Marrakech--Guest Post from Kate!

My trusty travel companion, Kate, has written an entry for me recapping our trip to Marrakech. This was one of my most fun trips recently. It was fascinating in so many ways, always something different thing to see, hear, smell, taste, and watch--a total sensory experience. I think we also go to interact a lot more with some local people compared to other trips I've taken. Everyone that we talked with was super friendly, warm, and welcoming. You could tell they were very proud of their Moroccan culture and wanted to share it with us. In my next post, I will list some of my favorite activities and provide some links for more information.  

Thanks for writing, Kate!

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Salaam aleikum, everyone! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Kate. I've known Krista since her freshman year at Pitt, which means she's been putting up with me for nearly a decade now. We spent a lot of time running around Pittsburgh, but we've also had our share of joint travel adventures in the past. There was the time we took a Greyhound to Cleveland. Then there was the time we decided spring break in Quebec was a great idea (pro tip: don't pack a bikini for a trip in March...bring snow pants). There was also the time that I made Krista climb a volcano in Guatemala. She swears it was the worst experience of her life, but I think she should view it as a wonderful experience that allowed her to check several items off her bucket list. 

Chicoutimi, Quebec, 2009

Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala, 2013

When I told Krista that my mom and I were going to be in Marrakech, she readily agreed to join us - as long as I didn't make her climb another volcano. Fortunately for her, there aren't many active volcanoes in Morocco. We rented an apartment near the center of the medina (the walled old city) and booked flights that overlapped in Cologne's airport. After packing our suitcases with sunscreen and granola bars, we set off to enjoy a few days in North Africa.

March is a great time to visit Morocco. It's much warmer and sunnier than back home in Europe and the US Midwest, and it isn't peak tourist season yet. We were able to avoid crowds and increased prices, but we also weren't melting in the desert sun. Marrakech is also pretty easy to get around on foot (make sure you have Google maps on your phone, though, or you'll get lost very easily) and taxis are very cheap. We spent a fair bit of time in Place Jemaa al Fna (the main square), which is full of food stalls, snake charmers, belly dancers, and people selling everything you can imagine. We also explored the souks (markets); stocked up on tea glasses, camel leather slippers, art, and jewelry; got henna on our hands; and met with a member of the shrinking Jewish population.

Place Jemaa al Fna at sunset 

Traditional leather slippers

Celebrating our haggling with some mint tea

Silver tea sets

Falafel and hummus for lunch

Henna

One of the best travel experiences I've had in a while was the cooking class we took at Cafe Clock. The restaurant is in the kasbah neighborhood and describes itself as a cross-cultural cafe. They have cooking classes, traditional storytelling (we also joined them for this event), music nights, and other activities related to Moroccan culture. Krista told me that she was not willing to ride a goat back from the market and then slaughter it for lunch (geez, such a party pooper!), and fortunately, the instructors were more than accommodating. We ended up making a spicy eggplant dip, pureed bean soup, seven vegetable couscous, and citrus sesame cookies. The veggie couscous was served in an enormous dish, and our instructors told us this would serve perhaps three Moroccans. Clearly we need to up our competitive eating training, as we barely made a dent in the food. 

We had to 'fluff' the couscous 3 times during the cooking process.

Bean soup and eggplant dip

Our huge platter of vegetable couscous and amazing teacher/chef, Rashida

Sesame cookies

We ventured out of Marrakech one day and took a bus three hours to the Atlantic coastal town of Essaouira. While this town and its beaches are typically packed with European tourists during high season, it was pretty quiet for our visit. We explored the port, wandered through the narrow streets in the walled town, perused art and souvenirs, and ate pizza overlooking a quiet courtyard while some Moroccan musicians serenaded us below. The long bus ride also provided some gorgeous scenery (and the man-made wonder of goats in a tree), as well as a stop at an argan oil cooperative run by local women. We learned how to retrieve the nut from the center of a fruit, which involves whacking the fruits and shells with stones. I don't think any of us will be considering this as a future career path, as we were quite clumsy and several of the experienced women had bandaged fingers. 

