Casablanca

  Spre rusinea mea am ajuns in Casablanca inainte sa vad filmul cu acelasi titlu avandu-i ca actori principali pe celebrii Humphrey Bogart si Ingrid Bergman, realizat in 1942. Mi-am dorit foarte mult sa ajung in Maroc, mai ales dupa ce am urmarit telenovela braziliana "Clona" ( da, puteti sa radeti cat vreti dar am invatat foarte multe despre cultura si obiceiurile musulmanilor). 
  
  Desi nu este capitala Marocului, Casablanca este mult mai mare si mai aglomerata decat Rabatul, oras despre care am auzit ca este linistit, micut si mai frumos. Majoritatea femeilor  este acoperita cu abaya, cearceaful, cum imi place mie sa ii spun pe care il poarta musulmancele.  Nu am vazut multe femei care sa se imbrace modern. 

  De data aceasta, imediat dupa ce am ne-am lasat bagajele la hotel, am plecat impreuna cu alti 7 colegi intr-un tur al orasului. Prima oprire a fost la Hobous , vechea medina - sau, cum i se spune la noi, bazar. Pot sa spun doar ca asfi putut sta acolo o zi intreaga, uitandu-ma la aceleasi lucruri, fara sa ma plictisesc. Ma fascineaza ce poate iesi din mainile omului - bomboniere si farfurii ornamentale din ceramica, lampi, seturi de ceai, oglinzi, cutii de bijuterii, covoare. Magazine mici si impovarate de lucruri, vanzatori batrani asezati pe pernite arabesti cu tigarea in gura band ceai...asta este adevarata imagine a vechiului Maroc. Cu usurinta te poti pierde prin multitudinea de culori ale voalurilor. Nu am putut rezista si mi-am cumparat o cutie de bijuterii, lucrata manual de berberi ( popor indigen care provine din Africa de Nord dar care acum traieste in Maroc) facuta din argint, sidef si os de camila. Bineinteles, romanca fiind am negociat la sange si ma pot lauda ca am obtinut un pret de 4 ori mai mic decat cel din magazinul de Duty Free, care era de 110 euro . Foarte cautat pentru beneficiile lui este uleiul de argan, copac ce creste doar in Maroc. Este utilizat atat pentru gatit cat si pentru cosmetica. Pentru piele, uleiul de argan ajuta la restabilirea ph-ului natural al pielii, contribuie la estomparea ridurilor si ii ofera pielii elasticitate, regleaza eliberarea sebumului in cazul tenului gras, este util in tratarea pielii uscate, estompeaza si participa la vindecarea petelor si pustulelor cauzate de acnee sau varicela si lista continua. Desi este un produs scump, in medina il gasesti la jumatate de pret asa ca merita sa il cumperi daca ai ocazia .

  Al doilea obiectiv pe care ne-am oprit sa-l vedem in micul nostru tur a fost moscheea Hassan
II, a doua cea mai mare moschee ca si marime din lume - poate tine pana la 25000 de credinciosi. Nu se poate vizita decat dimineata, asa ca, din pacate nu am putut-o vedea si pe interior. Este intradevar o cladire impunatoare, jumatate construita direct pe apa. De aici am plecat in plimbare pe La corniche , faleza orasului. Mici terase aflate pe malul marii isi asteapta clientii care vor sa bea o cafeluta si sa priveasca oceanul Atlantic.
   Dupa un delicios suc natural de fructe am plecat sa luam cina intr-un restaurant cu specific marocan. Am avut ocazia sa gust pui cu prune, o combinatie pe care nu am incercat-o pana acum dar care mi-a placut enorm. Trebuie sa adaug ca celebrul kuskus nu m-a impresionat cu nimic..ca de fiecare data, m-am simtit foarte bine in compania colegilor mei spanioli, greci, libanezi, algerieni, kenieni,englezi,australieni si danezi, toti stransi in jurul aceleiasi mese marocane. In cele din urma, nu conteaza de unde vii, ce culoare ai si ce limba vorbesti atata timp cat ne acceptam si ne tratam egal.

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English

 I am ashamed that I arrived in Casablanca before watching the movie with the same title in which  the famous actors Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman stared in. I really wanted to come to Morocco, especially after I watched Brazilian soap opera " O clone" (yes, you can laugh all you want but I learned a lot about the culture and customs of Muslims).

  Although it is not the capital of Morocco, Casablanca is much bigger and more crowded than Rabat, a quiet, small and beautiful city . Most women are covered in abaya, sheet, as I like to call it. I haven't seen many modern women there.

 Right after I've left the luggage at our hotel, I went with another 7 colleagues in a city tour. First stop was Hobous the old medina - or, as we call it, bazaar. I can only say that I could have stayed there all day, looking at the same things, without getting bored. I'm fascinated of what can come out of human hands - candy and decorative ceramic plates, lamps, tea sets, mirrors, jewelry boxes, carpets. Small shops that are burdened by things, old Arabian sellers sitting on cushions and drinking tea with the cigarette in their mouth ... this is the real picture of old Morocco. You can easily get lost in the myriad of colors of veils. I could not resist and I bought a handmade jewelry box, handcrafted by Berbers (indigenous people originating from North Africa but who now live in Morocco) made ​​of silver, pearl and camel bone. Of course,the Romanian blood within me negotiated the price and I am proud to say that I got a price 4 times lower than the Duty Free shop, which was 110 euros. 

Very popular for its benefits, the argan oil tree that grows only in Morocco. It is used both for cooking and cosmetics. For the skin, the Argan oil helps restore the natural pH of the skin, helps to diminish wrinkles and gives skin elasticity, regulates sebum release if oily skin, is useful in treating dry skin, blurred and participate in healing blemishes and pimples caused by acne or chickenpox and the list goes on. Although it is an expensive product in medina you find it at half price so it is worth buying it.

The next stop was Hassan  II mosque , the second largest mosque in the world - it can hold up to 25,000 worshipers. You can not visit it in the morning, so unfortunately I could not see it inside. It is indeed an imposing building, half constructed directly on the water. From here we went to walk on the Corniche, the city's seafront. Small beachfront terraces await customers who want to drink a coffee and watch the Atlantic Ocean.

    After a delicious natural fruit juice we went to have dinner at a Moroccan restaurant. I had the opportunity to taste chicken with plums, a combination I have not tried until now but liked a lot. I should add that the famous kuskus did not impressed me at all ..  

  As always, I had a great time in the company of my fellow Spaniards, Greeks, Lebanese, Algerian, Kenyan, British, Australian and Danish, all gathered around the same Moroccan table . In the end,it doesn't  matter where you come from, what color's your skin and what language you speak as long as we accept and treat everyone equally.

For photos, click here

Seattle - orasul ploilor / the city of rain

 Iata ca am ajuns sa pun piciorul si pe taramul tuturor posibilitatilor, cum i se spunea odata intinsului continent american. Si mai exact am aterizat ( la propriu si la figurat ) in orasul ploilor, Seattle. Dupa un drum lung de 14 ore, trecand peste mari si tari, chiar si peste Polul Nord, mi-am lasat valiza mea de calatorii aici, casa mea pentru urmatoarele 52 de ore. Camera este mare si luminoasa, la etajul 6 a hotelului. Primul lucru pe care il fac atunci cand ajung in camera de hotel este sa ma intind pe patul imens, cu ochii in tavan si sa ma gandesc cat de binecuvantata sunt ca ma aflu acolo. Nu imi place sa pierd mult timp in aceasta reverie, asa ca rapid fac un dus, ma schimb de haine si cobor la receptie. De obicei, ne dam intalnire cu totii in lobby si de acolo pornim impreuna sa descoperim lumea.

  Desi in ploiosul Seattle sunt rare zilele insorite, fiind prietena cea mai buna a Soarelui, asa cum imi place sa ma alint, am avut noroc de o zi superba. Totul este diferit acolo, si nu pot explica la ce ma refer cand spun "diferit", este altfel decat oriunde altundeva. Orasul este situat in partea vestica a continentului si este al 15 lea oras ca si marime din America. Downtown-ul este chiar pe malul Puget ( brat al oceanului Pacific ) si consta in cateva restaurante cu specific pescaresc ( fructe de mare si peste , toate proaspat pescuite ).  Fiind o zi cu soare, multi localnici fericiti se plimbau pe stradutele in panta ale Seattle-ului.

  Restaurantul pe care l-am ales castigator in lupta cu foamea a fost "The crab pot" , un local foarte celebru pentru modul inedit de a manca - fiecare dintre noi ne-am trezit, cu  un fund de lemn si un ciocan in loc de farfurii. Acestea erau ustensilele folosite pentru a savura deliciosii Crabi de Alaska, scoici, calamari si alte bunataturi. Pe langa mancare, bataia crabilor cu ciocanele de lemn ne-a distrat copios. Este de prisos sa adaug ca aveam scoici si in par, ca sa nu mai spun de neinspirata mea alegere de a purta o rochita de panza alba care, la sfarsitul mesei era orice alta culoare decat alba. Important e ca ne-am simtit cu totii bine..mereu ma mir cum noi, toti cei care suntem cabin crew, ne putem intelege atat de bine avand in vedere ca nu ne-am mai vazut niciodata. Toti suntem prietenosi si vorbareti si pentru perioada in care suntem in layovere, suntem cei mai buni prieteni si colegi.

  In aceeasi zi am facut o plimbare pana la cel mai cunoscut simbol al orasului - The Space Needle, un turn inalt de 184m. Nu am urcat pana in varf, desi acum imi pare rau ca nu am facut-o. Urmatoarea data o voi face cu siguranta.
Seattle noaptea este minunat...ca orice alt oras, de fapt. Este un loc care freamata de miscare, muzica si voie buna. Pot spune cu mana pe inima ca americanii sunt minunati - prietenosi, vorbareti si zambitori. Exact de ce ai nevoie ca sa te simti binevenit in tara lor.

  A doua zi am plecat impreuna cu o tipa din Costa Rica sa exploram imprejurimile, asa ca am luat feribotul si am facut o scurta plimbare pe insula Bainbridge de langa Seattle,. Cu ocazia asta mi-am mai exersat limba spaniola si am mai invatat cate ceva despre tara si cultura Sud Americii. In jur de ora 14:00 am ajuns din nou in oras si am tinut neaparat sa fac o vizita celebrului magazin Victoria Secret. Drept sa spun, nu m-a impresionat deloc. Ba chiar am fost dezamagita pentru ca ma asteptam sa gasesc si haine, printre sutiene, chiloti si costume de baie ( putine modele ). Asa ca fetelor, comandati-va cu incredere de pe victoriassecret.com ca in magazin daca ajungeti, plecati cu mana goala.

  Ultima dupamasa am petrecut-o mancand o salata pe malul apei si citind "Fifty Shades of Grey". Da, stiu, este o carte pentru publicul larg, usurica, dupa cum ar spune multi dar de mult timp nu am mai citit o carte cu atata placere.

   All in all, cele 52 de ore petrecute in orasul ploii cu soare au fost minunate. Nu mai conteaza oboseala numeroaselor ore de zbor in momentul in care ajungi in locuri atat de minunate.

Luna aceasta voi calatori mult spre China. Promit ca revin cu relatari :)

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English

Here I am to settle my my feet on the land of all possibilities, as it was once named the American continent. And I landed exactly (literally and figuratively) in the city of rain, Seattle. After a14 hours long flight, crossing seas, even the North Pole, I left my suitcase here, my home for the next 52 hours. The room is large and bright, on the 6th floor of the hotel. The first thing I usually do when I arrive in the hotel room is to lye on the king size bed, staring at the ceiling and think about how blessed I am to be here. I do not like to spend much time dreaming, so I quickly take a shower, change my clothes and go down to reception. Usually we all meet in the lobby and from there we go to discover the world together.

Although in rainy Seattle sunny days are rare, me being the best friend of the Sun, as I like to consider myself, I was lucky and had a lovely day. Everything is different here, and I can not explain what I mean when I say "different"...it is different from anywhere else. The city is located in the western part of the continent and is the 15 th largest city in America. The Downtown is on the shore of Puget (arm of the Pacific Ocean) and it consists of several seafood restaurants (seafood and fish, all freshly caught). Being a sunny day, many locals were happily strolling the streets of Seattle .


The restaurant that won the fight with hunger winner was "The crab pot", a very famous local restaurant, special for its wierd way of eating - each of us was given  a wooden board and a hammer instead of plates. These were tools used by us to enjoy the delicious Alaskan crabs, mussels, calamari and other goodies. Needless to add that I had scallops in my hair, not to mention my uninspired choice of wearing a white linen dress, that at the end of the meal was any other color than white. The most important thing is that we all had a good time .. I always wonder how we, cabin crew, can get along so well considering the fact that we have never met before. We are all friendly and chatty and in our layovers we are best friends and colleagues.

The same day I went for a walk to the most famous symbol of the city - The Space Needle, a 184m high tower. I haven't climbed to the top, although I'm sorry now that I didn't. Next time I will for sure.

Seattle at night is awesome ... like any other city, really. It is a place that shudders of movement, music and good vibes. I can honestly say  that Americans are wonderful - friendly, chatty and smiling. Just what you need to feel welcome in their country.

The next day I went with a girl from Costa Rica to explore the surroundings, so we took the ferry and headed to Bainbridge Island, near Seattle. I took advantage and have practiced Spanish and learned something about South American culture in the same time. Around 14:00 we arrived back in town and I really wanted to make a visit to the famous Victoria's Secret store. I must say, I was not impressed at all. I was even disappointed because I expected to find also clothes, among bras, panties and swimwear (few models). So girls, you can order directly from victoriassecret.com because if  you get into the store, it is very possible that you leave empty handed. 

I spent my last afternoon eating a salad at the waterfront and reading "Fifty Shades of Grey". Yes, I know, it is a book for mass audience, very easy, as many would say, but It's been a while since I've read a book with so much pleasure.

    All in all, the 52 hours spent in the city of rain, but sunny for me were wonderful. The long flying hours never count when you get to see such wonderful places...

 This month I travel a lot to China. Promise to return with stories :)

For photos, click here