Round 2: Spain and Morocco

Next on our itinerary was Marrakech, Morocco. We met up with a couple other friends for this adventure.

The history of Marrakech, a city in southern Morocco, stretches back nearly a thousand years. The country of Morocco itself is named after it. Founded c. 1070 by the Almoravids as the capital of their empire,Marrakech went on to also serve as the imperial capital of the Almohad Caliphate from 1147.
We stayed in the heart of the old city and grabbed some lunch as soon as we arrived. This place overlooked the market area.

The food was awesome, interesting flavors and spices. I definitely ate a lot of lamb.

 over looking the market

Another view of the night market from another restaurant, so much always going on

Sealing the deal with our super sketchy travel guide

The ATV ride ended up being epic! Complete with a ride to this wonderful lake for a nice dip with the locals

Drawing some water from the well

Enjoying some fresh tea

Awesome simple life many of these people lead. Brought to life the image of the Good Shepherd tending his sheep, watching and guiding them through the day.

The Atlas mountains outside the city

In a village near the mountains

An outdoor sauna for the men, the sauna for the ladies was just inside the building

One of the women that lives here

Typical kitchen

Tool used to make butter

Wonderful mint tea

Women carrying loads of grass to feed their animals, these women are beasts!

Village in the mountains

the tourist version of camel riding

They made the mistake of falling asleep next to me :)

Ate lunch on the river, you can see the tables in the bottom right corner of the picture above

Hiked up to a waterfall, the water was surprisingly very cold

Yet another victim, nice work Adam!

Enjoying the beach in Barcelona

Yum some Paella!!!

Europe Round 2

Let another Europe trip commence!

Day one started off touring around Baltimore, Maryland at Fort McHenry which if you don't know was where our nations national anthem was birthed.

"Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a historical American coastal star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay September 13–14, 1813. It was first built in 1798 and was used continuously by U.S. armed forces through World War I and by the Coast Guard in World War II. It was designated a national park in 1925.

During the War of 1812 a storm flag (17 by 25 feet (5.2 m × 7.6 m)) was flown over Fort McHenry during the bombardment. It was replaced early on the morning of September 14, 1814 with a larger garrison flag (30 by 42 feet (9.1 m × 12.8 m)). The larger flag signaled American victory over the British in the Battle of Baltimore. The sight of the ensign inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry" that was later set to the tune To Anacreon in Heaven and become known as the Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States."

This is a replica of the original flag that was flown the morning when Francis Scott Key penned those famous lines that would become our national anthem, the flag is 30' x 42'.

Next stop was Paris. After an overnight flight, ate some much needed food and hit the streets. Waited in line for two hours to barely make it into the catacombs before the close.

On the Catacomb website it states:
"The Catacombs, which form a veritable labyrinth beneath the very heart of Paris, were created in the galleries of the former quarries whose stone was used to build the capital.
Situated twenty metres below ground, the ossuary contains the remains of millions of Parisians, transferred there gradually between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries as graveyards were being closed because of the risk they posed to public health. The first of these was the cimetière des Innocents graveyard in 1786 in what is now the district of Les Halle.
In the long maze of dark galleries and narrow passages, visitors can see a tableau of death with bones arranged in a macabre display of high Romantic taste. The alexandrine verse "Arrête, c'est ici l'empire de la mort" [Halt, this is the realm of Death ] above the entrance to the ossuary is just one of an extensive series of maxims, poems and other sacred and profane passages giving pause for thought during the tour. This unusual site movingly brings the history of the Parisian people back to life and takes visitors on a timeless journey."

 

 

Enjoying the Eiffel Tower

Next onto Marrakech, Morocco and Barcelona, Spain