Ready for their close-ups.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop being excited at spotting cats out and about, which makes Morocco a very good place to live. As previously promised, here are the baby kitties of Tangier:

Love those little rascals.

xo, jill

Admiring the view.

Later in the afternoon we were able to check in to our hotel. We were greeted warmly and served tea up on the roof. I did not want to leave that roof. The view was amazing. I highly recommend staying at La Tangerina if you ever find yourself in Tangier. In addition to the amazing view, the atmosphere of La Tangerina is just perfect. The white interior is decorated with vintage radios playing jazz or classical music* depending on the hour. The giant bowl of tangerines in the atrium was the finishing touch. I was very grateful to my student’s parents who recommended it.

The rest of our time in Tangier was spent wandering back through the medina, eating dinner overlooking the water, and seeking out literary sights. The next day we were off to Tetouan.

xo, jill

*We asked about the music. Turns out it was two Swiss radio stations (jazz and classique) that you can stream online. I’ve been listening to them in my classroom ever since.

Home of the tangerine.

Back in November, Mike and I did a little tour of northern Morocco. We started the journey with an overnight train to Tangier. This was my second overnighter to Tangier having done so a month earlier when my mom visited. I must say, I think two is plenty. The trouble with arriving somewhere at 7am having slept in your clothing is that you don’t feel very fresh. Mike and I weren’t able to check into our hotel room until later in the day and therefore were left to wander around Tangier feeling a bit daggy.

When I started looking through and whittling down photos from our time in Tangier, I noticed that about half of my photos were of cats. No big surprise there. Don’t worry, a baby kitty post will be on its way shortly. Here are a few cat-free photos from the first part of our brief stay in Tangier:

The street our hotel is on. We had to bang on the door multiply times to get someone to let us in at 8am.

This woman walked her three chickens from the medina on leashes so they could graze at the park.

Ok, so those photos weren’t quite cat-free. Did you catch the beautiful black cat that snuck in there?

xo, jill

It is busy, busy, busy these days.

Here’s a little update on what’s happening over here:

1. This video has been bouncing around the internet over the past few weeks. I think it successfully shows Marrakech’s charming side. Plus, those cute little faces at 1:01 and 3:02 are friends of mine.

2. This past weekend my school took another outreach trip. This time we visited some boarding houses run by Education For All, a Moroccan NGO. The group builds boarding houses near secondary schools so that girls living in remote communities have the opportunity to further their education. My school came out to lead fun activities for the girls to participate in. My role was to lead yoga on the roof. It was a very giggly afternoon spent under the Atlas Mountains with a lovely group of motivated young women.

3. In a little less than a week a very special guest arrives. I’m looking forward to showing my sister around Marrakech.

xo, jill

I couldn’t help myself.

I meant to post these photos a few weeks ago when the Northwest was under so much snow…

Back in early February Mike and I joined some co-workers and headed to Oukaimeden, a popular ski spot in the Atlas Mountains. Our group chartered a private bus and got an early start. The two hour bus ride felt like quite the transformation. We went from warm and red Marrakech to the white and snowy Oukaimeden.

A few people in our group took their chances skiing, Mike included. You can either rent gear from a rental shop or from several vendors at the base of the ski hill. It basically looks like a garage sale with outdated equipment on offer… but it gets the job done. In Mike’s opinion, the experience was similar to skiing in Dubai… good for the novelty (skiing in Africa!) but not great for the actual skiing itself.

These amazing ski suits were a common sight. 

There’s also a sledding area popular with kids and families. How could you say no to renting one of these bad boys for your kids?

For me, I thoroughly enjoyed my day relaxing in the sun at a little cafe. I was able to catch up on some reading and knitting, and spend quality time with a co-worker/friend I really enjoy.

Our little set up until a snow plow booted us.

After a few hours our group reconvened and a Moroccan style snowman was born. That guy turned out to be quite the hit. Children and adults alike came over to ask if they could pose in front of him.

Polar Puppy was there too.

We were stuck in a bit of ski traffic on our way down the mountain. A giant boulder in the middle of the road didn’t help things either. Luckily, the incredible view of misty clouds enveloping the ground below made the delay worth it.

xo, jill