Visiting Our First Market...

After a short rest at the hotel, we decided to explore Marrakech, the third largest city in Morocco with 900,000 people. We spied a small market just across the street and took a quick look around.

Jimmy smelling spices

We didn’t know at this point that we’d later
 want to buy an antique teapot and tray

Check out the bike repair shop

Arrival in Marrakech...

To be honest, I didn’t have much desire to go on vacation in Morocco. I wasn’t impressed enough with what I saw during a day-trip to Tangier in 2010 to want to explore other areas. So when Jimmy said it would be a good place to meet Vivynne and family for Easter break, I started researching adventurous options that would concentrate on taking us away from the big cities. Booking the trip was further complicated by the fact that the tour company wanted to put us in large tourist hotels and we wanted to stay in small riads (traditional Moroccan houses converted to B&B’s). Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised by the entire trip. I have to warn you, we took a massive number of photos and have lots of stories to share...

Our day started very early and our four-hour flight arrived in Marrakech at 8 a.m. We were greeted by Khaled, our tour guide extraordinaire for the next six days. He introduced us to our minibus driver Mustafa, who proved to be a very competent driver. He parked as close as possible to our first hotel, Riad Aladdin in the old fortified city. Our luggage was off-loaded into a cart and we were led down a dark alley and through a small door. Inside was a peaceful courtyard with a beautiful rooftop terrace. We were happy to learn that we could check in early and upgrade to this lovely family suite.

We had heard from Vivynne before we left Holland that their original overnight flight had been cancelled due to an air traffic control strike in France. Stupid Air France should have rerouted them through New York, but instead insisted on flying them the following day from Orlando to Paris then to Frankfurt and finally to Marrakech, which caused them to miss two days and one night of their vacation. They finally arrived at 11 p.m.

Can you see the outline of the small door to our hotel?

There’s no way we would have
 found this place on our own

Learning About History in Berlin...

I find it strange to think that there are kids in the UK that don’t study history at all in high school, so I was happy that Veronica chose history as one of her GCSE options. As part of her two-year history studies, she’s learning about the Rise of Hitler, the American Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War. At the beginning of Easter break, she went on a school trip to Berlin for four nights to visit WWII and Cold War sites. I was surprised to hear that she was one of the only kids that cried at the concentration camp and holocaust museum. Here she is in front of a remaining portion of the Berlin Wall and at the parliament building with her friends. For more photos and her stories, check out her blog.

Special Birthday Surprises...

After the performances, the food booths from 21 countries opened. It was impossible to try all the foods, but we gave it a good try. I started with a round of savories and then went back for sweets. Many of the booths had regional liquors, which added an extra dimension to the evening. When Madame Chantal, the organizer and Ashlynn’s French teacher, found out it was James’ birthday, she called him to the center for a few rounds of Happy Birthday.

The Russian group got into the act as well. Afterwards, we had Sally, John and the boys back to the house for a campfire and some birthday cake. For his birthday gift, Veronica made this video that she set to music that she composed herself.

Another Year, Another Great Dance...

The kids were a big hit! Ashlynn and Lauren choreographed the basic moves, then Nick added a few extras. His little brother Bernie (on the chair) was hilarious during Greased Lightning. Jimmy and Veronica did a great job making the car.  

Tell me more, did she put up a fight?

Tell me more, was it love at first sight?

Lauren and Ashlynn starred in the final song of Summer Nights during which they mouthed the words. Check out the video to see for yourself what a great job they did.

Getting Ready for the International Festival...

For this year’s American entry in the International Festival at school, the girls decided they wanted to dance to a medley of songs from Grease. The school generously offered us a budget for costumes which allowed the Pink Ladies to have matching jackets. This year we planned ahead and recruited a great group of performers.

In an effort to be transformed into Danny, Ashlynn borrowed an Elvis wig that had seen better days. The Pink Ladies all tried helping to bring her hair under control.

Running for a Good Cause...

Back in September, the girls had come across some folks that wanted to use the CPC to raise funds for the World Wildlife Federation. When they hadn’t heard back from them, Ashlynn emailed to get the donation paperwork. Much to everyone’s surprise, the two of them raised €300!

I think the organizer was originally leery that the kids were really going to raise funds and do the race. He was so impressed with Ashlynn’s commitment, that he interviewed her for the WWF Dutch kid’s magazine.

John, Andrew and David also ran the 5K and we met up with them afterwards for photos and lunch.