Christmas on the road

Now we have arrived in Morocco and Christmas is just around the corner.

I admit that I'm often overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle. In Spain it was really tough, because you were almost hit with "Feliz navidad" every time you went shopping. There was also a hustle and bustle in the shopping centers, which we, as people who had just recovered from Covid, didn't find so great. But it wasn't as intense as it would have been at home or in the UK. I was very amused by the German gingerbread and even Stollen in the Christmas corners in Spain, but I didn't buy any.

Then we decided at short notice to spend Christmas in Morocco, which was a gut feeling, because I like to give gifts to my loved ones, but for me it doesn't have to be linked to something I don't believe in. Yes, I confess that I find religions generally interesting, but I see myself more as an observer, not a participant. We sent gifts home from Spain, and sometimes I sent gifts to my loved ones over the internet, but everything arrived.

There is no Christmas in Morocco, there is Ramadan, the Zucler festival and other holidays that are celebrated in a similar way to Christmas here. Here there was no run on supermarkets, the Christmas goose or whatever.

We went hiking and then had our Christmas dinner for lunch, it was Tajin with lamb and vegetables, which was really good. In the evening we didn't need much more, because Moroccan portions leave us hungry.

We put up our fairy lights, drank some good wine and went to bed relatively early.

A few years ago we were in Cilento over Christmas and it was just as relaxed, the stress was simply gone. Now it was the same, because this pressure to reconcile family, gifts, the perfect meal, etc. on that day simply falls away.

Unfortunately, a few Spaniards arrived and turned the night into day, which can happen on a campsite. Today, December 25th. It's her Christmas day, I'm already looking forward to the evening!

We inaugurated our Christmas present, a beautiful throw blanket from the town of Chefchaouen, and slept well under it...

With that in mind, Merry Christmas!