The One with a Moroccan Zingler Marb(a)ella Feria Extravaganza

Great to see you all again! We are so sorry for the delay in posts but I mean we were caught up in Morocco, with some fam members, a jaunt to Marbella, and in the Sevillian festival of Feria. Since we have a lot to go over, let’s break up this post into three parts.

1. Morocco

ON OUR WAY TO MOROCCCCOOOO (said, no YELLED, our tour guide every 30 seconds on the bus every day #doless. You may have found yourself wondering: is that a bus, a boat, or another bus? No, that’s just us getting to Morocco in 12 hours. As this trip was ran by CEA (our program), it meant two things. 1. our trip was FO FREE (so we were like HYFR); 2. we had to run on their schedule. This means the EXTREMELY early (even for Jodi) departure at 4:45am to Morocco. All was going to be fine, the girls were just going to put on their music and fall asleep. This WAS the plan until Jodi turned on her iPod and saw that all of her music had been erased MMM KAY! Finally, they arrived in Tarifa to hop on a boat. The boat was nothing like Titanic as we all had expected it to be (the romance/Celine Dion part, people). We finally arrive in Africa and leave our European troubles behind. Our first stop was the “Blue City” of Chefchauen (see pictures below to understand). We stopped for lunch and got authentic Moroccan food aka cous cous (No, Melanie Zingler, Jodi did not eat that). After an extremely long day of traveling, the girls finally got to the hotel in Meknes and instantly went to bed.

The boat tooooo MOOOOROCCCOOOOO

Blue City of Chefchauen

Cous Cous with grilled vegetables #basic

This is Morocco.

The next day, they woke up early (with a SLIGHT alarm fiasco #TimeDifference) to a free breakfast buffet courtesy of the hotel. FYI these girls will do ANYTHING for a free breakfast buffet. The girls left for Fez (thank you, Rory Gilmore for getting us excited to see this place). The city was full of an amazing tour with our favorite uber-polite tour guide (after Jodi asked him a question he said “thank you so much, you’re welcome” and walked away) as well as the incredible sight of seeing them create and dye leather. Later that day, the girls were given free time in the Medina so clearly Jodi thought: hey, this is a reputable place, I am going to put a snake and monkey on my body. Following this blog now provides you with its very first perk: exclusive pictures of Jodi being attacked by a monkey (see below).

This ain’t no PLEATHER

Snake Gone Wild

Monkey Got Even Wilder

The last day of our trip was spent in Asilah. It is a beautiful town on the beach and allowed Cassie to ride her first camel #basic. Despite the less-than-regular backdrop, it was a definite #classic Moroccan experience that Cassie is overjoyed to have experienced. Next time in Jerusalem.

Next year, in Jerusalem!

If we learned anything in Morocco, it was to not get obsessed with fancy trendy patterned pants trend and also understand that if pants say XXL it most likely is a children’s XXL. Take note.

Also, sidenote. The boat ride back offered us an experience more similar to Titanic (in terms of shakey-ness this time). Let’s just say people weren’t so chatty this time and Zofran was needed.

When you’ve been on the bus more hours than not…

2. JZ with the Family #ZingSevilla 

As soon as Jodi got into Sevilla from Morocco, she rushed over to see her family. I meannnnn like it had been WAYYY too long since she has seen these fantastic people. They had an amazing week full of tapas, touring, and laying out by the pool. A quote that stood out was the one and only Barry Zingler telling Jodi “You just don’t look like anyone in the family.” And when she gave him a look of confusion, he clarified by saying, “No, no its not what i meant. I just meant you don’t look like anyone.” MMM kay thanks Dad ily. Jodi took her family to all of the touristy sites in Sevilla (mostly through a segway tour, shoutout to Fran), and led her tour in a different fashion than Brookie-Cookie Zingler. By that, I mean she didn’t make stuff up when Melanie and Barry asked countless questions. They enjoyed the LUXURIOUS accommodations of the Alfonso XIII hotel, including incredible beds and free breakfast buffet (refer to what was said above in regards to this). The family moved onto Barcelona! The time in Barcelona could be summarized by some small fights, Jodi getting sick, delicious meals, and Coca Cola Light Sin Limon. We were able to see the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi Houses, Magic Fountain and the Boqueria (main market). Melanie Zingler heavily contemplated becoming a vegan over the smell in the market. Don’t worry, come this Rosh Hashanah she will be eating Bubbe’s brisket. It was an amazing week that went by WAY too fast. ILY AND IMY YOU ALL! See you in a month!!!

They put my love on TOP (of Las Setas)!

