I traveled to Morocco last week with a couple stops in London + Madrid. Traveling as a fully cognizant, working adult starkly contrasts to the days when I was a teenage being dragged across Vietnam and France with my parents. I regret being a late bloomer to appreciating "different cultures", but now I love it and traveling to Europe now stands as my ideal vacation.
Many people asked me "Why Morocco?" from close friends to random Moroccan strangers. I didn't understand the question and I would instantly respond "WHY NOT?". Morocco has tasty Mediterranean food, beautiful architecture, well-known luxurious spas, diverse open markets, endless mountains, the Sahara desert, camels, AND they speak French. The only hardship I faced was figuring out what to pack. People assumed that since it is a Muslim country that I was expected to wear a head scarf. Of course I didn't have to. I'm not Muslim so Moroccans don't expect me to be religious. I did take precaution in not showing off too much skin. Also, I made this joke with my friends that I was only packing 2 pants and 2 shirts. I actually packed 2 pants, 3 shirts, 2 dresses and 2 skirts for the 10-day excursion. I mostly wore my black harem pants which is ironic because I am a huge fan of barely-there shorts in hot weather. I ensured all my clothing items were loose to accommodate for the near-100 °F weather. Also, I specifically picked black and white options-matching made easy.
Dress H&M//Shirt American Apparel//Hat Anthropologie//Shoes Dolce Vita//Fringed Bag Gifted
My outfit for Majorelle Garden in Marrakech. Yves Saint Laurent owned the garden and had his ashes spread across the land after his death. It's filled with cacti, bamboo forests, ponds filled with koi fish, and dark-blue walkways that culminate into this serene, peaceful moment in the midst of hot, chaotic Marrakech.
Pants Urban Outfitters//Shoes Dolce Vita//Shirt American Apparel//Hat Anthropologie//Sunglasses Ray Ban
This was my second skin during most of the trip. The pants were loose + light as well as the shirt. This hat marks as my last purchase from my Anthropologie days. The hat was an essential asset to the trip as it was both a fashionable accessory to hide my matted, sweaty hair and protection from the burning sunrays.
Everything same as above//Top Thrifted//Necklace Target
Skirt Thrifted//Scarf Moroccan Souk//Sneakers Borrowed from Friend//Top Thrifted//Bag Gifted//Necklace Target
These last two outfits were worn in Madrid as they show off a little more skin. Madrid weather was an ideal 70 degrees and I kept the scarf throughout the day for the cooler nights and indoors at museums. When the weather got too hot, I would wear the scarf as a head turban.
Visiting the markets in Marrakech's Jemaa el Fna souks and Madrid's El Rastro markets was the highlight of my trip (as well as an excursion to Madrid's Mango store, but that will be a later reveal). I became obsessed with the fatima hand in Morocco and the leather goods in Spain. I've been on the search for the perfect fanny pack for at least a few years now and I discovered my dream one at the El Rastro market for 8 euros. I am a firm believer that if you have the exact image of what you want in your head, then you should just wait until you find it and not settle for anything less. I felt that way about oxfords shoes and I ultimately found my dream pair on the streets of Paris and now I found my dream fanny pack. If you never find what you want, then it's better to never own it rather than living with something that doesn't fit all your needs. It cuts down on buying stupid stuff, which is a problem I face daily.
Also, in the above photo is a jar of Saharan sand. The sand has this beautiful reddish-tinge and it's so soft to the touch. I was afraid the airport security would confiscate it. Lucky me they didn't! I hope I didn't smuggle some unknown insect species into the U.S.
I am considering doing a post later about the many beautiful sights from my trip.
XXOO
