Driving the High Atlas Mountains

We had a large breakfast buffet at the hotel in Marrakesh this morning. There were pastries and cereal and bread and pancakes. Also, they served a lot of hot foods and cold salads. Fresh juice, hot coffee and hot chocolate and mint tea were also offered. I could drink Moroccan mint tea each morning.

We met our guide, Mustapha, at nine then went to the store for water and hit the road. Ahmed is our driver. As we drove it was clear we were traveling a well-worn tourist/tour group route. At each stop, there were already two or three TOURISME vans like ours parked in the lot. Our first stop was for mint tea and scenic views. There were many souvenirs for sale, and it was full restaurant. Next, Ahmed pulled over at a rocks and minerals and fossils roadside stand. I could tell the men there were disappointed that we did not buy anything. The stop for lunch included a tour of the Huile D’Argan process, and this time, we bought lip balm and tipped the young women who demonstrated the shelling and grinding process. There was one other road side stop with again rocks and minerals and no explanation from our guide.

At lunch, we spent some time talking with Mustapha. We learned about his family and his upbringing. He is Berber, and he speaks Berber, Arabic, French and English. During the morning drive and at lunch, we talked about Moroccan government structures and elections, public and private schools, and Berber history. It was all very interesting.

The route today took us through the High Atlas Mountains. We took the highest road in Morocco - the Tichka pass. The roads were not as twisty and narrow as I feared, but I did feel afraid of the heights at times and slightly car sick at others. Tori thought the entire trip was amazing, although she did fall asleep for awhile. The views were incredible and hopefully we got some good pics.

When we arrived in Ouarzazate, we had the choice of going straight to the hotel or visiting the film studios for a tour. The studio tour was going to happen either today or in a few days on our way back to Marrakesh, so I chose today. It was interesting and cheap, about $25 for all five of us. We saw the sets they used to film the latest King Tut movie, some pieces from The Jewel of the Nile, and more pieces from Kundun, a film about the 14th Dalai Lama. The guide was funny but not too into his job. Theo struck up a conversation with another family on our studio tour. They were from Germany. Later, Theo would tell the girls all about them and hint that he was modeling how to meet new people as we travel.

After the film studio tour, we checked in to our hotel. It was full of other tourists, including a high school group from England. While I took some time to write in the quiet of my room, Theo and Zoe went to the lobby lounge for some WiFi. They chatted with the school group and learned a bit about what was next for us - the camel trek through the sand dunes.

The License Plate Game: European Road Trip Edition

How do you play the License Plate Game on a European Road Trip?

You begin in the parking lot at the Eurotunnel (we were in England, but perhaps the French side is similar). EU car plates have their country code on the left side of the plate.

You switch it up by looking at road signs for words with the most consonants in a row in Wales. (Was it 5? Or was it 7?)

You switch it up again by looking at road signs for place names in Sweden that are so totally also product names at Ikea.

You just yell out “sheep” or “cow” whenever you see one, which is often enough.

You make up an entirely new game called “Opera” in which you try to sing along with the opera channel. Predictive singing.

You get yourself stuck in a city, searching for available parking, so you make up a tour as you go. “On your left is the world-famous Honda Motor Shop of Seville" ...drive, drive, drive... "Sevillanos love their Coca-Cola, so much so that they have dedicated delivery vehicles that keep all of their restaurants fully stocked. You can see one such vehicle up here on the right.”

You don't. Instead, you sleep.

100 Days

Today is our 100th day of our trip around the world. (!!!!!!!)

I still can't believe we're on this journey. I can't believe all that's left to do and see and feel. Yet, it often feels like a completely natural thing for us to be doing.

Europe is almost over for us. It was a great place to get used to traveling and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone by staying off the tourist path in Ireland, Germany, and Spain. Renting homes and apartments and boats through Airbnb really helped with moving us out of tourist mode and allowing the real-life feelings surface. Driving through Europe - 15 countries total - gave us a different picture of each place, too. Road trips were a part of our family travel culture before this year, and I am so glad we have European road trip experiences, too.

I'm nervous again. I'm nervous and anxious about the travel plans that are not yet finalized, and when I think about how much more of the world is left on our itinerary, I feel a little overwhelmed. It will all be okay, though.

We’ve had some really good luck. When I planned our European lodging, I mostly looked for places that would let us balance being touristy with experience more typical life. I also planned the dates for each accommodation around the time it would take to drive from place to place and the general pace of how we wanted to travel. I knew we would be in Edinburgh for the start of the Fringe Festival, but I did not know that Konstanz hosted its own Oktoberfest just blocks from our apartment, and I had no idea at all that Valencina de la Concepcion’s special festival coincided with our stay. It was such a gift to be able to walk out our door and experience the celebrations of the people who live in these towns. (The gaps in my pre-travel research bit us one time in Ireland, when I picked a day to visit Kells not knowing it was a bank holiday. Oops. At least we had a good walk and a decent meal.)

I like how we’re doing homeschool. It’s eclectic, and it works for us. Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing it “right” but that’s only when the formal school frame of reference blocks my vision. We read, we write, we draw. We calculate and figure. We listen and talk. We see and we do. It’s all good.

We miss our friends and family at home. We love hearing from them and reaching out to them. WiFi and cell coverage issues can get in the way, not to mention time zone differences, but email and texts and social media posts are keeping us connected. I love all of the support and connection we get from the States.

The next 100 days will take us from Spain to France to Belgium. We’ll move on to Africa (Morocco and South Africa), then India, southeast Asia, and New Zealand. We’ll be less independent (using tour operators in many places). We’ll be in hotels a lot more, and we’ll be driving a lot less. Once we leave Europe, we’ll all be seeing these countries for the first time. (Theo has been to much of Europe already.) It seems like an entirely new adventure awaits.