Les Cadeaux

There were slippers.  Lots of them.  Some with tassles.  Some in leather. Some with cute little pom poms. In every shape and color and size.  Oh, so many to choose from.  And jewelry, oh the jewelry.  The Berber designs were awe inspiring as were the bangles I found in Marrakech.

There were little glass bottles with silver tops and tassles.  There were lanterns in every shape and size.  There were lights and torches hanging from ceilings which seemed to go up forever.  There were teapots and trays and boxes for tea leaves and mint.   And adorable little silverware with colorful handles.

Oh, and the rugs.  Hanging here.  Hanging there.  Bright oranges and reds. Muted blues and peaches. And pillows and poufs.  Some of them with beautiful sewing adorning the covers like this.

I shopped here and there.  A souk in Marrakech.  A souk in Casablanca. A quick tour through the medina in Rabat.  My colleague led me to her favorite shops, with backrooms and bargains to be had given her Arabic speaking skills.  Here is just a sneak preview of the riches I found in beautiful Morocco.

Some Strong Moroccan Women I've Met During My Travels

There were the numerous colorfully clad women in the Marrakesh souk selling wares of every kind and shape...

Like the woman who told me I was a "tough bargainer." She sold me a tiny stuffed horse and camel for Stefan....

Like the 14-year-old girl living in a slum community just outside of Rabat.  She is struggling to stay in school and not be forced into "child labor."

There were so many others I met along the way.  I will tell you more about them later.

A Jewel in the Marrakech Medina

We ambled down through the narrow streets of the medina in Marrakech.  The taxi driver that brought me from the train station "said" he knew where the Riad Alma, my guesthouse, was located amongst the narrow streets bustling with people, mini bikes and bicycles.  He lied.  We stopped several people and asked.  Finally, we found the narrow Rue Kbala.  A young Moroccan boy suddenly appeared and showed me the way.  A left turn here.  A right turn there.  I would forget the way a few times the next 48 hours. 

It was worth the wait.  Take a look and tell me what you think of Riad Alma.  Thank you Pierre (the owner).  It was simply lovely.

Olive Anyone?

Oh, to be an olive in a Moroccan market.  It's not your ordinary run of the mill experience.  You are wonderfully poised on brilliant blue containers.  The sun casts lovely lightly on your colors.  You are side by side with some of the most handsome olives in the world.  Yes, I said handsome.  They truly were. And equally as tasty.

She Arrives in Many Forms

She never arrives without fan fare. There is always a grand entrance.  Always hot and steamy.  She makes us feel oh, so much better.  She is...simply delicious.

She is Moroccan mint tea.  Always beautifully poured from a silver teapot.  Presented in beautifully etched little glasses in all colors.

This is my morning glass.  But stay tuned as I'm on a quest to drink from as many colorful little glasses as I can.

 

More of the Beautiful in Morocco

Here are some more examples of the beauty to be found in Casablanca. 

Large oysters and lemons at the local fish market...

Shiny ceramic bowls with tassles...

Colorful painted plates...

Fresh fruits and vegetables at the local market...

Finding the Beautiful in the Mundane

 Sometimes it can seem like just another international flight.  Just another international hotel chain.  Another city.  Another bad hotel view.So, you go out searching. Searching on that first day for a little bit of the beauty in your surroundings, while you are still trying to figure out what defines beauty in this particular place. Amid the honking horns and pollution and dirty streets, one can usually find it.

A colorful yellow mosque doorway

A fountain with intricate tiling

A substantial door knocker

An intriguing sign in the medina

Morocco Awaits

I can hear his soft little breathing on the baby monitor...such beautiful little sighs.  They will be missed.

We snuggled and rubbed noses before bed as she got all tucked in and prepared to doze off.

This is the hardest part of traveling. Leaving these wondrous little creatures behind.  But Morocco awaits and there is work to do.  Tomorrow I board a plane to fly across an ocean.

Goodnight beautiful little ones.

Flurries

He put his sweet little face to the door as if to say "let me out."  It was snowing and blustery and his hot breath made marks on the frozen glass door.

Soon, I thought.  Soon you'll be out there tumbling in the snow.  Soon you'll build snowmen. Soon you'll throw snowballs with Abby.

But for today, stay inside where it's warm and cozy. Stay inside and cuddle with mommy.

Happy Valentine's Day my Sweet Little Ones

To my prince and princess...

For their love...

For the love they have brought out in me...

For hearts and flowery messages...

Happy Valentine's Day (and to you, too, sweetheart)

What to Pack? Oh, What to Pack?

This burning question vexes me about every 2 months. I stand in front of my closet and ponder the weather, the perfect work-to-night transition outfits and the most comfortable, yet stylish, plane outfit. I have, over the years, cut out and saved numerous articles from Conde Naste and Travel and Leisure on the perfect packing items. I've got some of it down to a science: pashminas, accessories, IPod, very small laptop, flats, compressed work out shoes, Bose headphones, white t-shirts, black travel pants, travel wallet. So, why oh why do I still search for the perfect packable items? Is it some mysterious malady that forces me to continue the search for the most packable, yet presentable, items in the universe?

Here again is another set of suggestions from Town and Country, one of my favorite travel mags.

