Paris

So did I mention we went to Paris?  We stayed there one afternoon and night and then flew to Morocco the next morning.  Because I wanted to fly into Tangier, which doesn’t have nearly as many options for cheap flights as Marrakech, it actually worked out to be a lot cheaper to do it this way.  Also, we had a half-day in Paris.  And even though Paris was not really on our list of places to see in Europe, as long as it was working out that way, why not?

Here’s Brett in front of Notre Dame.

 

 

 

I didn’t go up to the top and see the gargoyles and all that because we weren’t allowed in with our backpacks, and as it was Brett just waited outside for me.  Although I think it would have been cool, I wasn’t too bummed because after all, I have been up to the top of the Münster in Bern a couple times.

It was a little cold, but actually we were really lucky because it had been really rainy and much colder earlier.  We had to carry our backpacks everywhere, and there was a lot of walking.  We went the wrong way one time and that was silly, but then we got on the bus.  Yay!  Also, Paris’ metros and things are SOOO DIRTY and stinky compared to beautiful, clean, Switerzerland’s. 

 

Arc de Triomphe.

      

We went up the Arc de Triomphe, even though we really shouldn’t have been allowed with our backpacks.  Luckily they were nice and let us.

   

Gift shop.

It’s pretty much required to take a kissing picture in front of the Eiffel Tower, right?

I have to admit, it was pretty neat taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower, I think partly because of how iconic it is, but also because of the lines and how different you can get the angles with different compositions and all that jazz.

 

 

 

   

So we had a nice little taste of Paris, but we were so beat at the end since we had gotten up at something like 4:30 in the morning to get to on the train to get to the airport in Geneva.  And hardly any restaurants were open until 7:00, so we were wandering around trying to see something that didn’t intimidate us too much (foodies we are not, and French food can be pretty weird – although our lunch was fantastic- gyros in the Latin quarter).  We eventually found a restaurant and Brett had pizza and I had salmon.  Mmm.  And then we went to our hosts home- we couchsurfed for that night (meaning we stayed with some strangers who were willing to let us come stay with them no charge) and they were really nice and we chatted for a little while and they helped us figure out where we were supposed to go to catch our shuttle to the airport the next morning.  It was a tad bit strange, but mostly really great.

The end.

To wrap this up.

So after we finished the horse trek we got dropped off back in Essaouira.  We had a little time before we had to get on the bus to Marrakech, which was really good because Brett had finished reading the book that I had traded him because I had finished it, so I needed a book.  (What was I thinking not bringing more than one?)  And near our hotel was a tiny little bookshop so we went there and I looked through all these dirty grimy old books and paid too much money for one that ended up being pretty lame and soap-opera-ish, but at least I had something to read on the bus and plane.  (And the really sad thing was that our hotel had a small but better selection of books that I could have traded my other book with, but we lost it we think on the bus.) 

And we saw a cat with brand new kitties.

So we got to Marrakech when it was late and already dark and so we just got a cab to take us to our riad and OH MY GOSH it was the craziest drive.  He was driving in the walled old town where the streets are seriously sooooo narrow and there are a million people on them and bikers and scooter riders and donkeys and what not, and he just zipped through.  He had a bit of a hard time finding it but we got there and it was the nicest hotel we stayed at, and it was less than half the price of some of the freezing cold places we stayed.

 

I think you can actually get in this little pool.  But we didn’t.  We were beat.

So the next morning we had breakfast and then walked to the bus stop and went to the airport and flew home.

 

It was pretty crazy to see these really busy streets and coming along would be a mule pulling a cart in between cars and motorcycles.

 

And that is how you spell KFC in Arabic.

And that is how you spell McDonald’s.

 

We were really sad we didn’t have one day for Marrakech- we would have loved to see the square where there are supposedly lots of performers and snake charmers and the like.  Oh well.  Here were some more camels right before the airport- I guess just in case you wanted to get in one last ride.

 

Goodbye Morocco!  You were amazing!  We couldn’t have had a better time on our honeymoon!