Getting rowdy on Las Setas

Est. 1994

La Abuela Gelato: Thinking of Bubbie the whole time

Things Zingler’s of Tenafly Said During This Trip:

1. Calling it a peso instead of a euro every time – Dr. Barry Zingler

2. “GET IT!” – tagline courtesy of Brooke Zingler

3. “You know what, you guys are great kids” – Melanie Zingler

My very own Segrada Familia

This picture is a choking hazard.

Park Guell was swell

ILY

3. Marbella

After small tears were shed, Jodi jaunted off to a relaxing weekend in Marbella, meeting Cassie and some friends there. The weekend was full of relaxing, tanning, using lemons in our hair #SunIn #CassieIsBlondeNow, eating delicious dinner. The days were full of crashing the Iberostar next door’s breakfast buffet, laying out, relaxing, water sports, and grabbing a delicious lunch/ice cream snack. What could be better? I mean, it puts the BAE in Marb(a)ella #Basic. It was exactly the weekend we all needed. I know, you’re probably like, what are you stressed about that you needed a weekend like this? Answer: ummm no comment.

Marb(a)ella

Just a littttttttle windy!

Meet our new friends, the British Airways rugby team
P.S. Yes, that man is dressed as a bull

4. Feria Week

AHHH, Feria Feria Feria. What can we even say?!? Feria is nothing like anyone can ever understand unless you are here. Therefore, we thought it would be helpful to compare it to more relatable things

1. A bar-mitzvah crawl in which you hop from Bar-Mitzvah party to party all day and night full of dancing (aka the Horah)

2. The Wildwood Boardwalk with all the rides (sans safety measures, however)

3. A constant cocktail party where the Cotton-Eye-Joe and Cha-Cha Slide are professional flamenco dancing

It’s time for FERIA

Meet the Rebujito: sherry and soda (we think)

Feria from a Ferris Wheel

Cassie and Jodi Take Feria: Season 1

Hi, I’m Jodi and nothing in my life is fer(ia)

Hi, I’m Cassie and I’m as sweet as this cotton candy.

P.S. Jodi went to see a bullfight and actually found it fascinating. Unfortunately, 6 bulls were killed in her presence. Let’s just be glad its not dogfight #amirite #RozeyAndHarryForever

This is only pic we will show of the bullfight #You’reWelcome

SEE YOU ALL SOON (in person and on the blog)

ILY,

JZ and CW

The One With the Burns and Pizza (but not burnt pizza)

HELLOOO WISCONSSSINNNN!!! (sorry – too soon after the recent loss? We hope not).

We are back and bigger than ever (literally, I meaannnn what did you expect post-Italy)!

Before we dive into the Italian waters, we thought we would share some information about our time pre-Italy and post-last blog. Jodi was in Seville and travelled to Cadiz, while Cassie was with her fam in Barcelona, then Milan, then Zermatt, then our lovely Sevilla.

Jodi’s Week:

Jodi’s week can be summarized by a normal week that ended with a lot of sun and bathes. We’ll explain.

1. Cadiz

Jodi travelled with her two friends in Sevilla Jess and Lexi to Cadiz (a beach town in Spain that is a short train ride away) for the day. We repeat: the DAY. The forecast predicted a lot of clouds an only 60 degrees (yes- we know all you East Coasters are def like “stop complaining- we still have snow” but when you are expecting a beach day, 80 or higher is preferred, lezzz be real. So we get to Cadiz early AM and head straight to the beach. We were the only ones on the beach. We wore shorts and t-shirts (foreshadowing to our tan/burn lines). We laid out for around 3 hours. None of this explains the color of our skin at the end of that day. To say we were burnt is an understatement because we were swollen AND burnt. The pain AND struggle was DEFINITELY REAL. At the end of the day, we took our burnt and destroyed bodies back to the train station and promised ourselves we would enter in a committed relationship with Aloe Vera on Facebook.

Despite the burns, Cadiz was beautiful and had a truly breathtaking sunset (and a delicious salad)! The trip was one we (and our skin) will never forget!

2. Arab Baths

The Arab Baths are a local luxury of Sevilla. The same tri-pod went to the baths the day after Cadiz and enjoyed some much-neeed R n’ R. We were not prepared for the heat of the water against our freshly burnt bodies. However, the experience is extremely calming for three highly anxious Americans. The baths vary in size and temperature. There is even a rooftop bath, aka hot-tub. This experience is definitely one we want to do again.

