To Croatia to see ME

To continue my 50th celebration, I went to Croatia to visit Mary Elizabeth! She is spending four months abroad on Remote Year, where she is able to work remotely and live in various cities throughout Europe. Her first stop was Split, Croatia and it is a BEAUTIFUL place! When I got there, we immediately jumped on a ferry headed to the island of Korcula. It is a lovely walled city with lots of nooks and crannies. We did a walking tour to make sure we learned what we needed to and enjoyed the local restaurants and wines! We spent a couple of days in Split where we also did a walking tour and learned amazing things about the Diocletian Palace! I spent an afternoon at the beach and enjoyed the refreshing Adriatic! The water is amazing! On my last day, we went to the island of Trogir and enjoyed more cobblestone streets and a wonderful meal! We had a great weekend and I will definitely go back to Croatia. Mary Elizabeth is now in Prague so I am starting to plan that trip too!

On the ferry to Korcula!

We climbed the tower to watch the sun set with a drink!

Watching the sun set!

A tiny street on Korcula.

Marco Polo's birth place.

Leaving Korcula.

My view while brunching in Split.

We took a walking tour of Split which was very informative! Here is ME listening intently to our interesting guide.

A community garden in Split.

The beach right across from Mary Elizabeth's office. I spent the afternoon here.

The water!

Another little street on Trogir.

Morocco for the big 5-0!

I've always talked about going to Greece for my 50th birthday celebration, but when I started looking into the plans, it seemed like a long haul from Barcelona. Plus, I felt like I wanted my girls there and knew that was not possible because of their commitments at school. So, I started to think about an exotic place that I had never been that would be easier to get to and I realized that Morocco was the place for me.

We weren't sure where to go in Morocco - Marrakech, Casablanca, Tangiers - so I reached out to Lucie's mentor at the College of Charleston, Dr. Attafi, who is from Morocco, and asked his advice. He was keen on Tangiers since that is where he grew up and he gave us a detailed itinerary to follow so decision made! We booked the hotel he suggested, Grand Hotel Villa de France (where Matisse stayed and painted some of his best work!), bought our nonstop plane tickets and planned to follow all of his suggestions!

We were in Tangiers May 11-May 16 and had a wonderful time. The sites and smells definitely reminded me of India, but it was unique as well. I loved hearing the call to prayer five times a day throughout the city. People were very friendly and we felt perfectly safe. The weather was lovely and we took time to sight-see and to relax! We did everything Dr. Attafi suggested and more:

We walked through the Kasbah and visited the Dar el Markhzen museum. We ate Moroccan food, enjoyed a mint tea at Cafe Tingis and a coffee at Cafe Baba. We visited the Church of Saint Andrew and decided to go back for the service on Sunday which happened to be Mother's Day! We walked along the beach promenade and visited the Grand Mosque. We loved visiting the American Legation of Tangier in the old Medina which is the only US historical monument in a foreign country. We shopped in the souks and bargained for treasures. We drank freshly squeezed orange juice on the street. My favorite day was my actual birthday when we hired a cab to take us to Cap Spartel, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, and then rode camels on the beach (see video below). We finished the day with a walk through the lovely town of Asilah and a delightful meal. It is a day I will never forget!

The trip is actually one I will never forget. It exceeded my expectations which made my husband very happy! Below are some pictures of the MANY pictures I took during our visit. They should at least give you a taste of what Tangiers is like! Enjoy!

The view from the room at our hotel.

First selfie at the hotel. We are happy!

Moroccan rose!

Our private patio!

Stairs up to the second floor of our room - they looks so Moroccan.

Random spices and stuff on the street. We learned that the brown stuff is SOAP!

Dates and other dried fruit.

I just LOVE laundry in the city!

Walking through the Kasbah.

View from the bar at our hotel I loved watching the people!

My first vegetable tagine.

Kasbah in the background.

A tiny street in the Kasbah.

I could not get enough of these people selling fruits and vegetables on the street.

More selling of fruits and veggies. I just LOVE the colors and the people.

St. Andrew's Church - We went for the Sunday morning service on Mother's Day.

The inside market.

Another amazing Moroccan meal!

Bucky is relaxed!

On my birthday at Cap Spartel!

Bucky pondering life at Cap Spartel.

Where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean.

Life is good! Riding camels on my birthday!!!

Another one of MANY pictures of us riding camels!!

Caves of Hercules

Cap Spartel lighthouse

In Asilah and making plans to come back!

And the camel ride....

Casa Vicens

Today I had the pleasure of visiting Casa Vicens, the first house that Antoni Guadi designed. I had never heard of the place until I was out walking with India earlier this week and an older American couple asked me for directions to Casa Vicens. I told them that I had never heard of it before, but would be able to locate it on the map app on my phone. To my surprise, the house was in my neighborhood, Gracia, so after my walk, I looked it up online.

It has only be open to the public for about six months thus the explanation for not hearing about it before. Gaudi designed the house as a summer home for Signor Vicens in the late 1800s. At that time, Gracia was still a village and apparently a good place for well to do people to spend their summers. The house has recently been restored and it is extremely impressive.

It is a short walk to Case Vicens from our apartment so I am excited that is gem is so close by! The colors are amazing and the style is different than Gaudi's other works. It has some Arabic influence, as well as, Asian touches. There were just a few other visitors when I was there and I am not sure if that is because it was early in the day or if people just don't know about it yet, but I enjoyed the tranquility. I will certainly recommend it as a destination for friends and family who come to visit Barcelona!

Case Vicens from the street. 

Even the fence/gate is intricate.

The fireplace.

This would be a nice porch to hang out on!

This tile is prolific throughout the house.

I love the mix of colors and design.

Another little outside space.

Up on the roof!

Another roof perspective.

Just amazing!

One last picture as I left!