Madrid

My trip to Madrid is coming to an end, I go home tomorrow. It has been such a wonderful time being here on my own, visiting my friend and relaxing, eating, drinking and wandering the beautiful city. I have walked A LOT the past few days but that's what I really love doing most when I visit a new place, just wander around and experience the city. It is amazing how close Morocco and Spain are and while there are some similarities in culture, food, architecture (especially in the south of Spain), what strikes me are the differences. The different state religions of Morocco and Spain make a big difference.

Number one difference, the "jamon", beer and wine. Spanish cuisine has an abundance of ham, sausage and other pork offerings... not to be found in Morocco. Along with the food comes beer and/or wine, beer served in small glasses and very inexpensive. Lots of tapas also big on seafood. While there are lots of restaurants in Morocco, dining as an outing and experience is much more a part of Spanish culture. Around lunch time (2:00 and after), these little bar/cafe/restaurants are packed with groups of people enjoying the gastronomical and social experience of eating and drinking. My friend has taken me to some delicious restaurants, Gallician cuisine, amazing pizza, good strong coffee, yesterday we had to take a break with some lighter salad and tostas because our stomachs were suffering from all the rich yumminess.

As someone who grew up in the United States and has spent a fair amount of time in Europe and Morocco, I always feel a certain sense of freedom in Europe that I miss in Morocco. While Morocco has changed drastically in the past 10 years and especially for women, there is less harassment and such, there are still days where I feel a sense of dread walking around on my own. I still feel watched or followed at times and spend energy focusing on looking straight ahead, avoiding eye contact etc. Again, I want to reiterate that I feel all this much less than in the past, but here in Spain, it's nice to wander and walk around, have a coffee by myself and in my experience feel completely at ease.

I'm planning to post some pictures once I get back to Morocco and will share in more details some of the beautiful sites we visited. I'm so excited to see Younis. Thank god for Skype. We've been chatting everyday. Yesterday was peek-a-boo on Skype popping in and out of the screen. He's been having a fun time with Imad, but I would venture to say that they're both more than ready for me to come home. As my "mommy vackay" as my friend calls it comes to a close, I'm off for a cafe con leche at a nearby cafe. While I miss Younis, it's nice to rediscover what it's like to drink coffee, eat a meal, walk around without interruption!