Cobras and Monkeys and Camels...Oh My!

Well folks, we definently aren't in Kansas anymore! This much was evident as soon as we left the plane upon landing in Marrakech. The air was notably warmer and the drastic contrast between tourist and local was apparent immediately. While the plane ride was only about 2 hours from Madrid, the cultural gap was much, much larger. There was no doubt that we were outside of Occidental Europe...and it was beautiful! Although many areas of Morocco have been significantly influenced by the effects of Westernization, the conservative Muslim culture is still dominate. We got through customs and exited into a surprisingly serene airport lobby where we decided to get our bearings and eat our breakfast (packed by Dori and Nerea the night before!). Reenergized, more or less as we were running on about an hours worth of sleep, we decided to head out and make our way to the city. The cabs that lined the street were beat up peach cars that scream safety hazard....our kind of scene! We were grossly ripped off on our first cab ride, a lesson in the reality of haggeling in Morocco (we figure if you pay a third of the original price, they are still coming up on top...easily). But, when you don't know you don't know...and the reality is that a large amount of Dirhams is a fairly small amount of dollars. We made it to the Medina area in the old town and the cabby dropped us off with general directions to the hotel (pedestrian only). You could already get the feeling that the town was alive, that there were a million things going on behind the scenes in the many shops and alley way, and that the wheeling and dealing didn't stop here. We couldn't find the place off the bat and a man offered to show us the (obviously for a tip, no problem) and took us through a maze of narrow, labryinth style streets, where we encountered our first donkey just chilling in an alleyway...yes!....until we got to our hotel. He tried to tell us there were no rooms, but he knew a place that did. I decided to ask for myself and discovered no one was even there for him to ask. Turns out there were rooms...we still tipped the guy, it's just the way it works, and settled into our room for $7.50 a pop (definently not in Paris!) took the afternoon to explore the market...a vibrant, thriving maze that offers you anything you want and about a million other things you would never need...but still look cool. Was invited into a shop for tea, but when I wouldn't buy anything from the guy, he reminded me that 'nothing is free in Morocco' and I gave him some money for the tea. ( I think that statement holds true for major cities and markets, but believe this to be very opposite in the general nature of the people outside of such areas) Got completely lost, found my way back to the main square just in tome to see the night coming to life. Lots of drums, street performers, music, vendors, monkeys on leashes, men charming cobras in front of them , a veritable street circus...yes! That's what I'm talking about! After going back to the hotel, we headed out to get some food and found the square ignited with open grills and vendors. We ate a booth with fellow travelers (one hint: locals eating=budget). We ate and paid more than normal (it was our first night!!) while locals ate a hearty soup for 3 Dirham, ~40 cents. The next day we set out early with a group to go into the desert, ride camels and camp. We got to see a lot of amazing sites and country side on the way out...the utter diversity of landscape was amazing. Snow capped mountains, desert oasises, gigantic plateaus, huge canyons, forests, green pastures and desert...really nice! There were moments when I was sure the van was going over the edge of the mountain and the two Spanish guys upfront would cheer when we would pass a car without a head on collision...good times. We finally made it to our destination and road camels during the sunset to the Berber camp where we would spend the night. We ate dinner and drank tea in the tent and enjoyed a fire and drums later on. Ethen enjoyed the stars and stillness of the land. Everyone crashed after...had been a long day. (funny story: I was charged with the minor task of turning of the gigantic gas lantern in the tent. Easy enough, but when everyone starts second guessing you, you start to wonder, then the Chinese dude in the group, a guy who hasn't said much the whole trip, just looks at me and quietly says 'boom'...gave us all a good laugh and the lights went out) the rest of the story will be continued...early morning and long train ride tomorrow... will post again! Team Lowry

