're going first. After driving through the part of the big city we made it through to the red wall and inside into old Marrakech. We were dropped off on a corner street where another young man met us, who spoke very good English and walked us to our Riad. We walked down a dirt road passing by vendors and people and made a turn into a dark alley with walls made out of mud and the very minimal lighting. After taking some right and left turns, we got to our Riad door. We did not know what to expect when we walked in and we were pleasantly surprised as we were welcomed in. The inside of the riad is like a whole different world where there is beautiful decorations, and luxury everywhere in site. It's quiet and peaceful and beautiful! We were escorted to our room where we finally got settled in. The staff brought us Moroccan tea and pastries and we were given a very in depth description of what to expect, things to do, and how to get there. So after enjoying our tea and pastries we headed out into the town. We walked down into the medina where you were greeted my vendor after vendor selling whatever they could. We were almost overwhelmed with the amount of things we were seeing and did not know where to start. After spending some time in the medinas we made it out to the square and had our first Moroccan meal, tajine. It was stew like and surprisingly good. We then continued to walk around the square and markets, and found our way to the mosque where you could see people praying on their rugs inside . We were not allowed to enter and people around there gave us unwelcomed stares so we didn't stay long. On our way back to the square we found ourselves taking pictures with cobras and snake charmers that had set up camp in the middle of the square on the ground where people were walking by. We also found ourselves playing with monkeys! It was a really cool experience to see so many different things but after a while we were exhausted and headed back to our riad to unwind from all the chaos. After laying out in the sun and enjoying some Moroccan beers we get dressed for the night and headed back out. We walked through the markets once again and out to the square here it was now filled with even more people. We had dinner in the square and walked around for a bit then headed back for a good nights sleep to prepare for our following day, riding camels in the Sahara and getting to know the rest of Marrakech!

The following morning after a delicious breakfast we had a cab take us out to the camel farm and prepared to go ride camels. We got to put on the traditional Moroccan clothing and rode around on camels all over the Saharan desert. It was such a fun experience! From getting on and up, to riding and trotting, to getting down off the camel, it was so much fun and I'm so glad we got to do that! After our time in the farm, we headed back to the city where we visited one of the king's palaces, a beautiful garden and another part of the Moroccan markets. We finished the day having dinner out in the square once again and headed back to our riad to relax and unwind.

Handsome cab ride back to the markets

 One of the best things in the square....Fresh squeezed orange juice! 

The following morning, we left our riad and headed to the bus station where we caught a tour bus to the beach town of Essauria . After a few hours drive we got to town and settled into our hotel. I had not turned on the TV for many days so I decided to just to see what was going on in the world, only to find out that the had been a suicide bombing in Marrakech in the same town square where we had been and eating the past two nights! We were freaked out! I could not believe how close we were to that! So scary! My first thought was, " lets get the heck out of this country!" I even looked at possible flights out that day but nothing was available. After a while, we decided we couldn't stay cooped in our hotel for the next 2 days so we headed out to the beach. We rented a kayak and spent some time in the water, then walked around the town, had lunch and dinner out but in the end we were still pretty uneasy. We ended up spending the next day mostly at the hotel, enjoying the pool and peaceful atmosphere. The following day we nervously headed back to the scene of the crime Marrakech, where we stayed the night to catch an early flight back to Madrid the following morning. In the morning we headed out to the airport, where security had heavily increased. We finally boarded the plane and the minute it landed in Spain, I was able to fully relax once again!

This was now day 13 of our trip and we were pretty worn out and ready to come home! Our original plan was to visit Madrid that last day but we were exhausted and ended up enjoying a nice dinner at a nearby restaurant and heading back to our hotel to sleep and prepare for our flight back home the following day. I was really missing Cally by this point too and couldn't wait to see her!

After a flight cancellation, a re-route and an extra stop in New York, we finally made it back to Nashville! The following day we completed the final leg of our long trip, with Cally this time, and finally made it home. The trip was amazing and we brought back so many wonderful memories and experiences! I had a blast and really enjoyed the time with Zane after being apart for so long!