December 24, 2011
Hotel: Parador de Santiago de Compostela
Today Nick, his family and I transfer accommodations to the notably posher Parador Hotel de Santiago de Compostela which claims to be the oldest hotel in the world. We also decide it's a perfect day to take a drive to the Spanish coast and enjoy the sunshine.
Luckily, we make it back in time for our six-course dinner at the hotel. I am delighted to see that the menu is composed almost entirely of exotic foods including scorpion fish and saffron in a mushroom soup, hale loin on black spaghetti, eggplant in crab sauce and marinated salmon with ginger salt, seaweed sauce and dried fruits.
December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas from Spain! Today is a leisurely one spent indulging in our hotel's obscene breakfast buffet which includes caviar, fresh fish and other such over-the-top menu items, wandering the town (most of its residents seem to have had the same idea) and Skyping with my family back home in California.
December 26, 2011
Hotel: Hotel Asturias
Today it's off to Madrid! Nick and I catch our flight mid-day and manager to make it to our hotel by night fall (after fighting the massive holiday crowds around Puerta del Sol). After dropping off our bags we head to Nick's favorite restaurant in Madrid (and one I've been hearing about for years!). Nemrut Doner Kebab is a hole in the wall kebab place he claims has the best kebab this side of Turkey. I was skeptical of eating Turkish food in Spain but after my first bite of their wrap I became a believer (we ended up returning twice more before our trip finished).
December 27, 2011
I'm so excited to be in Madrid because it has been a 'bucket list' item of mine to visit the Prado Museum. Alas, as Nick and I approach the museum we are greeted with a line that wraps around the building. I panic. I basically came to Madrid to see this museum and now there's a line a million people long (only a slight exaggeration) and we leave tomorrow or Morocco!
Nick and I resolve to return early tomorrow morning before our flight to see if we can beat the crowds.
That issue at least temporarily resolved, we spend the rest of the day strolling through a rather sad Real Jardin Botanico garden (I seem to have forgotten it was winter), past the Royal Palace, through Plaza Mayor and the bustling wide streets of the city. I am particularly happy to see a huge living wall taking over the side of a tall building near the Prado.
December 28, 2011
Hotel: Riad Lyon Mogador
Today is a LONG day. Nick and I wake up super early to get in line at the Prado by 8:30 am only to see that a line has already formed. By the time we get in, we have just over an hour-and-a-half to visit the museum before rushing back to the hotel to grab our bags and take the 45-minute metro ride to the airport for our flight to Morocco!
Our flight ends up being delayed by about two hours. This means Nick and I missed the last bus from Marrakech to Essaouria (our stop for the night). Out of desperation, we manage to negotiate a cab ride for the two-and-half-hour drive. It cost us substantially more than the bus and provided us a couple of scary moments (we get pulled over by the hyper-attentive Moroccan police and find out our driver is not supposed to be driving outside of the Marrakech city limits) but in the end, this was nothing some palm-greasing couldn't solve. We make it Essaouira by around 10:00 pm.
But that is not the end of our night. We are staying in a Riad (traditional house) in the middle of the Essaouria Medina where cars are not allowed to drive. Nick, our driver and I spend the next 45 minutes wandering the maze-like streets of the Medina knocking on doors and asking the super-helpful citizens of Essaouira for directions to our elusive hotel.
We finally make it to the Riad at around 10:45 pm. After checking in we rush out to grab a bite of street food before everything closes. We don't make it to bed until well past midnight tonight. Phew!
December 29, 2011
We start our morning with an amazingly carb-heavy breakfast on the rooftop of our hotel, taking in the beautiful weather, ocean scenery and thousands of seagulls.
After our fill of bread, Nick and I start our day-time stroll of the Medina. Both he and I are shocked at the difference daylight makes. Seemingly out of nowhere erupt walls of shops with colorful fabrics, fragrant spices and all manner of wares.
We make our way to the fishing port and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Moroccan fishermen loading up their boats. We also crawl around the cities walls, forts and other beautiful architectural structures.
The remainder of the day is spent on the suprisingly impressive beaches of the city and devouring my first Moroccan tagine and cup of mint tea (the subsequent culprit in my 5-pound weight gain on the trip).
December 30, 2011
Hotel: Hotel Ryad Mogador Gueliz & Spa
Nick and I spend our last morning in Essaouira taking in the relaxed Moroccan city before our afternoon bus ride via Supra Tours to Marrakech.
After arriving in this metropolitan Moroccan city at around 9:00 pm, Nick and I set about arranging some train tickets for later in our trip and prepping for the start of our camel trek tomorrow! So excited!
*The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Northeastern University, its employees or affiliates.
Hotel: Parador de Santiago de Compostela
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| Wind and sun on the Spanish Coast |
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| Dining room at the Parador Hotel |
December 25, 2011
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| View from my hotel room on Christmas morning |
December 26, 2011
Hotel: Hotel Asturias
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| Pretty Christmas lights in Madrid |
December 27, 2011
I'm so excited to be in Madrid because it has been a 'bucket list' item of mine to visit the Prado Museum. Alas, as Nick and I approach the museum we are greeted with a line that wraps around the building. I panic. I basically came to Madrid to see this museum and now there's a line a million people long (only a slight exaggeration) and we leave tomorrow or Morocco!
Nick and I resolve to return early tomorrow morning before our flight to see if we can beat the crowds.
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| Pretty architecture in Madrid |
December 28, 2011
Hotel: Riad Lyon Mogador
Today is a LONG day. Nick and I wake up super early to get in line at the Prado by 8:30 am only to see that a line has already formed. By the time we get in, we have just over an hour-and-a-half to visit the museum before rushing back to the hotel to grab our bags and take the 45-minute metro ride to the airport for our flight to Morocco!
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| Ahhhh...The Prado! |
But that is not the end of our night. We are staying in a Riad (traditional house) in the middle of the Essaouria Medina where cars are not allowed to drive. Nick, our driver and I spend the next 45 minutes wandering the maze-like streets of the Medina knocking on doors and asking the super-helpful citizens of Essaouira for directions to our elusive hotel.
We finally make it to the Riad at around 10:45 pm. After checking in we rush out to grab a bite of street food before everything closes. We don't make it to bed until well past midnight tonight. Phew!
December 29, 2011
We start our morning with an amazingly carb-heavy breakfast on the rooftop of our hotel, taking in the beautiful weather, ocean scenery and thousands of seagulls.
After our fill of bread, Nick and I start our day-time stroll of the Medina. Both he and I are shocked at the difference daylight makes. Seemingly out of nowhere erupt walls of shops with colorful fabrics, fragrant spices and all manner of wares.
We make our way to the fishing port and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Moroccan fishermen loading up their boats. We also crawl around the cities walls, forts and other beautiful architectural structures.
The remainder of the day is spent on the suprisingly impressive beaches of the city and devouring my first Moroccan tagine and cup of mint tea (the subsequent culprit in my 5-pound weight gain on the trip).
December 30, 2011
Hotel: Hotel Ryad Mogador Gueliz & Spa
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| Goodbye Essaouira! |
After arriving in this metropolitan Moroccan city at around 9:00 pm, Nick and I set about arranging some train tickets for later in our trip and prepping for the start of our camel trek tomorrow! So excited!
*The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Northeastern University, its employees or affiliates.
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