Morocco is an awesome place to vacation with kids!

Why Marrakech?


A few months ago my dear friend Rachel, (who runs the amazing website www.crafttheology.com) suggested that we travel - with her, her husband, and her 3 boys, to Marrakech for 6 days over our upcoming school vacation.

To be honest, I had never really considered visiting Morocco.  I had to think about it, and discuss with my husband.  I had a few concerns, which may seem silly, but honestly, this is what was going through my mind:

1.  Should we actually bring 6 small children (my 3 plus her 3), all under the age of 9, with us to Marrakech for a week?  Or would we spend all our time chasing them and worrying about their safety?
2.  Would it even BE safe to be in Marrakech with these kids?
3.  Would we be the ONLY people with kids vacationing in Marrakech?
4.  Would we be able to do anything fun?  Would it even BE fun?
5.  Would we be sick the whole time?
6.  Would the roads be safe to drive on?

(Spoiler Alert - NONE of my concerns were founded.  It felt totally safe, we did not worry, there were tons of kids there from all over the world (mostly France), and it was really, really fun.  The roads were safe and in incredibly good condition.  And we stayed healthy.)

I spent some time researching, and found countless articles touting Morocco as an incredibly child-friendly destination. A friend who recently traveled to Morocco with her children had an amazing time, suggested a couple of activities for us, and referred us to a wonderful guide.

And so we decided to go!  This was literally the best decision ever as traveling to Marrakech wound up being probably the most wonderful vacation I have ever been on.  It was incredible.  So, here are the details....

How to get there...
We flew on the incredibly cheap RyanAir, out of Frankfurt Hahn airport.  Most major airlines fly to Marrakech so it's not very hard to find a flight!  Our hotel arranged for a car service to bring us to the hotel from the airport.

When to go....
We went over our February school holidays.  I think this is the perfect time to visit Marrakech because it was not too hot - it was very pleasant to be outside all day in long sleeves or a light jacket. I think during a hotter time of year it would be less comfortable to explore during the day.

Where we stayed....


There are countless amazing Riads - the term for guest house - in Marrakech.  Many come with staff, and can be rented out by a large group.  They are gorgeous, traditionally decorated, and lavish.   I spent a lot of time on Trip Advisor reading reviews of such Riads - people raving about the food, the staff, the peacefulness, the beauty of them.  There are also many more budget friendly options, which would be great for backpackers.  Typically, I always like to stay right in the middle of the action.  I love the energy of a vibrant city center.  But, as we were traveling with a group of small children, we decided that a Riad may not be the best choice.  We wanted to give them space to freely run and play.

When researching options for a place to stay for two families with six kids in Marrakech, we kept finding references to the boutique resort, Beldi Country Club (http://www.beldicountryclub.com/en/), and decided to give it a shot.

Beldi Country Club was absolutely spectacular.  It is a 27 room resort with gorgeous rooms, several pools, tennis, water features, countless seating areas, amazing food, friendly staff, a mini souk area, pottery classes, cooking classes, and several acres of rose bushes, gardens with gorgeous paths, and an olive grove.  It is set up as a traditional Moroccan village and is full of tiny details that make the whole absolutely amazing, like countless antiques, incredible landscaping, and a truly artistic and thoughtful design.  We were completely wow-ed the minute we walked in, and absolutely loved every second of this magical hotel.  It is located about 6 miles from the Marrakech medina, and the hotel graciously arranged for a taxi service to bring us and pick us up from the city whenever we wanted to go.  It was very easy.

Additionally, this hotel is very child-friendly.  The pools are lots of fun, and the kids could run on the pathways for hours!  But, even better - they have pottery classes for children (and adults)!  And, cooking classes for kids, to make the traditional Moroccan breads.  The staff were so kind to the children, we all felt completely comfortable and at home.  I honestly cannot recommend Beldi Country Club highly enough.  I feel so blessed to have spent time there with my family and good friends.  If you visit Marrakech with kids, this is an excellent spot to stay.

Things to do....

