The Morocco Report

My sole New Year's Resolution is to update this more frequently.  I don't really believe in resolutions of any kind, especially ones that coincide with drunken holidays, but since I spent my New Year's um, traveling for the first time in my life, I find the "resolution" to be quite fitting.

The holiday was, incidentally, spend at Hofbrauhaus.

Following my debauchery in Munich, I headed east to Prague, but I haven't uploaded the photos yet, so that'll be next time.  Anyhow, my quick and strange top ten of Prague:

1. The view from the Karluv Most/Charles Bridge.

2. Riding the trams all around the city just to look out the windows.  Take a coffee with you.

3. Old Town Square, but mostly so I could stare at the balcony where Klement Gottwald declared communism.

4. Novy Smichov shopping center.  Totally modern, totally fun.

5. The metro and the message it plays when it's about to move.

6. CZECH.  As in the language.  What fun.

7. A restaurant I found then couldn't find again called Karavella.  So. freaking. good.

8. Hostel U Melounu.  Really excellent staff and cleanliness.  Wonderful place, really.

9. The fact that it was around the corner from a shisha bar helped too.

10. Uh, Czech beer?

And to round off this entry of total absurdity, a photograph of myself at a Moroccan wedding this afternoon.  Because you always wondered what I look like in takshaita.

 

I am a shameful blogger...In the midst of finishing my book and grading finals, I managed to neglect this blog entirely.  While I am unable to post photos today, I will update you on my life and as soon as I return from extended vacation I plan to jump back on the wagon.

Since we last ¨spoke,¨ the fall session at my school ended and my parents came to Morocco to visit.  After a horrific entry (a ¨4 star¨ hotel in Casa that should´ve only been labeled with 1, not to mention practically being attacked by glue-sniffing children), we relaxed in my town of Meknes, then travelled down to Rabat for Christmas Day (wasting our money on a rather overpriced 5 star that charged so much for doing laundry that my mother wouldn´t even tell me the pricetag), finally ending our trip in Marrakesh, where I came down with a horrific cold.  Marrakesh was nonetheless amazing for my family; we even threw down 130dh each for that horrific CitySightseeing double decker bus.  Not bad actually, on a nice day it gives fantastic city views and allows you to take photos you might otherwise be hassled for.  I felt like kind of a putz though, sitting up there on my touristy yellow and red throne.  My parents bought loads of gifts for friends back home, with my haggling help, and I took them to Oliveri, the best ice cream spot this side of the Atlantic (seriously, Ben and Jerry´s is its only viable competition).

After Marrakesh, my parents flew to the US and I hopped on a plane headed for...Munich, Germany!  Which is also where I am right now.  Yesterday (New Year´s Eve), I wandered the downtown of the city, then headed to a giant brew hall for the evening with my three and a half Italian hostel roommates.  Over a dinner of frighteningly large sausage and mashed potatoes (well, and sauerkraut, but I avoided that like the plague), I waxed philosophic on why Americans rarely speak more than one language with a woman from Munich and one from South Africa, took loads of photos and drank copious amounts of beer (about two litres, to be precise).  I would like to sum up the attitude of German waiters with this anecdote:

After sitting down, my extremely German waiter spilled beer ALL over my pants, sweater, and scarf.  He didn´t apologize, just cleaned it up.  When my Italian friends showed outrage, he said in his thick accent ¨EETS JUST VATER, IT VILL DRY AND YOU VON´T EVEN SMELL IT¨ and refused to take anything off the bill.  Gee, thanks.  Please note that it was NOT just water, it was beer, and I can still smell it.  People in this cyber probably think I´m a bum.

Tomorrow I´m off to see the wonderment of Prague, then I´ll return here before getting on a plane back to Casablanca, via Milan (oh, Milan, you look so pretty from the airport!)  Happy New Year, readers, and I´ll be sure to keep my promise.

p.s. why are Germans so into 1980s American pop music?