A Little Bit of the World, One Step at a Time

Hello! We are still here in Spain with Dori and Narea. It has been great and G is feeling about a hundred times better, antibiotics and rest can do wonders for one´s health. We took a really enjoyable day trip to Toledo with Dori on Monday. It is a beautiful city that rises and falls with the hills and has a maze of passageways that take you through small cobblestone streets. We spent the day just exploring most of the center of city...it was a great day. We were able to see El Greco´s art work in the Catedral San Tome, which is one of the most famous works of that time period. Overall, it was just fun spending the time together and enjoying the city. We just bought our plane tickets for Morocco. We will be flying into Marrakesh, Morocco on Monday morning and will spend the next ten days of so visiting different cities throughout the country. We hope to make it to Casablanca and Fez, and have considered heading south to see the Sahara Desert, I mean, come on, it´s the Sahara....but we´ll see, you know how those plans go...ha! Fez seems like it will be amazing to see, the city is 1400 years old and is considered the spiritual heart of Morocco. The Medina is a huge market place in this city, which is comprised of winding alleys, livestock, any and all market goods, people, and bazaars. It is the world´s largest living medieval islamic city, as well as the world´s largest car free urban environment. Should be pretty amazing to see. We are excited to make it to Morocco, although Dori and Nerea have really helped us out and taken care of us while in Spain, they are good people. We had lunch with Dori´s dad and sister on Sunday and are going back this Saturday for some Paella. He is a really warm man who talks about opening a typical Spanish restaurant in Denver...which would be great. We went to the El Rastro market on Sunday, but a bit late so it was pretty calm...we are going for round two on this Sunday. Well, that is another quick update...figure we should try and keep em rolling while we have a reliable interent connection. That is all...more or less.....Later!
Todd and G

España

We are still in Spain and loving the fact that we can spend time with Dori and Nerea, our extremely helpful and caring friends. WE are planning our next venture into Morocco, which seems like it will be amazing. Everyone that has been there has said it is great. We are looking into cheap flights, which tend to be cheaper than buses if you look ahead, many times fifty to seventy-five percent less. Although taking a bus allows you to see the country from the road, the savings are too much to pass up....who came up with the idea of a budget anyway. Tomorrow we are going to go to El Rastro, a giant outdoor market in Spain and then to eat with Doris father. G has been a little sick, well she has had bronchitis for about 4 weeks (she has been an incredible trooper and has pressed on without losing a beat) which we think is a result of sleeping in dorms with 15 other people and cold, wet weather. But, as fate would have it, one of Nereas roommates is her from Mexico to study transplants and happened to be a pulmonary specialist...excellent. He was able to do the examine, write the prescription and get the medicine for under 3 euros...a really good deal and an incredible break. We have met some really cool people here in Madrid and cannot express our extreme gratitude to Narea and Dori for their loving friendship while we are here. They are great. Well, we should be cruising along shortly and will return to Spain to try and spend a weekend in the mountains with Nerea and her family and friends. Just a quick update...all is well...only two more months to go....so much to see.

Viva Madrid

Just a quick post, we made it to Madrid today after a 17 hour bus ride....it went suprisingly fast. Our good friend Nerea picked us up in the city and we are staying with her tonight, and tomorrow, and the next day, and so on....when we told her we were thinking of staying two weeks she responded with, "Only two weeks? Why not longer?" and she was absolutely sincere. We are going to a show tonight at the Joy Eslava Theatre where she is doing film work for the concert and her boyfriend is managing the performers. Should be a lot of fun. Hey mom, she has the blanket you made her on the couch....she is still very thankful. Well, we are in good hands here. Hasta la proxima!

Weathering A Difficult Day!

