Alibaba and the fourty thiefs

So summer is over, I’ve just come back from a well deserved (I think) holiday and it’s time to get ready for the next challenge, but first, let’s do a quick recap of the last couple of months.

Since I knew I would be transferring to Bremen I took my time in Birmingham really lightly, not work, which I took very seriously, but my personal life. I knew this would only be temporary, so no point letting my feelings run the show. This was the time to be fickle, and fickle I’ve been. I still hope I will keep in contact with some of the people I’ve met. I think I really clicked with people, some that have been through a similar experiences as I have and I've made a friend who somehow helped me open up about the fact that I got divorced at the beginning of the year, and I have even told a few people with a relatively reduced amount of embarrassment.

Slightly related to that (although not quite) was my short escape to Marrakech. It was pretty much what I expected. A similar culture to Tunisia, it didn’t shock me and I had the chance to enjoy walking around the souks and eating that amazing food without feeling forced into it. Of course we also had a rude reminder that, however touristy the city is, it’s in the middle of a relatively poor country.

What happened? I had my handbag stolen just a few hours after landing in the country, with the subsequent string of experiences like a completely useless visit to a police station, the amability of a taxi driver who took us to the hotel (and never got paid for it) and being locked out of the hotel until a lovely neighbour managed to contact the hotel manager inside to open the door for us.

After that we didn’t leave the hotel after dinner time and especially Isa found it quite hard to cope with the constant harassment of street vendors, kids, taxi drivers, beggars and any other person trying to make some profit out of two female tourists travelling alone.

But the only bad moment was that on the first night. The other 3 days we visited old palaces, the souks, the main square, amazing restaurants, and an art deco villa given to the city by Yves Saint Laurent, but we also had time to relax around the lovely courtyard pool in our hotel, which meant I came back with a good opinion of the place and an overall positive impression of the holiday.

After that I let myself be spoilt by my mum. And, now, the countdown to my German adventure starts for real. If all goes well, I’ll be there before the end of the month!!!