Get a guide!
Marrakech is big, and a bit overwhelming.  We wanted to see the highlights of the city, and everything I read recommended getting a guide, so we complied!  Also, we really wanted to explore the Atlas Mountains, and certainly did not feel equipped to figure that out on our own.
A good friend recommended a guide that she used when she visited Morocco with her family, we contacted him and hired him to take us around for the first two days we were in Marrakech.  He is called Nouri and he was so great!  His full name is Noureddine Bachar and he can be reached at nourifun@yahoo.fr.  He has great energy and and we adored him immediately.  He had the 6 kids following him around like the pied piper, he told jokes and did magic tricks with them during our down time, and was fascinating to listen to.  He arranged the most amazing activities for us, everything was carefully planned and very wonderful.  We adored him!

The Marrakech Sites...
With Nouri and his Marrakech colleague (also amazing) we visited the main historic sites of Marrakech.  These are the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace, and the Medrasa Ben Yousef.  We checked out the Souks, and the Jamea Elfena Main Square.  We had lunch at a small, and very fancy Riad, and then went to La Palmeraie for a camel ride and tea in a traditional village.




This was a full, but very exciting day.  The kids did wonderfully, and really were fascinated with the sites.  The Mosque and Palace were gorgeous and historic, and wonderfully preserved.  The Medrasa was really interesting - to see an Islamic school was fascinating.  The Souks are incredible - a shopping dream that we came back to several times, and the Main Square with the snake charmers, orange juice sellers, horse and buggys, food, and trinket sellers is truly exotic.  The camel rides were fun and we got some great photos, and drinking mint tea in a tiny village was a very delicious and authentic-feeling experience.

The Atlas Mountains...
Everyone's favorite day in Morocco was spent in the Atlas Mountains.  Nouri and his driver picked us up in the morning and we drove by numerous villages and shepherds (there are a lot of shepherds in Morocco, I loved seeing them) to the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.  We drove to Kik Platea, and then to Imil Valley.  In Imil Valley we stopped, and took a mule ride for about an hour and a half up to a Berber guest house named Douar Samra.  The mule ride was spectacular.  The Atlas Mountains are gorgeous and the Imil Valley is one of the most scenic places I have ever visited.  Additionally, the people were so kind and the mules were very well cared for.  It was amazing!


When we arrived at the Berber guest house we were taken to a roof deck and served traditional Moroccan mint tea, surrounded by sheer beauty.  We then ate an incredible meal in one of the coolest rooms I have ever been in.

On our way home, we stopped at a women's cooperative for Argan Oil and learned about Argan Oil and the lives of the women who work there.  And we bought some Argan Oil, of course!

The Souks and Djemaa El-Fna...
Djemaa El-Fna Square is basically the central point of Marrakech, and the Souks - the tiny alleys of shops with absolutely amazing stuff - connect to it.  The square is bustling and incredible all the time, but especially at night, when it is full of a "night market" with tons of food.  We ate at the night market the first night, and then were warned against it by our guides.  There are many orange juice sellers - we bought the juice and found it delicious, but were also warned against that.  I think every traveller has to make his or her own call!  The square also has snake charmers (fascinating!) and guys with baby monkeys (kind of unsettling!).  Everyone requires a small payment for photographs.  Also, there are many people trying to give children balloons and other junk for money - we found that a firm "No" sufficed, and were not hassled.  Our six year old boy got very good at saying "No!" to these people trying to make their living by preying on tourists.  While scammers exist as a fact of live in Marrakech, we did not find them particularly bothersome.

The Souks were so amazing.  We kept going back.  It's an absolute maze of treasures!  And so much of it is handmade!  The leather goods are incredible, and there are wood products, elaborate locks, exotic spices, precious stones, clothing, jewelry, etc.. the list is endless.  I could easily spend a week shopping in the Souks.

The kids loved it as well, and helped to negotiate down the cost of some gorgeous geodes, wooden boxes, and handmade sandals.

We found the sellers in the Souks to be kind and easy to deal with.  They spoke English and were happy to come down on their prices.

The only thing about the Souks that was a bit disconcerting with children was the mopeds - they zip around the corners so we felt the need to keep a close eye on our kids to ensure they were keeping to the sides of the walkways and being safe.

El Badi Palace...
After spending our first two days with a guide, we felt comfortable exploring Marrakech on our own for the remainder of our time there.  I wanted to check out the El Badi Palace, a ruin of an ancient palace.  It was really beautiful, and there were many storks nesting there, which was really neat to see!

Overall...
I can 100% say this is was the best vacation I have ever been on.  Morocco is a wonderful country with incredible people.  Everyone we met was so kind, and so friendly and sweet with our children.  It sounds a bit trite but honestly, the energy in Morocco is just fabulous and really resonated with me.  I feel so much gratitude that we went on this vacation!

Wintery Würzburg Day Trip

A couple of weeks ago we decided to go to Würzburg for the day.  It is a short, and beautiful, drive from Frankfurt.  We had fun exploring - this is what we did.

Why Würzburg?
Würzburg is a scenic town on the Main River known for art, architecture, wine, and a university.  Our children were interested in a gory story from Würzburg's past regarding three Irish missionaries who got murdered by the wife of a Duke they were trying to convert to Catholocism.  The missionaries became Saints, and Wurzburg became a pilgrimage spot and  in 724, a bishopric.  The prince-bishops were very wealthy and powerful, leading to the creation of the spectacular Residenz.

Würzburg is close to Wertheim Village, the sweet little outlet store area outside of Frankfurt, which has a really wonderful playground and some nice restaurants.  It you have some extra time and need to do some shopping, you may be able to combine these trips.

Residenz
The Residenz is the highlight of a trip to Würzburg.  It is a Unesco sight built in the 1700s and one of the most important Baroque palaces in Germany.  We visited on a chilly, winter Sunday morning.  This was perfect because we were almost the only visitors in the palace, so we could explore it at our own pace and imagine living there.  We highly recommend getting Rick Steve's Germany guidebook as it contains a description of each of the rooms accessible by a self-guided tour.  We also enjoyed the gardens, which are probably spectacular in summer.  It has a huge parking lot, and we left our car there for the day.

Grafeneckart
This building from 1659 is adjoining the Rathaous, and right near the entrance to the Alte Mainbruke.  It has a small room explaining the events that transpired during WWII in Würzburg, leading to 90% of the city being demolished.  There is also a scale model of the demolished city and an inspiring copy of a letter from the Würzburg mayor regarding the evils of war.  It is worth a visit,
and a moment of silence.

Exploring the City, and Alte Mainbruke
We wandered around Würzburg, and peeked into the large Dom St. Killian, and walked across the very old and scenic bridge across the Main - one of the oldest in Germany.  There are fascinating statues of kings and other historic figures on the bridge, which we admired.  There are many museums in Würzburg, perhaps we will go back to visit them another day.

Festung Marienberg
If you walk across the bridge, it is possible to walk an additional 40 minutes to Festung Marienberg.  We chose to get our car and drive instead.  Festung Marienberg is a fortress where the bishop-leaders lived from the 1200s until the 1700s when the Residenz was completed.  We did not do the guided tour (which I have heard is very child friendly), but explored a bit on our own.  It's a beautiful old castle with gorgeous views.

A Great Lunch Spot
On a day trip to Würzburg, we highly recommend stopping into the cozy Cafe Michel for lunch.  The vegetable strudel and other baked goodies were absolutely delicious.  It is located in the center of the old town, near the Dom.

Overall...
We liked Würzburg a lot.  It was especially wonderful to explore the Residenz without any crowds.  A perfect wintery day trip!

Barcelona with Kids

We recently had a four-day weekend and decided to extend it by a day and travel to Barcelona for five days.  We had a wonderful time exploring this historic, beautiful, interesting city.  This was an extremely child-friendly destination and a really fabulous holiday.  Here's what we did....


Why Barcelona?
Barcelona is a city in northern Spain, and is the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia.   It boasts gorgeous beaches, incredible food, Gaudi's architecture, TONS of museums, fabulous shopping, a magical gothic quarter, a famous football team, delicious hot chocolate, and the list goes on and on. It is a short flight from Frankfurt and is a perfect spot for a long weekend.

