Blog Post #8 - Field Trip to the Coast

Our conference organizers gave us a day off from workshops and speakers today. We had the option of participating in a guided tour of Marrakesh and seeing the waterfalls of the Atlas Mountains, or going to the Port City of Essaouira. I chose the trip to Essaouira, primarily because of the fact I had already explored Marrakesh (and Essaouira is about twenty degrees cooler than Marrakesh.)  It was a good choice! It's a three hour ride from Marrakesh, and about half way there, we pulled over to the site below and saw.... goats in trees!  The trees are argan trees, that produce nuts similar to acorns. The seeds are pressed to produce the famous argan oil which is used on skin, hair and in cooking.  The goats climb the trees and eat the leaves and nuts.  The nut shell dissolves in their body and they expel the nut itself when they poop. The nuts are gathered, (cleaned!) and pressed into the oil and made into soaps and creams.  As you can see in the photos below, another way to shelled the nut is by cracking it on a stone.

For lunch we ate on a restaurant overlooking the ocean.  Mrs. DelloStritto asked what foods I've had that I've liked, and so far our lunch today was the best!  The seafood platter included an angry looking fish (that was really delicious), calimari, shrimp, and several other kinds of fish.  And for dessert, a caramel custard.  I also love the tagine and the variety of olives.  Thomas asked if I am having fun and the answer is --YES! Having fun, making new friends and learning a lot!

After lunch we went to the port and walked around the medina. I haven't done much shopping yet, but did purchase some argan oil and silver, which Essaouira is known for. We were home by 8:00 pm and in bed early to catch up on some sleep!