Jeff i Danmark: Happy Halloween?

One holiday I won't really be missing too much here in Denmark... once the trick-or-treating was over it lost a lot of its appeal to me. I think it is slowly growing in Denmark but is definitely not that big. There main amusement park, Tivoli, did a "Halloween Week" during fall vacation but that was a good month too early. There are also a few parties but nothing too big, and it would be hard to attempt trick-or-treating here with mostly apartment buildings--"could you buzz me up, I want some candy?"

Otherwise things are going well. It was nice to come back from 10 full days of vacation and not really have any catching up to do as I planned it well over our break. I immediately bought gloves and a hat as soon as I got back as the chill has really settled in.

This past weekend I went to Århus, which is the 2^nd biggest city in Denmark which is located on Jutland, the mainland of Denmark, to visit my aunt and uncle. It was quite a relaxing weekend which was nice after my long trip. It’s just a three hour train ride away and I was able to bring my bike, although not get much use out of it as it rained a lot.

On another note: the bug bites have subsided and I don’t think I brought any back with me to Denmark so I am feeling much better in that regard.

On to Morocco:

On the plane flight down to Fes, my first town in Morocco which was the former capital and is now famous for its huge Medina, I met a nice Moroccan/German guy who gave me advice: Be careful! Everyone will try to make money off of you. He told me that even though he could speak French it wasn’t until his Moroccan Arabic improved (the two main languages spoken there) that he felt he wasn’t getting ripped off many times.

Customs wasn’t all too bad for 3 of the 4 lines. Unfortunately I was in the one with the woman that literally spent about 5 minutes per person. So my position in the middle of this line actually made me DEAD LAST of getting my passport checked as the other lines moved much faster and everyone behind me in my line slowly moved to other ones… By the time I got outside it was dark, probably aided by the fact that although on the same time zone as Spain for example, their time is actually two hours different (got dark around 6).

I grabbed a cab and when I reached for the seatbelt the guy said “No, No, No…” I understood why as after I attempted it anyway it was broken…a bit unnerving at the beginning and something I was to get used to later. After getting in the cab I looked for the meter, which my guide book told me to make sure they turned on, and the guy on the plane really emphasized, telling me that “forgetting” to reset it and just charging whatever was one way to make a buck. Unfortunately this cab was really beaten up and did not have one, I don’t really think it was an official cab. So much for that…

While driving through the streets of the Ville Niveau heading towards the Medina where I wanted to stay it appeared to be a huge party. There were people everywhere out in the streets. Eating, sitting at cafes, playing games, shopping, and just enjoying the night. I am still not sure whether this was special because it was Eid ul-Fitr (the first few days after the end of Ramadan) or just how it usually is. While stopped at a light my driver started yelling at this guy at the window and he came over and handed him something-similar to sunflower seeds, and my driver gave a handful to me as well.

After being dropped off I was immediately approached by a kid asking me if I needed a place to stay. No thanks I said. Where are you from? Have you been here before? Sure you don’t need a place? In hindsight this kid was not much of a hassle at all. Ironically I found the spot from my book—the same place the kid was working for… They spoke English and I was satisfied with my tiny room and bathroom down the hall.

I then headed out to explore the Medina experiencing a sensory overload. As a general description the Medina is a walled part of the city. In Fes there are absolutely no cars inside the Medina (at least the parts I explored) as the streets are much to small and packed. Lining the streets are stalls selling everything imaginable to locals and also tons of tourist places. There are also tons of people just sitting on the street selling a bunch of random things (socks/watches/gum), or one thing like cigarettes (by the cigarette), on a little stool, cloth, or out of a suitcase.

I wasn’t too adventurous this night, the moment I tried to deviate from a main street I was immediately lost, it got darker, and I found two dead ends in a row…I walked around watching people get ready and heading over to the carnival a few hundred yards outside the Medina (hairdresser surprised me for some reason—dressing younger girls hair).

Armed with never used diarrhea pills from the Dominican Republic trip I stepped into a very local stall in which one man was cooking soup in a huge pot. I communicated with my hands and got my bowl of white bean soup with spices and a big round piece of bread. It turns out this is a very common meal in Morocco as they have little hole-in-the-wall places serving it everywhere and they are often full. I definitely enjoyed it although the cats coming in and out and flies/earwigs on the wall were a bit gross, although this place was dirtier than most.

I felt my stomach rumbling but after popping a pill nothing ever came of it. The main problem is that the water is not drinkable for me but non-restaurant places just rinse spoons and glasses in the local water. I must have got used to it after a while though because I only ate in a restaurant once.

I then went to go check out the bright lights of the party. They had some old carnival rides (merry go round) and games (water gun, shooting), mixed with vendors and a ton of people set up in an open area just outside the Medina. They contrasted very much with the old sandy walls of the Medina in the background. I sat around and people watched. Everyone seemed to be having a good time—greeting each other by 4 kisses alternating from cheek to cheek.

I bought water from a small stand feeling foolish that with my studies I forgot to hand over the money with my right hand (left hand is often seen as unclean) and was told to just set it on the counter. I then retired for the night when I think it was just beginning for many—I was a bit tired from the all-night bus ride from Copenhagen to Frankfurt the night before.

Below are a few pictures. I took over 600 on my trip! I will just be putting up the ones I like the most or want to comment on. I felt most of the time pictures didn’t really do justice to the whole picture/feeling of the situation, but they are fun nonetheless.

Frankfurt: