Since the end of Ramadan was approaching our school had scheduled a four day weekend to incorporate the Muslim holiday Aid al-Fitr. A group of us took advantage of the break and headed up into the Atlas mountains near Marrkech to a place called au sanglier qui fume (the smoking boar). It was an old French Legioneer stopover and a hunting lodge run by the same French family for over 60 years.
We had a great time relaxing, swimming in the icy pool, hiking in the mountains that surrounded the lodge, and spending time together in worship and fun.
On the way back to Casablanca, we stopped in the city of Marrakech to see the spectacle everyone had told us about. We headed to the Djemaa el Fna, which is the central square and marketplace or souq. Snake charmers, henna artists, and boys with apes all vie for your attention. We didn’t see the place at night, but we hear it transforms into a busy open air restaurant complete with goat heads for the eating (see this article). We roamed the square and took pictures of our boys holding snakes and smiling. Even Chrissy got into it and reluctantly held a snake. I think I paid the snake charmers too much for the privilege of taking the shots, but it was well worth it. We then headed back to Casablanaca to finish off our long weekend. Maybe next time we will experience Marrakech at night.
Here are some more pictures form our trip.
Reaching Romania 
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