I am still floating in a sea of euphoria from this most recent trip to Marrakesh. The wedding of a dear friend helped guide me to Morocco, a country long my “to visit” list. The short but amazingly beautiful trip was filled with joy, laughter, colors and great company.

As characterized by many of my previous trips, my planning was last-minute as I set out to book flights, lodging and everything else in between. Equipped with the name of the venue and date/time of ceremony, I managed to pull it together in time. I arrived in Marrakesh late evening after a series of red-eye flights and was thankful to see the sanctuary of a Riad where I stayed after a trek through a maze of convoluted and dubious alleyways and side streets within the old Medina of Marrakesh.

The wedding was of course the highlight of my trip; set in a beautiful courtyard of a quaint Riad. It was quickly populated by close friends and family, brightly dressed with even brighter smiles that illuminated the ceremony. A testament to the bride and groom whose bond brought together such positive energy and an amazing group of people to share in their union.

The following few days were marked with excursions with friends around Medina and areas surrounding Jma El-Finaa. With friends as expert hagglers we traversed the markets, finding bargains and trying desperately to resist the urge to scoop up all the colorful ware and take it back to our respective homes. Weary and tired of lugging trinkets back to family, I managed to make a few modest purchases.

The  electric energy of the group gathered for this wedding, gave the entire trip the aura of being a lucid, effervescent and somewhat psychedelic dream. The Cafe de France facing the main square of Jma ElFinaa was the de facto meeting point, where friends who were scattered around various riads and hotels, would gather, meet up and make plans for the day. Long days of excursions would be followed by extended lounging sessions at the rooftop of La Salama, which provided great panoramic views of the main square. Where as dusk settled, and the scorching heat began to simmer down, this square was transformed into one of the largest performance stages for a menagerie of acts incorporating monkeys, snakes, musicians, and acrobatic performers. Having entered La Salama during daylight hours, we emerged to find a completely revamped circus of sorts. A sensory overload experience, which was heightened if we had been drained of energy from a day filled with wandering around the markets. This buzz of magnetic energy would be transferred to multiple lounging sessions well into the morning hours in the rooftops of riads of friends. All throughout there was a communal feeling of wanting to soak up this energy and bottle it up to carry us through in our respective homes.

A favorite pit stop was the Jardin Majorelle. I still dream of that vivid “Majorelle Blue” color and how I can surround myself in its captivating and warm embrace. These gardens are a  pleasant and welcome pop of color from the earth-tone, sepia shaded colors of the medina (barring all the goods of in the markets).

Making plans and mobilizing this large group was no easy feat, but I look back at these events with nostalgia. Even these happenings could do no wrong to put a dent in the beauty of this trip and the gathering of this large family. It was a beautiful reminder that there is the family we are born into and the family we chose, carefully collect and hold on to throughout our lives.

Thank you E&B for allowing me to be part of such a joyous milestone in your lives and giving me the opportunity to meet and connect with so many beautiful spirits.