En Fin

We finally met up with Audrey again on our final days before returning to Paris and had a great time catching up and a hard time saying good-bye.
After Aud left, we spent the last two days in Marrakech taking photos and buying souvenirs. There was a rug coop in town and I couldn't tear Ad away from them, but while I was trying to get him to leave the rug store I started looking around and the roles reversed. We skipped a few last meals to spend our last dirhams on rugs and literally emptied our pockets to a cab driver who believed that we had spent all we had and took us to the airport for ten D's less than he charges other desperate tourists:)











Arriving in Paris felt like home. Everything was easy again. This day in Paris was like a dream and we both finally fell in love with Paris and all of its charms. It was the beginning of spring and we spent the day visiting the famous Pere Lachaise Cemetary and the botanical gardens. We had crepes for lunch and shared a coffee and creme brulee on the Place Monge in the early afternoon. We met up with Mathilde and her friend made us french raclette which is more like a dining experience than a meal. Her friends invited us to a party the following Saturday and it felt like we could easily build a life there. I was ready to stay forever, but Ad convinced me that Paris would still be here later. I am now working on a way to get back to France...


Ad's comment on below pic: "That would be really scary if the guy (statue) didn't have that little French mustache."



Jim Morrison gravesite

Raclette

Desert Trip Day 3

Our final day was mostly driving with a few stops in between. Our first stop was at a school for nomads that was sponsored by France and Italy. The tiny shack made of desert earth was literally in the middle of nowhere and consisted of one teacher who taught about 20-30 kids of all ages. Assuming we were French, the kids sang us a song in French and then an Arabic song and showed us their math skills. The teacher said that he tries to take the kids on field trips to the major cities so that they will be better prepared for later integration.




As we drove along we thought we were headed towards a huge lake. I tried to capture the mirage, but I am not sure if you are able to see the "lake" in the photo.


After leaving the desert we stopped for lunch.


Oven.

Kasbah + goat + tajine = MOROCCO



Scenic Drive back...



We were headed towards home when we saw a lone baby camel on the side of the road. I begged the driver to stop so I could take a picture and while we were waiting... the rest of his herd showed up!




The last stop was at Ait Benhaddou the most famous kasbah in Morocco. Ths is where Gladiator and a few other films were filmed, therefore, it is well preserved by government money. We paid some kids 1$ for a round trip donkey ride across the river to the kasbah. It is a good thing we only paid half up front because it started to rain and as we rushed down the hillside we noticed every single one of the donkeys was on the other side of the river and put away except for our three guys who were anxiously awaiting our return to collect the rest of their fare. They got a real kick out of our inability to hang on to the donkey without any reins and I think we ended up almost as wet as we would have if we had rolled up our pants and crossed by foot. At least I did.