Galway, Ireland + Casablanca, Morocco
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Alison’s obsession this week is another tv show. With the pandemic coming up on a year...she has watched so much TV. Her latest binge is Netflix’s Fate: The Winx Saga. Unfortunately with only one season out, she has to wait god knows how long until season two drops. This is why Lulu doesn’t watch shows until they are over.
Lulu is obsessed with her laptop stand, and all of its health benefits. She can make working from the counter like a standing desk…or can be slightly less slouched while working, okay watching, from the couch.
Alison is wishing for this hair tool, because everyone that has it has the perfect beach-wave-woke-up-like-this hair. It’s $79 so perhaps next paycheck. Lulu is wishing she would remember to charge her headphones. The daily frustration is building up. She needs them to automatically charge in her purse. Or she needs to place multiple chargers around the house so that she always sees a charging station as a reminder. Something!
A quick click on Ireland.com and a glance at this phrase - "Looking for bohemian cool and traditional culture...?” - led Alison to choose Galway, Ireland as her destination.
Stunning scenery, plentiful pubs, and festival fun are sure to draw you in to this unofficial capital of Gaeltacht - a term that refers to an area where the Irish language is considered the predominant spoken language. Called Gaeilge in Irish, most English speakers will be more familiar with the translated term, Gaelic. Alison wants to really commit to an immersive travel experience, so she hires Grace through FirstTutors.com to teach her Gaelic. She pays ~$36 USD per hour for 48 hours of virtual sessions so that by the time she arrives she has the language in hand. However if you enjoy learning, splitting hairs, thorough research, or all of the above...technically the word Gaelic as an adjective refers to the community and culture of Ireland, but the term Gaelic when referencing language is what is spoken in Scotland.
But we digress.
Alison embraces Irish country living in the Lisdonagh Manor House, an Airbnb rental within castle grounds overlooking the private lake Lough Cime on the Wild Atlantic Way, just 15 minutes from Galway City. This house has 9 bedrooms and 9.5 baths, and can accommodate up to 16 guests. Yes, each bedroom features an ensuite bathroom! This spacious three-story home boasts a drawing room with open fire, an elegant dining room with seating for twenty, a library and a rustic-style bar. There are other guest cottages available for rent on the same grounds, and you can arrange daily housekeeping and/or catering services ahead of time if you wish (and who wouldn't?!) Booking this spot will cost you around $1,350 USD per night on average with taxes and fees. Divided by 16 people, this would actually be a relatively affordable option for a family reunion or other large group getaway!
Alison takes her breakfast at Ard Bia, one of the areas most enduring restaurants that has "always placed as much emphasis on aesthetic stimulation" as it has its cuisine, making it the perfect place to eat some authentic food worthy of the 'gram. Their brunch menu is to die for, and Alison orders nine different dishes to really get a feel for the place. Their house granola with pear compote and Galway goats' yogurt could be the winner, through the chorizo and red pepper hash with a fried egg sounds divine as well. This spot also hosts events, boasts a connected Airbnb loft, rents out a vintage camper van, has a shop with pottery, and its logo is a sketched unicorn. How fantastically unique!
The Quiet Man Bridge is located 5 miles past Oughterard, and was the setting for the 1950's film The Quiet Man starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. The film is regarded as one of the top 100 films ever made. Locals say that by this point, so many stones have been taken overseas as souvenirs by those tourists, that the bridge must have been rebuilt at least three times! After a quick sight-see and a photo-op (is she the type of tourist who would steal a stone?) Alison grabs a slice and a pint for lunch at The Dough Bros.
Alison was super excited when during her research she found a self-drive tour of Ireland. The Greenway Tour is the one in particular she booked, which is technically an 8-day trip that guides you from Cork to Dublin, with the must-see Cliff's of Moher in the middle. This tour utilizes an app called Paddy the Pocket Pilot which in addition to being very cutely named is super functional! It has hours of information pre-loaded about the sites you'll visit. The app is connected to google maps for directions, and has all your passes and admission tickets to the attractions pre-loaded. Booking this entire trip costs around $3,000 USD for the eight days, and comes with the app, passes/admission tickets, accommodation, rental car, and breakfasts! That’s actually pretty amazing! Seeing as how she has one day and not eight, she's going to do the excursions for the days in Galway, and save the rest for her next visit…
Day five in the itinerary is the Galway stop. The day starts at Bunratty Castle - "the most complete and authentic castle in Ireland" - and its surrounding Folk Park with refinished houses and streets, whose staff in traditional costume and live music lend a taste of the Irish life in the 1800's.
After that she visits the last stop in the tour's Galway day, Burren National Park, with its uniquely rock-centric landscape - the word "burren" comes from a word meaning "rocky place. To keep her energy up for all this activity, Alison has pre-ordered this Etsy package of 26 Irish snack foods. Skips, Hunky Dorys, and Pink ‘n’ Whites..oh my!