Where to stay?
We consulted with some dear friends who are from Barcelona and they were right on in suggesting we stay in the middle of the Gothic Quarter, near the Gothic Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.  We stayed at an apartment run by Feel Good Apartments Gothic.  This clean, modern, spacious and artsy loft apartment was in the BEST location.  It had a door covered with stickers (which was actually really cool), no fancy foyer, narrow winding stairs, and no elevator.  This was not an issue for us and was a totally acceptable considering location and price.

Things to do...

There is SO much to do in Barcelona.  Beaches, restaurants, shopping, museums, football, architecture, history, art, tapas, exploring....the list is endless.  If you are considering a trip to Barcelona it is certainly worthwhile getting a guidebook (we love Lonely Planet) and educating oneself about all the options.  Rick Steves also has a great episode about Barcelona, available on Hulu and PBS, and snips such as this one are available on youtube.  Here is what we thought worked well with kids on our trip....

Getting around...
Barcelona is BIG.  Between La Rambla, the Gothic Quarter, the waterfront, the beaches, the cathedral, the parks....it's quite a large area, and not everything is really walk-able, even for the most active families.  Our friends recommended we do at least one if not more days on one of the hop-on, hop-off busses.  This was a GREAT suggestion.  We chose Barcelona Bus Turistic, and paid for two days.  The bus has three routes, and each route stops at literally every relevant activity.  Plus, it is a double-decker bus and honestly, the novelty of riding atop an open air double decker bus is a highlight in and of itself.  We purchased tickets at the very helpful Tourist Office at the base of the....


Columbus Monument
The Columbus Monument is one of the iconic sites in Barcelona.  It was constructed in the late 1800s in honor of Christopher Columbus' voyage to America.  It is located at the base of La Rambla, and near the entrance to the waterfront district Port Vell, and is unmissable.  However, many people do not realize that you can GO UP IT, in a tiny round elevator.   This is really worth it, it's a great view and really fun.

La Rambla and the Gothic Quarter
A visit to Barcelona absolutely must include some time to wander around La Rambla and the Gothic Quarter.  La Rambla is a long and tree-lined pedestrian route in central Barcelona, crossed by many other picturesque and historic streets.  It is an easy walk down most side streets into the Gothic Quarter, which was our favorite area, and the area in which we stayed.  The Gothic Quarter was actually built on the remains of the Roman city, and you can see portions of the Roman walls.  The Gothic Quarter is so beautiful, with many courtyards and winding alleys, and even a handful of little playgrounds (which are especially useful at 7am with early-rising children).  It is choc-full of boutiques, shops, tapas bars, and restaurants.  The magic of this area touched us as adults, and also each of our three children.

Barcelona's Cathedrals
Barcelona is well known for Gaudi's almost-completed masterpiece, Sagrada Familia.  We attempted to go inside this enormous and amazing architectural treasure, but had not purchased tickets in advance and were dissuaded by the incredibly long lines.  Next time!  We wandered around the outside of it, and did check out some other Gaudi spots.

We were incredibly impressed by the Gothic Cathedral.  Not only it is beautiful, but it is connected to a Gothic cloister, full of greenery, gothic architecture, and incredibly beautiful, candle-laden altars to various Saints.  At dusk, one cannot imagine a more magical spot.  It also contains 13 white geese, which have historic and religions meaning.  We allowed the kids to each pick a Saint to light a candle for, and to throw some bread scraps to the geese.



Park Guell

Since a visit to Barcelona is not complete without an exploration of Gaudi, and our visit to the Sagrada Familia was thwarted by long lines, we made it a priority to check out Gaudi's famous park, Park Guell.  This architectural garden complex allowed us to explore Gaudi's style, and take in gorgeous views of Barcelona.

