My Favorite Places

My Favorite Places

All of my favorite places are in other countries because experiencing unique cultures makes visiting these beautiful places so much more special. This summer I had the opportunity to travel to France, Italy, and Morocco, and my favorite cities from these countries were Paris, Capri, and Marrakech. Last summer I traveled to Israel, which is so beautiful and culturally rich that I had to include it in my list of favorite places. 

Paris, France

(A picture of the Sacre Coeur in Paris, France that I took in June 2019)

(A picture of the Arc de Triumph in Paris, France that I took in June 2019)

I spent the most time in Paris and really got to experience the relaxed culture, so it quickly became one of my favorite places. There is so much history there and I made a lot of Parisian friends and will definitely go back to visit them and see all the many things in Paris that I didn't have time to see this summer. 

Capri, Italy

(A picture I took on a boat tour around the island of Capri, June 2019)

(I took this picture at an ocean-side restaurant in Capri, Italy in June 2019) 

At this ocean-side restaurant in Capri, my friend and I got spiny lobster and rainbow trout dishes that were freshly caught that day. It was so relaxing to sit down and eat dinner while watching boats go by on the ocean. We went on a boat ride around Capri that day too. Capri is a small island, but every inch of it is absolutely breathtaking.

Marrakech,Morocco

(This picture of me was taken in June 2019 at a restaurant called "The Nomad" in Marrakech, Morocco)

Moroccan culture is what makes Marrakech one of my favorite places. When I was there, we went to the medina in Marrakech, which is their old town that has rows of markets and street vendors. As we were walking around the medina, a woman grabbed my arm and started drawing on my arm with henna (semi-permanent ink), and when I asked her to stop and refused to pay, she smeared the henna all over my arm (as seen in the picture above). I was a little upset at first, but after a while it was something we all laughed about and definitely made Marrakech more memorable for me. 

Israel

(A picture I took on a tram to the top of Masada in May 2018)

(A picture I took at the Baha'i World Center in Haifa, Israel in May 2018)

(A picture I took of the grottos on the border of Israel and Lebanon along the Mediterranean Sea, May 2018)

(A picture I took of the view from our hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel in May 2018)

(A diorama of what Jerusalem looked like when Jesus was there, taken by me in Jerusalem, Israel in May 2018)

(Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, Israel. Source: NPR)

As a religious studies major, I have learned a lot about Israel, so it was really meaningful for me to get to go there myself and actually be in the place that I have been learning so much about. I went with OU for a study abroad trip and we got to travel all over Israel to places such as Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Caesarea and more. This was also special because I grew up learning about Israel in church so it has religious significance to me.