Yesterday was a rough day on the travel front. We decided to head back to the beaches to see some more sights and had read, as we found out on our previous journey, that bus service to the area is sporadic and unreliable. So we decided to rent bikes and take on the journey on two wheels ( we considered hitching again but figured a bike would suffice and allow us to travel at our own pace). All was well to start, we got the bikes and made it out of town without getting lost or run over (not too many bike paths through the city). We decided to go to Arromanches and the beaches East of Omaha before visiting the American Cemetary. Not too long after this decision, G's gear thing-a-majig snapped in half. We were now stuck in the small town of Comme, a really quaint village but not our destination nor our preferred method of having to stay there. Luckily, an ederly couple was walking by and called the rental guy to tell him what happened and where we were. We spent the next hour hanging out while the owner brought us a new bike, or so we hoped. He got there and told us it broke because you can't shift into first gear, which didn't seem right at all....but we ventured on. It soon began to drizzle and the temperature started to drop. We got to the beach and enjoyed lunch on the coastal rocks. This is when it really started raining and the wind got going gale force style. We had no other option than to keep on trucking, yet we were about 15 km out of town. After another hour we were soaked with no sign of the rain letting up; now we could see our breath. It was still going okay but the final stretch, a road of about 7 km, was rough. The wind really got going and there was a lot of uphill to conquer. By this point we were just pushing to get back to the shop. We finally made it and returned the bikes; they charged us for the damage 'we caused' to the first bike. Not being able to speak fluent French made trying to argue the charge a mute point. It was just a bummer as the bike was rented to us in disrepair. We then walked back to the train station to get back home. We had about 20 minutes til the next train left (19 of which were spent in quiet, anxiety in line ( we were beat and ready to get home) luckily the first woman in line offered anyone catching the next bus to pass her so they could get a ticket in time. This was cool...a much needed break. We got back to town and hoofed it to the closest bus stop, still soaked and getting moreso with every step (which can be fun and enjoyable on a summer afternoon, almost romantic...but on a cold, February evening it feels about as warm and fluffy as Poe's literature). We caught the bus and got within a ten minute walk of the hotel. We buckled down and made it. Hot showers and canned ravioli for all... we couldn't have been happier! We decided to change our train tickets the next day to be able to relax for a day. Tomorrow it is back to Paris to catch a bus to Madrid where we will meet up with Dori and Nerea! Should be really great! We ate looking forward to the fast approaching Spring and southern lands! Well, there you have it!

One Way or Another....It Always Works Out!

