My Trip to Morocco #HogsAbroad in Spain

During my time abroad I lived in Spain but one of my more salient experiences was in Morocco.  I did not go independently but rather on an excursion my program organized.  The highlights there were going to the medina (old city) of Fes and spending a few nights in the Sahara.  

 

The medina is a medieval city with the modern world built into it.  The streets are narrow and the buildings drab, but inside of them is practically any business you could expect to find in the west.

One of my program organizers said people spend their whole lives in the medina because there is no need to leave; someone who knows their way around can find anything from food to lodging to hospitals. 

Our visit was something of a shopping trip as we visited a textile store, a metalworking shop, a tanner, and other stores. 

After our day of shopping we went back to the hotel to prepare for the trip to the desert. It is worth noting that Morocco is the only place where my hotel gave guests a physical key.

Following Fes, we went into the Sahara.  The scene there was straight out of National Geographic, with countless dunes receding into the distance as they met the blue sky.  We were lodged in tents, but we did little more than sleep in them as there was always something else to do such as watching the sunrise or riding a camel.

The camel ride was a lot of fun.  The organizers marshaled a stunning number of camels and everyone in the roughly one hundred-person expedition got their own.  We rode them on a circuit of maybe two miles and got to see more remote parts of the desert.

The following day we started back for Spain.  Our time in Morocco was short but full of great experiences.  I came back to Spain with some neat souvenirs, a lot of sand in my clothes, and incredible memories.

-Andrew, study abroad peer advisor and #HogsAbroad alum in Spain

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