In the meantime, I'll keep looking.

As Snow Falls in D.C.....Sun Shines in Yemen

Both Brad and Thomas Friedman have been in Yemen in the past week....talking governance, rule of law, civil society. Brad managed to delve into a local market.

I love the juxtaposition of the mountains and old historic city...

And the colorful market scenes....

And on the Eighth Day there Was....Snow, lots of it

There is snow. And then the is a real snow storm. Rather than try to describe it, take a look.

Quote of the Day

What would men be without women? Scarce, sir, mighty scarce. -- Mark Twain

I Want it Now

Always loved these family bikes when I've seen them in the Netherlands. Could I pull it off on Capitol Hill?

My Favorite Things of 2009

Stefan: The new man in my life, he arrived last January 23rd and there hasn't been a day that we haven't smiled or laughed because of him. Happy birthday, my little man!

Abby: She continues to amaze me, thrill me, perplex me and make me shake my head in wonder that she is my little girl.

NYC: A girls weekend in the Big Apple and the Thanksgiving Day parade. I love NYC!

All Things Swedish: Abby has embraced her heritage, from celebrating Santa Lucia, to buying pink clogs to eating more Swedish pancakes. Malvinia and Gustave would be proud.

Vermont Again: I can still picture us living in a farm house in the Vermont countryside. I know my husband is reading this, so when will you say yes and we pack up?

Travel: I got back on my horse and road tentatively at the end of this year to Dubai and Egypt. But Morocco, Australia and more await in 2010.

Appreciation: As the year begins, tragedy of monumental proportion struck in Haiti. It really made me sit back again and think about how truly lucky we are in the developed world.

Wild and Wonderful

Babies in gliders...

Slipping and sliding....

Cruising along on our cross country skiis...

Wild and wonderful West Virginia. Yes, I said West Virginia. Here are a few photos from our long MLK weekend spent mostly at White Grass Skiing Area....a funky little find in the hills just a few hours drive from D.C. Definitely not for the Aspen set. Just the way we like it!

I Said Bring it On!

I said "bring it on"....and boy, did Mother Nature listen! 18 inches of snow at least, which came down from late Friday night until late Saturday night. Beautiful, white snowflakes which layered our yard with inches and inches of snow and made it impossible to go out for nearly 24 hours. So, we ran in and out of the hot tub, built a fire, made cookies and snuggled up. It was wonderful!

Giving Thanks....

We have so much to be thankful for. Every year, we go around the table and have to name something. This year, Abby initiated it and said she was thankful for her family. Such insight from a 5-year-old, who had just spent the morning gliding through Central Park on her scooter and marveling at the balloons in the Macy's Day parade.

We spent a magical weekend in New York. Window shopping along 5th on Black Friday. Playing in Central Park. Walking through the Asian Collection at the Met. Eating well at Mezzaluna and Orsay on the Upper East Side. Seeing the balloons being blown up on the eve of the parade. Hanging out with good friends. Seeing Nana at the Mandarin for breakfast and peering out over the Hudson from her 42nd floor room.

So very much we have to be thankful for on this holiday and all year long.

To Eat Well....In Paris

Ah, to eat well. But to do so in Paris. Now that is a real luxury. And to do it retracing the steps of a 19th century gastronome...the first Parisienne food critic of sorts. Check it out in today's New York Times travel section.

Photo courtesy of NY Times.

A Mexican Party...I Mean Protest

I always love a good protest. The kind with banners and chanting and whistles. Preferably without police in riot gear, please. Although I have been present for a few of those during the dark days of Milosevic in Belgrade.

But in Mexico last week, the protest was anything but dark. Yes, there were banners with counter government proclamations. There were coffins bearing the names of government officials. And yes, there was even a skeleton representing someone.

But the protest against the closing of a Mexican utility was more party-like with stalls selling fruit and juices. People selling black and white photos of Che Guevara and other notable revolutionaries. And people mingling about in a happy sort of way.

Another Travel Bag

Okay, so how many travel bags does a girl need to shop for and purchase until she has the "perfect one?" Here's another possibility available from Graf and Lantz.

A Little Jewel in Dubai

It's always magical to find a little travel jewel. That cozy, out of the way restaurant that serves amazing food and is not well known by the typical tourist crowd. A shop which has amazing little trinkets. A boutique hotel where you simply want to return to the room to fall onto the bed and look up at the ceiling. I found one such place in Bangkok a few years back that rolled all of this into one -- an antique mecca and a few guestrooms.

Now, lucky me! Friends took me to La Maison D'Hotes in Dubai....an absolutely lovely guest house owned and run by two French women in a Dubai residential neighborhood. Please don't tell anyone.

Returning to....pure joy!

It was an early morning flight out of Cairo (4:30 a.m.)...the layover in Frankfurt, an airport I truly detest...and the long 9 hour flight in Economy Plus with a sick passenger behind me who worried the flight attendants that he might have swine flu. Somewhere along the way, I picked up a bit of stomach bug so the flights seemed even longer than usual.

Yet, somehow I kept thinking about what was awaiting me on touch down. And it was worth it to see the expression on my daughter's face when I surprised her at school....and her pure delight at her Halloween costume. My little Asian princess was truly a sight, don't you think?