Cassie’s Week:

Just want to start off that this will not be nearly as funny or entertaining as the main writer of this blog, Jodi Zingler. So I left Seville at 6:45am for my flight to Madrid and then Milan. Met up with my mom, dad, and sammie at the Milan airport and got straight into a van to drive to Zermatt. It was so cool driving through Italy to get to Swiss going up, down, and around so many mountains. We finally get to the Grand Zermatterhoff Hotel where there are no cars, only tiny electric cars for taxis. We woke up the next day and headed out on the slopes… And in order to get to the top you literally have to take a taxi, train, gondola, and chairlift. The Swiss clearly don’t believe in ski in ski out. The skiing was like no other. A bit challenging trying to navigate because there were no names for the slopes or chairlift, but the views made the shlep worth every second. Sitting at a ski beach with Lenny and Darla looking out at the Matterhorn was unbelievable. One of the coolest parts was being able to ski from the Swiss alps to Italy and have lunch at a traditional pizzeria. The way back to Milan was definitely an adventure. Thank god our driver was good because we literally drove in a blizzard as we drove up, down, and around the mountains about 10 mph. We finally made it to seville and had the best few days doing all a tourist could do in seville: cathedral, alcazar, a horse carriage ride (def a highlight) and of course eating at the best restaurants. It was a tough goodbye but couldn’t wait to start my spring break in Italy the next day.

Just your average carriage ride through Seville

Sisters take the slopes!

Team Black Diamond

Black Diamonds don’t scare the Wolffs!

CIAO BELLAS! WELCOME TO OUR FIRST SPRING BREAK!!!

Okay, here for the good stuff. For our first spring break, we decided to travel Italy’s main cities of Rome, Florence and Venice. Each city offered something very different but all amazing.

1. ROME

From the second we stepped off the place in Rome, we could smell the pizza. Our first cab experience was very odd in the sense that we were shown a cab, got in, then a new driver came, then we were thrown out of that cab and asked to go into a different one. Reasoning? Still extremely unclear. But we got on the road and headed toward Jodi’s besties Phoebe and Sydney’s apartment. Luckily enough, there was a Shmorgasburg-type food market going on in Rome that weekend! We went and were drawn to the mozzarella stand. It was there that we had the best mozzarella of our lives. Even Phoebe and Sydney confirmed this praise. The first day in Italy we were able to see a lot of the sites and get some amazing gelato #basic. The “free” tram aka public transportation aka subway above ground proved to be a great way to get around the city. That night Jodi and Cassie were able to get their first round of authentic Italian pizza. Key word: FIRST round.

The BEST Mozzarella EVER

Jodi, Sydney, and Phoebe together again!

The next day the girls began their day with a early lunch at Ginger where they were able to have FRESH salads and smoothies. Who knew salads weren’t a thing in Spain? Not these girls, we can assure you. Jodi’s smoothie had Aloe Vera because like…um reread the section on Cadiz. Mama’s gotta peel, ya know? The girls found amazing stores in Rome, that they quickly learned are also in NYC! Shoutout to the Internet on a Blackberry! As Phoebe and Sydney went to class, Jodi and Cassie wine to see the Colosseum and Wedding Cake (provides amazing views of the city). At night, they travelled to the Jewish quarter and got some amazing Jewish-style artichokes, followed by another round of gelato, of course.

Jodi and Cassie at the Colosseum

Do wishes still work if the fountain is under construction?

The next day, Jodi and Cassie sang “TAKE ME TO CHURCH” and their prayers were answered (HA, LITERALLY, GET IT?!?) They took a 3-hour tour of Vatican city. It was truly amazing to see all the artwork and learn the history of this city. Did Jodi and Cassie understand any of the Catholic references? Hell, excuse us, Heck NO! But they just smiled and nodded. The Sistine Chapel was unbelievable. Made only better by the Wizard of Oz-like voice that would come on the loud speaker frequently and silence the room. The SYMBOLISM in this chapel made these girls heads spin. #PeaceLoveSymbolism. Post-Vatican City tour the girls got their last lunch in Rome. This is where Jodi had the best pizza of her life! AND YES, it WAS gluten free aka senze glutine. The things Jodi would do to eat that crust again…..let’s not go there. Sidetone: Jodi sneezed at lunch and said “bless you” to herself after she sneezed. Why? Unclear. Was she just feeling extra holy in the Vatican City? We assume so. But like still SUPER weird that she did that.

the BEST gluten free pizza in the world

Hello, Vatican City!

Illegal Picture Part 1
Sistine Chapel Ceiling

 

Illegal Picture Part 2
Sistine Chapel

The girls said a sad goodbye to Phoebe and Sydney and went on their way to Florence by train.