Barcelona's Waterfront
The gorgeous ocean and beaches are certainly part of what makes Barcelona so special.  We visited in the winter, so were not able to swim or do any summer-y activities, but just being able to walk around in the sun (and not be too hot) was really pleasant.  The waterfront starts at the newly constructed Port Vell, with an ultra-modern pedestrian walkway, dock, and gorgeous mall, and continues through countless Platjas (beaches).  There are a few playground areas, and some interesting shops and restaurants.   The children also found some beautiful shells.  Barcelona's waterfront is truly gorgeous, and is a wonderful contrast, and complement to, the Gothic beauty of the city.

There is also a gondola that connects the waterfront to some parklands.  We attempted to go on this, but the lines were too long.

Annella Olimpica and Surrouding Areas
Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics.  The Olympic Park, Annella Olimpica, is a stop on the Touristic Bus, and is a fun spot for kids to run around.  It's interesting to see the huge facilities that are built for the olympics.

In the vicinity of the Annella Olimpica are several other tourist destinations that looked awesome, especially the gorgeous Museu National d'Art de Cataluyna, but we did not make it to them.

Arenas de Barcelona
We are not fans of bull fighting, but did enjoy seeing the huge Arenas de Barcelona - a bull fighting arena that has been converted into a mall with a beautiful viewing platform.  Randomly, in this mall, we found a kiosk that had large fishtanks with Garra Rufa, aka Doctor Fish.  These small fish are fed fish food but think that human skin is a fabulous and delicious treat.  We paid five Euros to let them eat the dead skin on my and Mike's feet.  It was absolutely hysterically ticklish and the kids were delighted.  As Mike said, it was the funniest five Euros we have ever spent.

FC Barcelona
Barcelona has a very famous football team - FC Barcelona.  There happened to be an afternoon game the weekend we were there, so we bought tickets at the Columbus Monument tourist information office, and checked it out.  It was really interesting and lots of fun, but the game we were at was apparently not very important, and the crowd was quite subdued.  The stadium is huge and reminded me a bit of Comiskey Park.  I am so glad we went, and we now all feel a bit of an affinity with FC Barcelona.

Museu Picasso, Ciutat Vella
Barcelona is FULL of museums.  However, there is so much exploring to do, and it was so sunny and interesting to walk around and ride the Touristic Bus, that we did not make museums a priority.  But, I made it a requirement that we spend a Sunday afternoon (some museums are free Sunday afternoons in Barcelona) at the Museu Picasso, which chronologically portrays Picasso's formation as an artist.  We had a stroller for our littlest one, and so got stroller-priority to skip the hugely long line.     This was worth a visit as it is awesome to see the progression of Picasso's works from incredibly realistic to beautifully abstract.  To get a feel for it, you can watch Rick Steves walk through Museu Picasso here.


Flamenco Dancing
We had wanted to check out Flamenco Dancing while in Barcelona, so when we were waiting in line for the Museu Picasso and saw a man soliciting people to see a flamenco show, we jumped on it.  This was one of the best things we did in Barcelona, it was incredibly authentic, reasonably priced and had delicious sangria.  All three kids were transfixed, and the setting was gorgeous.  Espai Barroc is the name of the venue, and is worth a visit.

Pigeons...
Like many spots in Europe, Barcelona contains a woman selling bird seed in Placa de Catalunya, reminiscent of the "feed the birds, tuppence a bag" lady from Mary Poppins.  My children have never been covered with pigeons before, and absolutely loved this experience.  We quickly popped into a nearby restaurant to thoroughly wash after this experience.


Food and Drink...
Tapas and Paella.  Need I say more?  The food in Barcelona is fabulous.  My kids loved it.  And the hot chocolate in Barcelona is not to be missed.  It is incredibly thick, and with a churro, is a great afternoon snack (and pick-me-up)!

Safety
When we were researching a trip to Barcelona, we found innumerable articles discussing the prevalence of pick-pockets in Barcelona, especially on La Rambla and in the Gothic Quarter.  Knowing that this was an issue, we were very careful with our belongings and did not carry purses or bags.  We felt safe in Barcelona, even at night, and did not have any issues.

Overall
We LOVED our time in Barcelona.  It is a magical, beautiful and fascinating city.  I feel so lucky that we were able to experience it with our children.  We highly recommend spending some time in Barcelona!