Our first full day in Morocco
Our first full day in Morocco was full of surprises. As we woke up, we knew we were in store for quite the start to what would become an amazing day. We wandered our way up to the terrace to begin by eating an amazing breakfast with a beautiful view of Marrakech.
I couldn’t believe all the things the meal consisted of. There was such a diversity of Moroccan breakfast foods that all seemed to have their own unique flavours. Some of my favourites included Msemen, a Moroccan flat bread, kinda like a crepe, and Baghrir, which is very similar to pancakes, just more fluffy and buttery.
After breakfast, we gathered as a group, learning about all the layers of this beautiful country, from the number of common languages spoken to the currency, all while enjoying the view of Marrakech in the background. We went over our plan for the day before spending some time back in our rooms, packing and prepping for our next destination.
Before we left Marrakech, we had a few things to do. Before hitting the streets, we chatted about what to expect from the bustling city. We left our hotel and entered into a place we had waited so long to experience. We wandered through small alleys with vibrant walls and beautiful small stores, with shopkeepers selling such a wide range of items. After exchanging some USD into Dirhams, we went to a small restaurant where we ate a traditional Moroccan lunch. I didn’t think that this meal would top breakfast, but boy was I wrong. Some dishes included falafel and a beautiful braised lamb; others came in a warm, beautiful tagine pot. No matter what was served, it was delicious.
After this eventful morning, we headed off to Tizi N’oucheg. We soon left the busy city streets and began to head into the mountains. The further we went, the less busy it became. With beautiful mountains in every direction, we couldn’t believe the beauty unfolding in front of us.
We arrived in a small village, excited to call this our home for the next few days. After sipping a delicious Moroccan Mint Tea as a traditional welcome, we met the community leader, Rachid, and were lucky to experience a full community tour. Firstly, we got to learn about the history of the community’s association, which focuses on leading several projects to help their community grow and thrive. The community association was formed in 2011 and has been leading projects ever since. They have accomplished so much, from improving their access to water, building an elementary school and supporting those who are food insecure, to name a few.
On our tour, we were blown away by the community’s familial unity and the village’s unique architecture. We were also lucky enough to have a conversation with a local women named Khadija, and be invited into her home. This was truly a highlight of our day. She emphasized how important her family and the community was to her. After exchanging many questions, chatting and learning so much from each other over another cup of Moroccan tea, we headed back to our gite (traditional Moroccan guesthouse). To cap off this exceptional day we enjoyed a lovely dinner of Chicken Tagine. We spent the remainder of the evening discussing our highlights of this eventful first day and what we looked forward to in the days to come.
