I was startled out of bed when my alarm went off at 7:00 am Moroccan time, completely oblivious to my surroundings - guess I was more jet lagged than I thought! Didn’t matter - we had an amazing itinerary planned for our second day in Casablanca, starting with a tour of the Hassan II Mosque.

Our first full day in Morocco was non-stop from the minute we landed in Casablanca - and this, after getting maybe 4 hours of sleep over the last 24 of travel. In situations like this, my motto is push on through - and that’s exactly what we did!

Yes, it’s been a minute since my last travel blog, and this trip is a big one. When I found out over a year ago that Rabbi Max Weiss at Oak Park Temple was planning a trip for our congregation to Morocco, I was filled with excitement! Of course I wanted to go…

It is nearly impossible to give a complete assessment of the city of Havana, with its complex history, based on one eight-hour tour.  What I can do, is share that tour with, through the eyes of my camera lens and the interpretation of our tour guide. 

Our first glimpse of the formerly forbidden island of Cuba brought a range of feelings, not knowing quite what to expect. Mostly we were excited to learn more about its history and culture as we boarded the tender that would take us to our first stop, the city of Cienfuegos.