Morocco Days 1-3

On Saturday we boarded a plane to Morocco. It is a major holiday week in Basel so we decided to use the time to get away. It was great to land in a place where it was 70 degrees instead of 30 (although I think the weather in Basel has much improved since we've left. Hmph). Morocco is a place I never thought I'd visit and knew very little about, so this was definitely going to be an adventure.

We decided to spend the first 3 days of our trip in the city of Marrakech. I had read that there were a lot of interesting things to see and do there. We stayed in the Medina (also known as the "old city") in a traditional Moroccan Riad. When we arrived, the Medina seemed so hectic. It was full of people going about their daily lives of shopping, cooking and visiting. The streets were tiny and very maze-like. As we walked to our Riad (you had to walk because a normal sized car could not fit through these streets), I was wondering where the heck we were going and how were we ever going to find this place again. Along the streets were all these doors that seemed very random to me. We later found out these are all houses. The place where we stayed was one of these random doors but the door opened up to a beautiful, tranquil hotel with 12 rooms and a pool in the middle of it all. It was basically a bed and breakfast but Moroccan style.

We spent one day with a tour guide who took us to all the major sites. It was a fascinating day. Marrakech is so intricate. We visited the Botanical Gardens, the street markets and the Djemma el Fna square. The markets were especially interesting because our guide said everything is made in Morocco and as we walked deeper into the stalls, you saw all the goods being made. There was everything from tanning leather to painting pictures. This is where all the local people shop for shoes, clothes, dishes and other necessities so it was a busy place. The colors were incredible and I was amazed at the sheer volume of stuff within such small spaces.

Exploring the native plant life

The Markets

All Olives!!!

Our second day was spent visiting the Ourika River Valley. I wasn't sure how the day was going to go because it was a lot of time in the car. I'm so glad we went. This was my favorite day so far. We went from a dusty, desert city to a lush valley with the snowy Atlas Mountains in the background. Along the drive we saw the Berber people (considered the first people in Morocco) tending to their animals and homes. We saw a lot of women farming and donkeys carrying cart loads of goods. There were handicrafts for sale on the side of the road and lots of goats, camels and horses to see (Mickey's favorite!).

We arrived yesterday in the seaside city of Essaouira where we will spend a few days relaxing and visiting the beach. We accidentally left our stroller in the back of a taxi yesterday so we won't be doing any long walking treks (and yay! I get to go stroller shopping when we get home) but that's ok. We are definitely enjoying the beauty of the ocean and having some down time together. Hopefully the second half of our trip is as wonderful as the first. Pictures and an update to come.

xoxo

What I'm Obsessed With (this week)

I have no great updates to report about my weight loss goals this week. Boo :-(. Actually, I'm not that sad about it because I am exercising and eating well and generally feeling good about things. I also think I can contribute some of my lack of progress to what I'm obsessed with this week: Chicken noodle soup! Yum.

I'm not sure if I've written about this before, but for so long here in Basel I missed canned soup. It's not something readily available in the grocery store. It sounds silly but there is nothing like a good can of Campbell's soup when you have a cold or a flu and want something warm and comforting. I can order canned soup from a website here. It costs $7.50 for a small can. Pllleasssse. No one needs canned soup that bad! So, I started making my own. Chicken stock and all. After eating my own soup for a while, I brought back a few cans of Campbell's from the US. I'm no great cook but bleh! My soup tasted much better to me (maybe it's the "love" I added along with blood, sweat and tears). It also brought me so much joy to watch my son lap it up and ask for "mo" knowing I had made it.  :-)

Two weeks ago when I was sick, I really wanted soup but wasn't even interested in the other can we had in the pantry and had no energy to cook up a pot. So, this week I made a huge pot with the intention to freeze it. There is just one problem. I can't stop eating it!!! It has been my breakfast, lunch and dinner most days. I think I have 1 bowl left that I could freeze...or maybe I'll eat it for dinner. I'm sure the sodium is killing my diet (although since it's homemade, it doesn't have all the added salt and preservatives) but I don't care. It is YUMMY!

Also, my son has started to really get into Elmo. I show him some of the videos on my phone from YouTube and now whenever he sees my phone he asks for "em-o." Some of the current songs with various artists are really good. This week I am obsessed with will.i.am's "What I am." I love his serious face, the characters' little head bobs and I especially love the words. Check it out here:

"What I am"

I'm serious. It will brighten your day!!

Day 12 already???

I looked at my calendar today and realized it's already day 12 of my 100 day challenge. It's been a little bit of a roller coaster ride while I've been trying to figure out what works for me and what I really want out of this experience. The short term goal is to lose weight but my long term goals are to learn how to eat in a balanced way (not depriving and being satisfied) and continue exercising for physical health (not just to lose weight). I think it's going to take me more than 100 days to really get it but I'm off to a decent start.

In the last 12 days I've learned these few things about myself:

#1. If I deprive myself of things I want to eat, I swing the other way and end up eating WAY more than I would if I just had what I wanted in the first place. Overeating is not usually a problem for me, but I find it becomes a problem when I try to limit my diet to certain foods. I just need some pizza once a week. Even if it's homemade with tons of veggies or on an english muffin. I NEED it! :-)

#2. (and probably most important) I make the best choices when I exercise!!! After a good workout, I don't want to ruin all my hard work so I make good choices or I feel like I can cut myself some slack because I exercised. It's a win-win. I just feel better.

So, my goal this upcoming week is to make sure I get in some really good exercise. I had a great workout today. 45 minutes on the elliptical and 30 tough minutes with my trainer. I am looking forward to more days like today.

Weight stats:

Day 1: 127.8

Day 12: 127

Almost a pound. I'll take it!