Nearing Essaouira

Khmissa Argan Women's Cooperative 

Traditional harvesting of the argan seeds

Goats in a tree

Essaoira port 

Essaouira

I could go on and on about how lovely Morocco is, but I'll wrap it up here and let Krista's pictures do the rest of the talking.  

A mosque in Marrakech center

Majorelle botanical garden in Marrakech

There were a lot of happy cats at the coast in Essaouira--tons of fresh fish. 

Typical street in the old town in Marrakech

Mint lemonade at Cafe Clock

Dried fruit vendor in the Place Jemaa al Fna

Potholder for the tea pot

Dinner on our first night, overlooking the Place Jemaa al Fna

There were so many intricately decorated doors and mosaic walls. 

Photo Credits: Thanks also to Kate and her mom, Karin, for providing some of the beautiful photos! 

Morocco

In March, I had the chance to visit Africa for the first time on a trip to Morocco with my friend Kate and her mom. We had so much fun and it was really interesting to see someplace so new and different.

Kate has agreed to write a guest post recapping our trip, so for now, I’ll just leave you with a few teaser photos:

Birmingham, Wales, and When Travel Doesn’t Go as Planned

Our first trip this year was a weekend in the UK. We’ve gone to London several times already and love it because everything seems so familiar. It’s relaxing to be able to speak English everywhere and for some reason, the food tastes so much more “like home” to us. We decided to switch things up a bit and travel to Birmingham instead. While we were there, we were also able to meet up with some of Will’s distant relatives too.

While we were there, we visited Cadbury World and also took a drive across the border into Wales to see the ruins of Tintern Abbey. It was decommissioned in the 1500s and has remained largely undisturbed.

Although it was mostly a good trip, we did have one hiccup on the last night/day that reminds us that you must always be flexible while traveling. On our last night, I woke up sick around 3am with a mild case of food poisoning. Although I was worried that I wouldn't be able to survive the 2 hour drive to the airport, we ended up going to a local clinic (free of charge!) and getting some medicine so that I could make it. Never a dull moment!

Hello 2016!

Wow! I know I’ve said it before, but the time has really gotten away from me again. We have been so busy in 2016 that I haven’t had much time to write or go through my photos. I promise I haven't meant to neglect the blog!

As soon as we got back from our Christmas in Pittsburgh, I began a new job in a different department. My old job was through an external contractor and was only temporary, so I started looking for other positions within the company. I was so excited when I was offered a “real” position with “the company.” My new job is in the HR department and it’s in a big international team. My colleagues are from all over Europe, Asia, and Latin America. I’ve also been assigned some global projects, so I’ve been meeting and working with people all over the world. It’s definitely been very interesting and I like it so far. I’ve been so busy though, learning the ropes and keeping up with the occasional long hours, that by the time I get home and have dinner—it’s just about time to go to bed--no time for blogging. 

I have a lot to catch up on, including some really fun trips that we’ve already taken (including Prague and Morocco) and preparation for our big road trip this summer! In the meantime, here’s some recent photos:

Second annual Christmas haul

Same old Sophie

Trying to get into the Carnival spirit

Krista's Favorite Things

As you’re getting into Christmas shopping season, I thought I’d take some inspiration from Oprah and share some of my “Favorite Things” that I’ve found in Germany so far. Happy shopping!

1. Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Solution

Technically, this is French, but this product earned the number one spot because it has helped me so much. When we first arrived in Germany, my skin had such a terrible reaction to the hard water, broke out, and took almost a year to get under control. Although I had stockpiled and brought all of my favorite US cosmetic products with me, the dermatologist here said that I needed to switch to German/European products that are formulated to work better with the water.  She recommended a Bioderma moisturizer and when I was buying it, the pharmacist also recommended the H20 micellar solution, which is a make-up remover and cleanser. I have tried and love several other Bioderma products, as well as other French skincare brands like La Roche-Posay and Avène.

Bioderma H20 Micellar Solution

Some of my other favorite skincare products

2. Ritter Sport Chocolate

Chocolate, of course, comes in at a close second. When thinking about German chocolate, most of the attention goes to some the big brands like Lindt (which is Swiss, anyway). However, there are other great chocolates readily available in the grocery store that are just as good and cheaper. Ritter Sport makes bars that are about 3 inches wide and come in a ton of different flavors, including strawberry yogurt,  rum-soaked raisin, and vanilla chai latte. My favorite is the nougat.

