8 days + 4 cities + 2 countries & continents = 1 GREAT Reading Week

Half of the first term has already expired.  It has been scary how fast my short time at the LSHTM is melting away.  Since I am only plan on being here for a year, I decided to make the most of my fall break ("Reading Week" as it is called) by leaving Britain to explore Europe and the surrounding area.  I decided that Spain and Morocco were the perfect candidates for such an excursion.  I did bring school work with the intention of actually doing some reading, but, as per usual, I didn't get as much studying in as I would have liked.

First on the list was Barcelona, Spain.  My sister, Amy, is currently studying in Granada, which is in the south of the country.  I had never been to Spain before, so I figured it would be appropriate to make sure that my little sister was doing well by visiting her.  We both heard stories of how Barcelona was a picturesque city, culturally different than the rest of Spain in its Catalan hertiage, with many things to do and see, so we went!  The visit was a spectacular start to the week: the weather was warm, the monuments were appealing and the city's pace was relatively laid-back.  Our weekend rendez-vous started off at the Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi's unfinished cathedral.  It was off to Gaudi's Parc Güell, which also boasted unique and interesting architectural features.  We slowly made our way across the city to pass the rest of the day, and finished the evening with a stop at the Picasso Museum and a water, light and music show at the Magic Fountains.  Another park, the Parc de Montjuïc, and the castle within it was the highlight of our second day.  We took the cable cars up to the castle, which boasted gorgeous panoramic views of the city.  Before parting ways, we visited Las Ramblas, a major thoroughfare for shopping and down the city's centre and Barri Gòtic (Gothic Neighbourhood).  Sadly, our time together in Barcelona finished before we were able to see anything else.

Amy and I both went south after parting ways: she to Granada, and me to Marrakech in southern Morocco.  This was my first trip to a predominately-Muslim country.  What a phenomenal cultural experience.  It didn't feel like I was in Africa, but in the Middle East.  It's easy to see why North Africa is classified with the Middle East in reports and other endeavours: the climate was warm, dry and not far from a desert, the major religion is shared and many foods and other cultural practices are similar.  If you ever have a chance to go to Morocco, GO!

Whilst in Marrakech, I was able to meet one of my course mates who also was visiting the city.  It was nice to have company as in Barcelona.  We were able to visit several crowded souks (markets), hidden and crumbling palaces, ancient tombs and ornately-decorated madersas (Islamic schools).  Too bad we couldn't go into any mosques because we weren't Muslim, otherwise we would have basically seen just about everything in the Medina (the walled, old city)!  Not only was it nice to see the sights during the day, but the main square--in which snake charmers, monkey trainers and assorted vendors selling fruits, souvenirs and crafts were located--turned into steaming, white-roofed food stalls at night.  We ate at Stall no. 95, where only Moroccans were eating.  That is a good sign; the tourist stalls were overpriced and selling the exact same things.  We made a good choice because the lentils and mint tea were delicious.  It only set us back 15 dirhams, or 1,5€ (about $2).  Not only were these experiences culturally and historically rich, but the food was amazingly good and cheap, too!  Also, given that Morocco was an ex-colony of France, I was able to speak French with basically everyone!  I really would like to continue to better my language skills since I was already starting to get a bit rusty from not speaking it regularly for about a year now.

The 1.5 days that I spent in the city was a good introduction, but not enough as was the case in Barcelona.  However, it was time to catch the train to Fès, a city the northern part of the country.  The train ride was long--8 hours (Marrakech in the centre south to Casablanca and Rabat [the capital] on the Atlantic coast to my final destination in the centre north)--but nice because I was able to meet some extremely kind Moroccans and see vast parts of the country: deserts, mountains, the ocean, fields and many communities, both large and small.  I had conversations with a young businessman working on microfinance, an elderly couple heading into the capital for business and a Master's student who ended up showing me the way to my hotel in Fès.

I was less-impressed with Fès than what I expected to be.  I stayed in the new part of the city and had a hard time finding my way into the Medina.  However, once there, I was able to wind my way through the narrow, food and souvenir stall-lined passages to eventually find some of the famed madersas and tanneries.  These sights were impressive, but I had lost the initial awe from being in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar culture.  Furthermore, I was getting tired of people hassling me to come into their stall for "just a look" and random people trying to act as my tour guide.  Too bad for them that I was an increasingly-annoyed, cheap and [relatively] poor student.  All I wanted to do was spend the day exploring the city--I didn't care if I got lost (if I did, I would have went nuts).

After spending the typical 1.5-2 days in the city, I moved on.  This time it was to Madrid.  The cheapest flight from Morocco to London was via Spain.  Before I went on holiday, I couldn't decide to which major Spanish city I'd go: Barcelona or Madrid.  I settled on both!  I was quite exhausted by the time I arrived.  I saw all I wanted to see in the subsequent 1.5 days, though: the Palacio Real, Plaza de España and de Cibeles, the Prado and Reina Sofia Museums (the latter houses many of Picasso's works, most notably "Guernica"), Puerta del Sol, the Gran Via, Botanical Gardens and Alacá Gate.  By Sunday, despite the fact that I had a wonderful culturally and historically rich holiday, I was ready to return back home to London.  Madrid never slept!

Overall, I had such a great time over Reading Week.  I was glad that I was able to explore several unique and culturally diverse places (thank you Ryanair and easyJet for your almost comically cheap flights).  I will admit that I was a bit over ambitious, as per usual, in trying to maximise my [travel] experiences over the week in going to so many cities/destinations.  I do feel that I was able to gain an appreciation for the peoples, cultures, art, architecture, etc. of each place that I visited, though.  Sadly, though, I feel as if I did a naughty thing by venturing beyond Europe's borders--I now am even more curious and willing to take chances on going to more "exotic" places in less-travelled and less-developed countries.  Merde ?

It's back to Spain this weekend (Granada) to spend time with my parents (who are over to visit my sister and I).  However, Dublin follows that as the city of choice for the 1st weekend of December and Germany + Greece? or Turkey? or ??? over the Christmas holiday...

...I promise that I am going to school here in London, haha.