Moroccan Recipes

After being asked several times for various recipes, I decided to start a new blog with only recipes so they can be together and easily found. Click on the title above - "Moroccan Recipes" and it will take you to the other site. I haven't figured out how to put a permanent link on this blog to that one, but I hope to do that too. Go for it if you feel like cooking - if not, forget about it!

Cascades d'Ouzoud

On the way back, we visited Cascades d'Ouzoud - the highest waterfall in North Africa. Hiking down to the bottom (past the monkeys and all the little restaurants on the way), we decided that this is a place we definitely want to return to when we can stay longer. It was a lovely end to a busy-city vacation.
Mini maids of the mists - little row-boats that take you to the base of the falls. We didn't go on the one called "Titanic..."

Marrakesh - II

On our last day in Marrakesh, we met Mustafa, another of Gerald's students. He took us to the Menera Gardens which he said were only 2 km (1 mile) away. We thought that seemed reasonable, so began our walk. 2 1/2 - 3 miles later, we arrived - sweaty, hot, and carrying our children - but having enjoyed Mustafa's company!
At a Moroccan restaurant where a scene from some film was shot (sorry for the lack of info, movie buffs). If you enlarge this picture, you'll see the berber lipstick someone gave us smeared all over the lips of our girls. It came in a little earthen container and when you wet it, a bright orange color shows up which you then spread carefully on your lips. (Back arrow to get back to the blog.)
One store had a carpet weaving set up which the girls enjoyed watching.

Place Jemaa el Fna - the most famous square in all of Morocco. The pulsing heart of the city, the simple square teams with people crowded around to watch snake charmers (can you believe Katrina allowed this??), henna painters, berber dancers, magicians, fortune tellers, story tellers, weight-lifting, monkey antics, acrobatics, etc. etc. In the back, rows and rows of food sellers and orange juice stalls line the entrances to the labyrinth of the inner medina. What an amazing place!
Of course we had to pay the guy for this picture even though Gerald didn't ask him to drape a snake around his neck!
Katrina and I had our hands painted with henna. Kendra didn't want it done because she thought they were giving shots! The dye stays on about 1/2 an hour until it dries and you scratch it off. Then the design stays on anywhere from several days up to 2 weeks.

Marrakesh

Excited about Gerald's first spring break in 13 years, we headed 7 hours southwest to Marrakesh for a few days last week.

Founded in 1062 by the Almoravids (warrior monks) from the Sahara, Marrakesh is the most visited city in Morocco. It is so important that its name became what we call the whole country today. "Marraksh" as the Moroccans call it, became "Maroc" to the French to which we added an "o" to make "Morocco." Here are the ancient city walls of the medina - the old city.
Ben Youssef Medersa which housed 900 boys learning the Koran in the 14th century lies in the medina. The courtyard is filled with classic Moroccan work - beautiful tile covering the floor and the lower part of the walls, intricately engraved plasterwork above it with stunning woodwork at the top. The gorgeous painted ceilings on the inside are difficult to capture on film. This is a classic example of courtyards all over Morocco - from personal homes to huge hotels.
We often traveled by horse carriage much to the delight of the girls. They loved to sit up front with the driver.

One of Gerald's students, Ahmed, took us to his uncle's home in the heart of the medina. Beyond an ordinary door in a plain ochre wall lay three gorgeous courtyards covered in tile and artwork similar to what is mentioned above. Wandering through the lovely rooms, eating delicious food and going to their rooftop where we saw the snow-covered High Atlas mountains, the whole visit was a wonderful treat.

Enjoying the lovely Majorelle gardens. Flowers and green spaces were all over Marrakesh making for a refreshing break in the already-hot weather.

The classic Moroccan water man found in every old city. . . probably more for tourists than anyone else! The water comes from the animal skin on his back through the funny little faucet into one of the shiny cups chained onto straps over his shoulders.The common sight of a Moroccan shoe store pulsing with color.
Being doused with perfume upon entering Ahmed's home.

A Room with a View

All around our apartment, we have huge, unscreened windows. We often have them open, and the girls love to sit on the sills.

So what do we see out our window?

* Rainbows! Four almost full ones so far!

* Blue, blue, blue skies - almost every day

* Lovely cedar-covered hills

* Sunrises out this window, sunsets out the girl's window

* Flocks of sheep

* Donkeys & cows

* Wild dogs

* Wealthy Moroccan summer residences - empty most of the year

* One of King Mohammad VI's (M-6 as the college students call him) palaces

* Extinct volcanoes - right behind the apartments - making the soil very difficult to work with

* Flies and bees - who usually come in - though we prefer bees since they seem to have a highter IQ and simply head out the next open window

.... and lots of people - so far I have handed out the window -

* Kids - ours or others who have wandered in

* Laundry soap

* Shampoo

* Cups

* Snacks

* Burgers & fries (not yet, but I'm sure it will happen!)

As you can see, our life is very public here, but we really love living in this apartment and enjoy the activity. The girls are in a state of bliss with friends always around the corner - or through the window! Perhaps you can come peek in some time too!

PS - We will be going to Marrakesh for spring break so it will be at least a week before I write again. Happy spring!

Breathe

2/21

Stepping out into the predawn morning for my walk, all I can do is gasp. The whole earth, it seems, is enveloped in snow mist.

I have marveled at it before in the distance. Shrouding the hills nearby, it settles in for hours and then lifts - leaving behind it a blanket of snow. But now I am actually in the clouds - surrounded by a surreal shade of blue, white and gray hovering over the ground. Homes and hills in the distance are lost in the silence.

I walk through the magic feeling as if I have drifted into another world. Snowflakes rest gently on me from out of nowhere.

God fills the whole world; even the air. Never does this become more tangible than when I walk in mist. For I feel His presence, His very breath, everywhere around me. When I breathe in, I breathe Him in. My soul feels clean and refreshed.

The song by Marie Barnett drifts in with the mist -

"This is the the air I breathe

This is the air I breathe

Your Holy Presence living in me -

This is my daily bread

This is my daily bread

Your very Word spoken to me -

And I'm desperate for You

And I'm lost without You

This is the air I breathe . . ."