Greetings! November was a month less ordinary since I spent part of it in Morocco. I had fair weather the entire trip, with high around 20C (68F), low around 15C (59F). All the amazing sights that I've seen and the delicious food that I've tried in Morocco gave me tremendous energy when I returned home.
Without further ado, here's my November in a nutshell, in alpha order :)
ARTS:
I viewed three art exhibits: The Community Film & Arts Festival in Toronto, Hiraeth solo exhibition by Judith McKay, a Toronto artist, and an art exhibit in Morocco.
In addition, I admired beautiful Moroccan architecture in Rabat, Fez, Marrakesh, Casablanca, and ancient ruins in Volubilis. The medinas (old towns) and souks (local bazaars) in Morocco were living visual arts themselves.
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| Community Film & Arts Festival in Toronto |
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| Just Being There by Judith McKay |
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| Painting on display in Marrakesh, Morocco |
BLOGGING:
November was a month with plenty of visual attractions that I captured through my lens. I published seven blog posts with many photos in each. Thank you to everyone who read and commented on my blog.
BOOKS:
I enjoyed reading four thriller novels The Twenty-Three and Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay, Glass Houses by Louise Penny, and Sleeping in The Ground by Peter Robinson. The last two authors are new to me although all three authors have won numerous awards, and several of their books have been bestsellers.
CONCERTS:
I attended six wonderful concerts performed by Christopher Slade (solo piano), Tristan Savella (solo piano), Maithena Girault and Jeannie Chung (violin and piano duo), Jean-Samuel Bez and Jean-Luc Therrien (violin and piano duo), Tomson Highway, Patricia Cano and Marcus Ali (piano, vocals, and saxophone), and Olivier Hebert-Bouchard and David Dias da Silva (piano and clarinet duo).
FITNESS:
According to my November tracking sheet, I completed nine workouts at the gym, seven yoga classes, four swimming sessions, and three 5K runs. I also walked at least 45 minutes and meditated 15 minutes daily.
FOOD:
It's a good thing I completed the above fitness routine because I certainly ate well in Morocco as posted here. The beef tagine in Fez was foreign, authentic, and absolutely delicious.
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| Beef tagine in Fez, Morocco |
LEARNING:
I continued with my daily French and Spanish online lessons on Duolingo. While in Morocco, my knowledge of French helped me understand the signage around me and converse with local people.
I also learned words such as Medinas (old towns), Madrasas (religious schools), Djellaba (traditional Moroccan long, loose, hooded garment with long sleeves) and what they look like in real life.
Below is a photo of a Moroccan man wearing a white djellaba with a traditional Arab red fez hat, and soft yellow babouche slippers.
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| Man in traditional clothing in Rabat, Morocco |
MOVIES:
I watched four movies Shock and Awe, Casablanca, Mission Impossible Fall Out, and Little Italy. Casablanca was a refresher before I visited Casablanca in Morocco. Such a classic movie! I did stop by Rick's Café by the way. Mission Impossible Fall Out helped me pass the time while flying from Frankfurt to Toronto. Little Italy is a cute comedy filmed in Toronto.
SOCIALIZING:
I met with my friends in Toronto for coffee once, dinner once, and lunch four times. While in Morocco, I met other travellers during my walking tours and some of us went out for meals together.
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| Margherita pizza in Toronto |
One of the most beautiful spots to rest while sipping fresh mint tea and admiring my surroundings is in a carpet shop in the Medina of Fez in Morocco.
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| A magical sitting room |
TRAVEL:
My trip to Morocco was fantastic, with so much to explore and experience. To say it was a good kind of sensory stimulation is an understatement. I wrote a post about my visit to Rabat and Volubilis here, and Fez here. My upcoming post will be on Marrakesh, known as a city of gardens in Morocco. Here's a preview:
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| Marrakesh, Morocco |
OVERALL:
November was an excellent month for me. I'm grateful to be in good health, to have the ability to travel, and to have so many good things available to me at home. I'm enjoying the holiday season in Toronto at the moment.
How was your November? What good things happened? I'd love to hear your comments.
You certainly packed a lot into your November. I love reading about your travels and your commitment to your health & other goals.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite motivated to travel and go to those leisure activities that I enjoy :) The fitness exercises are hard work but I'm committed to stay healthy so I can travel and go out more.
DeleteWow you have had a fabulous November! Morocco looks so beautiful and interesting. That carpet shop in the Medina of Fez - wow! I would love to sit there - how gorgeous is it?! The food looks amazing and the art you've seen so inspiring! #TeamLovinLife
ReplyDeleteHi Min - The sitting area in that carpet shop was dreamy. I loved everything about it. November was definitely a wonderful month for me.
DeleteI like that tree by Judith McKay. You've had a pretty great month! #Lovinglifelinky
ReplyDeleteYou have good eye! I met Judith McKay in person when I went to her solo exhibition. She's a Toronto artist. Her art work has "Tree" theme and the colours are pretty amazing.
DeleteI read the Linwood Barclay (23) series as well. I enjoyed it but just found it weird that our lead character / narrator changed all of the time.