Next she wants to take in the sunset at the Calendar Sundial in the Celtic Gardens. Amongst the nature trails is this unique sundial consisting of a 5 ft (1.5m) piece of bog oak wood set in the center of a stone circle, with carved lines that depict the time of say and the month of the year with incredible accuracy. Ironically it rains here a lot so here's hoping there's some sun for this sun dial to catch when she visits.
Dinner is at Michelin-starred restaurant and wine bar Loam in Galway City. The beautiful interiors set the scene for a delightful nine-course tasting menu that Alison contentedly ends her day with...adding the wine pairing, of course.
Lulu decides to educate herself a bit on her destination - Casablanca, Morocco. She knows a little about the country from researching her day in Marrakesh, but there’s always more to discover! She learned that there are two official languages, Standard Arabic and Tamazight (also known as Berber) with French being the most common European language, followed by English. Most restaurants do not serve alcohol, as imbibing is forbidden for Muslims. However this country is considered a moderate Islamic nation, so non-Muslims are permitted to drink in private or in restaurants where it is served. Best to save any excessive drinking for a different holiday out of respect for the culture, and your liver will probably appreciate a respite if you switch over to the served-everywhere-with-everything mint tea!
Lulu is staying at the Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca where every room and suite boasts floor-to-ceiling windows. Her Imperial Suite Ocean View has both indoor and outdoor dining spaces and an expansive living room with a playstation/xbox available on request! She gets to select her choice of mattress topper (plush, signature, or firm) and an orthopedic pillow, if desired. Minibar, breakfast, and ice delivery are all complimentary every day, as is an overnight shoe shine! The twice daily housekeeping is nice too, but the real stunner is the all marble bathroom with a free-standing soaker tub and Bvlgari bathroom amenties. It’s surprising she was able to leave the room at all!
Looking to learn a bit about the culture and cuisine, Lulu found an experience on Airbnb where you learn how to make Msemen, a square pancake made in the mornings in Morocco. The 3.5 hour class can be booked for just $34 USD per person, if you don't mind joining with others, or if you want to book for a private group it starts at $112 USD for the group. You'll of course make and enjoy Moroccan tea while you practice your pancake-making skills. These pancakes are eaten with a side of butter and honey, so Lulu decides to bring along some themed host gifts for the leader of the class. Sparing no expense, she buys $500 worth of Elvish honey - which is extracted from deep within a cave in Turkey, $500 worth of Échire butter from France, and a butter keeper from Etsy. Yes, Lulu is the most courteous guest ever.
Lulu visits La Corniche, the seafront promenade. By day you see surfers and picnics along the coast, and both tourists and residents along the street. There are loads of places to dine day or night, and in the evening there is an active nightlife scene. It is an excellent spot to view the Hassan II Mosque, or visit if you choose, as this is the only mosque in the city - and one of only two in the whole country - open to non-Islamic tourists. It took over seven years and ten thousand artisans to build, and has the second tallest religious minaret in the world at 689 ft (210 m) in height. Any non-Muslim visitors must book a tour in advance in order to be admitted around the prayer schedule, and must be dressed respectfully to be admitted. That means knees and shoulders covered, higher necklines, and while some may not require it, it shows appreciation and respect for women to have a scarf or covering for their hair/head. Lulu comes prepared with a collared and long-sleeved printed silk shirt by Casablanca, and some up-cycled jeans from Denim Therapy.
She also knows that it is culturally aware to only use your right hand to shake hands, eat, or give a gift or tip, so she purchases these Gucci embroidered lace gloves and wears just the left one as a reminder to not use that hand. Anticipating the required removal of shoes before entering main areas, Lulu has these Arebesk Muse open toe grip socks on, ready-to-go!
Now that she is properly outfitted, Lulu tours the mosque and its grounds, where 25,000 worshippers can gather, along with another 80,000 fitting within the courtyard. The tile work detail is said to be exquisite, the grounds breathraking, and there is a glass floor where you can pray over the sea! Lulu is going to take her time here, to be sure.
For lunch Lulu heads to Rick’s Cafe, a recreation of the bar from Casablanca. Developed by a former American diplomat to Morocco, the restaurant-piano bar has touches throughout that create a feel so like the film that you'll think you're dining across from one of its stars. They're known for their spectacular seafood dishes, and for their musicians playing nightly with more than one round of As Time Goes By.
Next is a stroll through all the fruit, flower, souvenir, and seafood stalls at Marché Central (Central Market) where you can buy a fish and have it grilled right there!
Lulu wanders in to L’Atelier 21 which displays work by some of the most popular contemporary Moroccan artists… hopefully she’ll find a piece to ship home as her souvenir. Their current exhibit is “Spirit of the letter” by calligrapher Larbi Cherkaoui, which definitely has some pieces to Lulu’s taste.
Lulu closes out her evening with dinner at La Squala, a restaurant in the walls of a former fortress overlooking the sea. It is a popular go-to spot for classic Moroccan dishes such as pigeon pastille and tanginess. She’s excited to expand her tastebuds as well as her horizons in this 10K Day!
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
Association Solidarity Feminine
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