I disagree with Shakespeare….parting is NOT such sweet sorrow. There is absolutely nothing sweet about a good bye. For me saying good bye to a place feels like all the good byes of my entire lifetime befalling on me all at once. Unlike many travelers who love a place and plan to return sometime in the future, I have no intention of returning to a place more than once (except for Turkey). That is why my good byes are so devastatingly sad: they are truly final.
My very last day in Morocco was simply beautiful. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and my day was full of love, generosity, kindness, hospitality, friends, laughter, amazing Moroccan food, shopping at the Medina of Rabat, and, it ended with a vision of a beautiful sunset at Rabat’s Bouregreg Marina. This was followed by my “Last Supper” that would put all the top chefs of the world to shame: a whole sea bass floating on potatoes, zucchini, onions, peppers, yellow squash, and my absolute favorite: plump little tomatoes stuffed with rice! And all the Moroccan spices! I savored my last cup of Moroccan tea. When I couldn’t drag out any more moments onto the day, the good bye hugs ensued. Again, Shakespeare was wrong. Parting is simply, sorrow.