3. Reusable Bags

Compared to the US, German society is much more environmentally conscious and fairly eco-friendly. Trash is divided between recyclables, biodegradable, and waste. Soft drinks are primarily served in glass bottles. When you go shopping, plastic bags are either not provided or cost between 10-50 cents per bag. Reusable bags are must more common and of better quality than those in the US. For grocery shopping, we have our own foldable grocery basket that is insulated to keep things warm or cold. Additionally, almost every woman carries a foldable reusable plastic bag in her purse, in case of an unexpected shopping trip. These bags are made of plastic material that is much more durable than the cloth/felt-ish bags that I’ve seen in the US.

4. Fritz Kola

I would not say that Fritz Kola is the best drink I’ve ever had in my life, but they earn a spot on my list because I think it’s really cool that a small company had the courage to go up against the Coke/Pepsi giants and be successful. Fritz Kola was founded by two friends in Hamburg in 2002 and can now be found all across Germany. The drinks are mostly sold wholesale to restaurants, but we have found one drink market where we can buy some for ourselves. In addition to the standard cola and diet cola, they also make lemonades, fruit drinks, and sparkling apple juices to the German palette.

Fritz Kola at Chipotle in Frankfurt

5. Mayersche Bookstore

While Amazon has led to many of the big book stores in the US closing, there is a German law that prevents Amazon from selling books cheaper than book stores. This means the book store business is still booming in Germany. The largest Mayersche shop in Cologne is in the Neumarkt shopping district and is three stories. In addition to books, they also sell greeting cards, toys, and great Cologne souvenirs. With their loyalty card, I can also get discounts on English books one day per month.

6. Früh Kölsch

You can’t talk about German products without mentioning beer, of course! Beer is such a huge part of German culture, with each region and often individual city proudly brewing their own variety. Kölsch is the special type of beer from Cologne and is usually served in tiny 0.2 liter glasses. According to Wikipedia, there are 13 official brands of Kölsch from various breweries around town. My favorite is from the Früh.

7. Kahla Five Senses Coffee Mugs

There are several brands of German porcelain which are popular,  including Villeroy & Boch and Kahla Thurigen. Kahla has a lot of pieces which are very modern and minimalist.  One of my favorites are these coffee mugs which have a strip of velvet attached to protect your hand from the heat. We have both the coffee and tea versions, which features a small slit to keep your tea bag in place.

8. 4711 Echt Kölnisch Wasser

I suppose that you can’t have a Cologne Christmas list without…COLOGNE. The very first eau de cologne was created in the 1700s in Cologne. The original scent has now been renamed 4711 after the address of the original headquarters in the French-mandated city planning system. The name was eventually changed to Echt  Kölnisch Wasser or “True Cologne Water.” You can still visit the original headquarters, which is now a museum and gift shop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, some friends of ours from the US were visiting over Thanksgiving, so we decided to have a combined Thanksgiving dinner/Will’s birthday party together at our apartment. As we have learned, the traditional Thanksgiving turkeys in the US are male, while female turkeys are more commonly eaten here in Germany. Luckily, one of our German friends knows of a good butcher who has been able to provide us with a Tom Turkey two years in a row. In addition to turkey, we had mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cornbread stuffing (amazing), green beans, carrots, salad, and rolls. Quite a feast!

Also while our friends were in town, we finally made it ice skating in the Heumarkt Christmas market. That had been on my to-do list since last year, but we never made it. The rink was surprisingly not very full for a Friday night and we had a lot of fun.

Our social calendar has really been packed recently. In addition to our own Thanksgiving dinner, we were also invited to dinner at the home of another American colleague of Will’s. They have 4 children and invited all of their German friends that they have made during their six years in Germany. I think the final headcount was 26 people. The food, of course, was great. Next weekend we have our third and final Thanksgiving dinner at another American friend’s home. I think this means we have a lot to be thankful for!