Treasures from Around the World

Wednesdays are usually reserved for art, but today I’m going to stretch that definition just a little bit. I want to show you guys some of the cool things I’ve picked up from my travels over the years.

Now, I’ve been known to keep everything from my receipts for chocolate (because I can’t go to a new country and not try their chocolate) to my tags for luggage. But these souvenirs are more beautiful, and all picked out to represent the country I was in.

First up is a gorgeous plate from Morocco. It’s all hand-hammered metal, inlaid with different colors. It was so hard to pick out just one because they had a million of them! I love the colors in this one though, and it was the perfect size. I gave it to my Mom.

This vase on the left is from France. Normandy, to be specific. They had these things all over the place. They’re handmade and so beautiful! On the right is a mini Eiffel Tower. Both were also gifts for my mom. (Although she was a little put off when she saw the size of the Eiffel Tower that I got myself, haha.)

My mom loves the ocean and the beach, so naturally she’d collect sand. These are from my various trips. Sometimes, when I’m lucky, I can find a bottle with the name of the country on it too.

Here’s my Eiffel Tower. Mom’s is about 2” tall. Mine is about a foot tall. She was a little jealous, haha.

I actually didn’t pick this up on one of my trips, but it did come from another country! My friend from Argentina gave it to me. It’s used to hold mate, a type of tea. (I tried the tea. It was really gross.)

These came from Greece. They’re two of my favorite goddesses – Artemis and Aphrodite. I wanted a whole set of them, but that would’ve been waaaay expensive.

Yes, yes that is a chocolate frog box in the background…

Here’s another gift I’ve received. This is a keychain/cell phone charm from Korea I got as a present from a friend who went there for a Karate tournament.

These are also from Morocco. We went into a giant store full of awesome mosaics and neat pieces like this. I know they’re miniatures of some traditional dishes in Moroccan culture, but I can’t remember exactly what they were for.

This one is from France. I love the original painting, and it seemed only fitting to get this neat clock! Only…it’s really, really loud. So it stays in our basement.

Lastly, this is a beautiful fan I brought home for my mom. It’s from Seville, Spain. These are the big thing over there and I have a weird affinity for fans anyway, so I had to get one! They’re hand painted and made of wood and cloth.

What kinds of things have you picked up from your travels? What is the one thing you would have to pick up if you got a chance to go to your dream country?

Wandering Bard: Morocco

The winter weather was really getting me down. We got dumped on a week or two ago, but now it is WARM. Like, even warm by other people’s standards, not just Upstate NY standards. That doesn’t mean I can’t still enjoy some pictures from much warmer places, though.

Today we’re headed off to Morocco. There is one main thing you need to know about Moroccans:

These people are awesome.

They have two official languages, Arabic and a native dialect. However, many of the inhabitants know French and/or English, as well. Spanish is also a popular one. If you’re a native Moroccan and don’t know AT LEAST three languages, you’re considered uneducated. *hangs head in shame* The majority of the people here are Muslim and quite religious. And, guess what? They LOVE Americans!

(On a serious note, obviously I am writing this in a general sense. I can’t possibly account for all of the people in this country, and I’m sure there are many who are not religious or don’t love Americans or only speak their native language and are quite fine with that. ALSO – if you’re reading this in anticipation of going to this country, please be very careful. The people that I met were quite taken with us – maybe a little too much. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the boys in this country are very smooth talkers. Be mindful of what you may be getting yourself into.)

Right. Where was I?

Oh, yes! Welcome to Morocco.

The first city we went to was called Rabat.

This little adventure is going to be different from the last two in that we aren’t visiting a specific monument today. This trip really introduced my group to the culture of Morocco, and I want to keep it that way. We did see some important sites, but I want to show you what really caught my eye. Sit back and check out the photos!

This palace was one of the first places that we went to. You have NO idea how long it took me to get a shot of it without any people standing in the way...

They also took us to a tannery, which was actually pretty fascinating. They gave up a sprig of mint to sniff in case the smell got too bad.

Can I get a Coca-Cola PLEASE?

This is called the "Medina" or city. Most of the streets are covered and the entire place is just a labyrinth of alleyways. There is no map of it - I doubt that anyone would know enough of the streets to be able to create one.

Here's what a typical street looks like. Pretty simple, but they were all so beautiful! You could only see just a slice of sky between the top of the buildings.

Don't be fooled. Just because it says "dentist" doesn't mean that they were formally trained. Knowledge of the "craft" was often passed down from father to son. Oh, and if they were having a slow day? They'd also perform circumcisions...

We also went to a place that made all sorts of mosaics. This shop was HUGE. And I made it through it without breaking a single thing.

American culture is everywhere over there, but it's especially obvious with the younger generation. The boys could've fit right in over here in the States - they wore Nikes and polos and spoke English.

Just as we were entering an old fort, there was a man sitting on the steps selling baby chickens. And as soon as he saw that we were American...

...he pulled the top off of these. YES those are real, and YES they are alive. Although the idea of someone doing this to these chicks makes me sad, you can't deny that a purple chicken would be pretty neat to look at...

Have you ever been to a foreign country that was vastly different than your own? Did you have a good experience or a bad experience? Have you ever been pleasantly surprised once you got there? What did you learn?