2. FLORENCE

Florence aka FIRENZE was full of Duomos and delicious food. The city was definitely much smaller and felt similar to our home in Sevilla. Our hotel, N4U Apartments was in a prime location right next to the Duomo and Cassie’s bestie Lauren’s apartment. With a little trouble actually getting into the building, Jodi and Cassie were pleasantly surprised with the quality of their room. Definitely a great find! The girls went to ZaZas for dinner with some of their friends studying abroad in Florence. The next day, the girls were led by their tour guide Lauren Strum all around the city. Lauren showed us the top of the bell tower, Massimo (check Lauren’s business card for Massimo’s number and Facebook profile), leather market, Ponte Vecchio, Gusta Pizza, and piazza Michelangelo at sunset. They learned that Massimo is BAE and knows how to produce an epic Stella knockoff. If you’re confused, just check out any Jewish girl when she’s back at school in fall and what bag she carries at night. You’ll understand. The day was perfect and gave us a great feel for the city of Florence. The sunsets over the city were breathtaking. At night, Lauren, Jodi and Cassie dined at Acqua al 2 and got every “sampler” on the menu. Everything was delicious, especially Jodi’s make-your-own risotto and Cassie and Lauren’s pasta sampler. Later that night, Cassie took to Space. No, we don’t mean the solar system but rather the hip nightclub that Stefan from SNL would be all over. Through some sweet-talking, they got to the VIP lounge and danced the night away.

Top of the Bell Tower

Piazza Michelangelo

The next day, Cassie and Jodi planned to go to see the famous David statue. Unfortunately, the ticket was misunderstood and the girls were not able to see the David. UGH like just classic men playing hard to get, am I right ladies?!? Can I get a HELL YA? Anyway, the girls decided to not let this ruin their day and they went to eat a quick lunch at Oil Shoppe (s/o: gf bread) and a final Firenze gelato at Festival. After putting themselves in a full food coma, the girls got on the train and said CIAO to Firenze and BONGIORNO to Venizia.

Last Gelato in Firenze
Festival del Gelato

3. VENICE

The last stop and final trip for just Cassie and Jodi during this abroad semester (SAD)! Venice was the perfect place for these two ladies to end the trip/honeymoon. Venice was unlike any other city in the world. They travelled around in a water taxi system that was basically a subway on water. The first day, the girls went straight to dinner at Scala. NOTE: DO NOT GO TO SCALA IN VENICE. It was hotel recommended so we were like uhh, sure! But, how wrong we were. Cassie’s dish was basically lox pasta and Jodi was constantly asking her fish, “is that a bone or are you just happy to see me?” Answer: always a bone. The girls quickly paid the check and got the hell out of there. Starving, they went to get gelato. Turns out, VENICE FLOODS AT NIGHT! The myth is true: Venice is actually sinking. Well, these girls were unaware of this odd feature and went to get gelato. They were fine getting into the gelato bar but it was leaving it that proved a problem. The gelato place was closing up shop of the day and removed the wood board that allowed people to come in and out of the store. Therefore, Jodi and Cassie had no way of getting out without getting soaked. Luckily for Cassie, she was wearing boots and took the leap of faith and made t across the puddle/pond. Jodi, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. She was wearing sneakers and jeans. You can imagine what she had to do. It wasn’t pretty nor graceful.

The next day, Cassie and Jodi went to Murano to see the insane skill glass blowing. It was incredible to watch them take nothing and make it into a beautiful piece of art. We then got to see all the beautiful finished pieces that made us understand how much Jodi trips/walks into things. NOT the time or place to do this. After the Murano tour, the girls, in the spirit of Passover, went to the Jewish Quarter of Venice. They got beautiful Murano glass Jewish pieces and lunch at Gam Gams. This was the closest to home the girls had experienced in a while. Cassie and Jodi then went on a gondola ride. The boat was BYOB (Bring Your Own Bellini’s). Bellini’s are nectar from heaven. That is all you need to know. The ride was full of Italian singing and gorgeous sites. Post-gondola we took a quick cat nap and then went out to get dinner in the town. Let’s just say this dinner was infinitely better than the last.

Kosher Lunch at Gam Gam’s

Gondola Ride!

The last day of their time in Venice was spent walking around in the rain and stumbling across cute boutiques. This was a perfect way to end the trip.

The girls headed back to Rome by train and stayed in an airport hotel that provided a free airport shuttle at 4:30am for the next morning. While Italy was an unbelievable experience, it was great to be back home in Sevilla!

THANKS, as always, FOR READING AND GETTING THROUGH THIS LONG BLOG POST!

PEACE OUT ITALY!

NEXT UP: MOROCCO AND THE ZINGLER’S COME TO SEVILLA!

ILY TO SEVILLA AND BACK!