I learned a poem when I was a little girl entitled "The Blind Men and the Elephant." It tells the story of a six blind men who each give a totally different description of what the elephant looks like based on which part of the body they encounter; one who touches the trunk declares the elephant to be like a snake, another who touches the ear is certain that the elephant is much like a fan, etc. The moral of the story of course, is that when our experience with something is limited we don't always have a good understanding or holistic perspective.
Our tour of northern Morocco has certainly opened my eyes to another side of Morocco that I couldn't see living in Marrakech. Whereas Marrakech in the southern part of the country is very much a dusty desert, the cities and villages of northern Morocco which get more rainfall are full of green spaces and trees, and in general have more of a European look and feel.
Tangier, located at the northern-most point in Morocco is only about nine miles from southern Spain. On a clear day you can look across the straights of Gibraltar and see the Spanish city of Tarifa. Fun fact: the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean sea flow into each other here and it's possible to determine where they meet based on the salinity levels of the water!
And then there was Chefchaouen, the Blue City. Words really can't describe the charm of this enchanting little town. If you come to Morocco it is a must-see! (If you google it you will find thousands of pictures, most much better than mine.)
And so, like a blind man who finally gets to interact with the entire elephant, I'm learning that Morocco is a land of great contrasts and full of delightful surprises. I'm pretty skimpy on the narrative this time because we're busy traveling. More updates soon on the rest of our trip!