Well, today was a really good day! As we mentioned in the last update, our plan today was to visit Omaha Beach in Normandy. The web information about buses made the trip look very straight forward and seamless, but reality always seems to drop right in between those adjectives and shake things up a bit. We could always take the tours, but they are pretty pricey and we figured we could do just as well on our own. First reality: sleeping longer than expected and waking to heavy rains (we had decided to try hitchhiking today). Once we realized that we would be completely soaked by the time we got to the main road, with no guarentee that we could get a ride, we decided to head into town and check out the bus. The first bus stop we got to was not the line we needed, so we hoofed it to the central station and found the bus to Bayeux, where we would then change to a second bus for the second half of the journey. The first part falls into the seamless category, they even gave us the student discounts!!! Once we got to Bayeux, the bus driver told us the connecting bus did not come to that stop and told us where to catch it. As far as we were able to find, the second bus did not run anywhere from the local stops, at least not during the hours that we needed...nor were there any posted return times. After the final hope that the bus would arrive (reality) we decided we would do our best to walk out of town and resume the original plan of hitchhiking. We had gottne that far and paid a bus fare already; we weren't about to give up! We walked the direction of the route out of town, stopped at a wine store to double-check our directional intuition and kept on trucking. Shortly there after we saw a sign for Omaha Beach (we were only about 4 miles from the goal!). We then immediatly stuck out our thumbs and hoped for the best,. Within ten minutes a van pulled over and woman by the ne of Isabelle, and her little dog Croquette, picked us up and we were on our way to Omaha Beach. Through broken English/French we talked along the way. She dropped us off and we agreed that if she was there when got back, great, if not, we still appreciated the ride. Omaha Beach is a beautiful beach with blue green waters that tumble gently onto the shore with such tranquility that it ses to betray the horror of June 6, 1944. Seeing the beach was an incredible experience; as you look up the hillside that gradually slopes up from the sand you can see the reminents of the Nazi bunkers, like massive gavestones rising from the grasses. There are a number of memorials on the hill, including an American cemetary (unfortunately it was closed already). Looking out on the sea, you can't help to imagine what it must have looked like to be a German soldier and see thousands of troops, planes and boats coming ashore. The battle lasted about 6hr 30min. When stand on the beach looking up, you have to wonder what it would have Bern like to be one of the first to reach the beach and have to endure so many hours of being bombarded by German artillery. It was a weird experience to be there, yet a great experience at the same time. After a while, we decided it was time to go home. We walked back to the parking lot and found that our ride had continued on and we turned our attention to the trek back home, thumbs out at every car that passed. As the sun set and the sky grew darker, we realized getting a ride was gonna be difficult, but the buses were no longer running and we had no other option...we could always try to call a cab, but that was financial suicide that was more of a last resort than an option. We walked for quite a while in what we thought was the right direction. Eventually, a driver stop and gave us a swift ride to highway that could get us home. To our dismay, our destination was 44 km away and Bayuex (where we started) was now 15 km away. It was about 8pm and we still had a ways to go. Luckily, being an on ramp to the highway, there was fairly regular traffic. We made a small sign with our destination ( smiley face and all...just to show we are friendly) and decided to wait it out with thumbs held high. After about an hour, we began to wonder how this all might pan out, walking was an option but it was not appealing and would probably mean we would get home in time to check out of the hotel and the taxi, well that has already been said. At that moment, when it seemed like it wasn't going to happen.. a small white car pulled over and offered us a ride. He was going all the way to Carn and knew exactly where our lodging was....oh yeah! We hade a great conversation in French- English-Spanish all chopped up just enough to get the main idea across. It was great! We made it home and cooked some ready made pasta in the room... it could have been the tastiest, packaged pasta of all time (it had been cheese sandwiches and oranges up to this point). We made it back happy and tired and are going to try and stay a couple more days in Normandy...if we can change our train tickets. That's all for now. Tune in again later for further updates!

Updating Like a Mad Man! Yeah!

Well, today we headed into town to catch a bus tp thr D-Day beaches, namely Omaha beach and the American Cemetary in the area, as well as the many memorials. We got into town fine, yet when we walked towards the bus station we had been to on Friday we quickly realized that it was Sunday and we were in a town that still operated on a different schedule on Sunday. Very refreshing to see, actually. Where the bus station had previously rose from the open square, there were now hundreds of vendors in a traditional open air market. There were now people buying fresh fish and whole pig heads where the buses were picking up people a day ago. We pretty much figured that today was not the day to make this trip and walked the market a bit and decided to find the local tourist office for more complete bus information to the beaches. We ended up asking some police officers for some help, but not speaking French too well usually causes one to get a general idea of where to go and necessitates leaving the precise details to fate. We ended up asking another woman for directios about ten minutes later and she graciously asked another woman for directions, another woman who spoke English and had taught a summer camp in the States many years ago. They got us to the tourist office, which was closed...Sunday...., yet proceeded to take us through the market to a bus information station, which was closed....Sunday. The one woman gave us great instructions through the city to free museums and sites, confirming the notion that Monday would be a better day to take the bus. She said she would take us around but she was really hoping to do some shopping, almost apologising for it. We told her that was fine, but if we got lost again it was all her fault (obviously this is not true) but we did thank and told not to worry. We spent the day at several different attractions and museums. We saw the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake and a lot of art dating back to the 1500's. We ended our day by going to a Memorial Museum, but it recommended 4 hours to see wveryhting and we only had an hour and a half, which we occupied reading the books in the gift shop (we figured we had taken the time to get there and might as well enjoy it a bit). If we have time tomorrow we will pay the entrance fee and see the museum. So, until tomorrow....