ReplyDeleteOh and that pizza... looks amazing. I'd never really experienced 'real' Italian pizzas until I was there but that looks like the real deal!
I used to read L. Barclay's column when he was a columnist at the Toronto Star. His writing was humorous. It was a nice surprise for me to read his books which are crime/ mystery/ thriller genre, so different from his column.
DeleteThere is a big Italian community in Toronto and you can find some pretty good Italian pizzas here.
My goodness. I feel tired just reading. I discovered Louise Penny in November as well and really liked the book. I learnt a new Spanish word abuelita - little grandmother.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann, for your comment and sharing the word 'abuelita'. I read Louise Penny's impressive bio and list of books to borrow more of her books from the library.
DeleteA month of contrasts - Morocco looks very different to where 'home' is for you! I'm very impressed with your Duolingo learning - my husband is using that app to help with learning Italian, it's a fun way to learn isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHi Deb - November was certainly a month of contrasts for me. I'm grateful to experience them all. Duolingo is fun and free. It gets more challenging over time and that's good for my brain :)
DeleteHi, Natalie - Your monthly round-ups never fail to inspire me! I consider myself to be fairly active, and still I cannot figure out how you fit everything in. I would love to meet-up IRL one day and learn your secrets first-hand!
ReplyDeleteHi Donna - You're so kind. We'll meet up IRL and exchange secrets, maybe in 2019? It may sound strange but the more I invest my time into activities that I like, the more energized I feel, in a good way, not the exhausting way.
DeleteNovember was an excellent month for you, indeed! What a great mix of activities and impressions. You are leading a very full-filling life, Natalie! I like how you keep track of everything as well. That makes it easier to put these overview blogs together. Looking forward to your next Morocco post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Liesbet, for your kind words. I try my best to live a fulfilling life and find inspiration from others, like you and Mark. Writing things down definitely helps me completing the activities and makes it easier to do my monthly write-ups.
DeleteWith a trip like that, how could the month be anything but spectacular?
ReplyDeleteXOXO
Jodie
www.jtouchofstyle.com
When I planned for my trip to Morocco, it felt slightly outside of my comfort zone. Now I'm glad I went and had an amazing experience. Thanks, Jodie, for stopping by.
DeleteWow! What a fabulous mix of activities. I firmly believe any month that involves travel is a good one! My boys are using Duolingo in our homeschool to teach themselves French and German and they just love it.
ReplyDeleteThat's great that your sons are teaching themselves French and German using Duolingo. It's a well-used app. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
DeleteYou mentioned that before going, Morocco felt a bit outside your comfort zone. What was it that worried you, and how did your expectations compare with what you experienced? I ask because the idea of going to Morocco has always intrigued me, but also I worry whether the country is safe for travellers.
ReplyDeleteJude
Hi Jude - I was concerned mainly about two things: 1) I don't know Arabic and although I know French, I wasn't sure how 'popular' French still is in Morocco. 2) How female travellers are treated in the country.
DeleteI addressed my concerns by booking English-speaking group walking tours. It turns out that although Arabic and Berber are Morocco's official languages, French is still visible on road signs, store signs, and local people in the cities that I visited spoke to me in French when I spoke French with them. My tour guides spoke excellent English, one of them had studied in Bonn and got married to a German, another studied in the UK. Everyone there in the tourism sector is multi-lingual. I didn't experience any harassment as a female traveller. People there seem to know how tourism helps the local economy and they provide good service. I found local meals, transportation, etc. inexpensive. Haggling is expected but I didn't purchase anything that would require serious negotiations. My walking tours were full, even though November is not peak tourist season there.
Overall, I'd say my actual experience exceeded my expectations. When I plan my trip to a foreign country, I always check to see if there are any travel advisories by the Canadian government. Plus I exercise the usual caution no matter where I go (e.g. keep valuables in a safe place, don't go out in dark alleys at night alone, etc).
You had a very full and rich November, Natalie. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I admire your courage to travel somewhere outside of your comfort zone. It appears you were well-rewarded for your efforts.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christie, for your comment. I've learned to look for facts and solutions when it comes to my fear of the unknowns to travel to a foreign country. My experience in Morocco was positive from beginning to end so I'm glad I made the trip.
DeleteYour posts are always so good to read through Natalie. Your month sounded busy and I love the sound of your Morocco trip.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie, for your compliment. November was an excellent month for me and was easy to write up.
DeleteI am so pleased to hear you enjoyed Morocco, as we've been only to the border city of Tangier, and would like to return to see the 'real' Morocco someday.
ReplyDeleteI so admire your dedication in getting out to take advantage of the wonderful art and music culture Toronto appears to offer. We try to do the same here, yet bump into people all the time that have never heard of some of the activities we've discovered. It's there if you just look, which clearly you do, Natalie!
I agree with you, Tamara: It's there if you just look, and be open to new experiences. I enjoyed Morocco's imperial cities a lot. I'd like to explore the Sahara desert and Morocco's seaside towns in the south one day.
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