I’m returning to Morocco in 20 days; this time to visit some of the northern cities. I’m saving some of those cities for a fourth trip back, hopefully with my friends Richard and Barbara.

During planning the guide asked me, “Will this be a vacation or a trip?” That’s always a big topic of conversation: trips vs vacations! This time it is most definitely a vacation. All I want to do is drink coffee, eat tagine, take walks through the souks and villages and countryside, and sleep! And of course, take photos. I’ve had a lot of ‘trips of a lifetime’ so this time I want to just relax. As my friend Mokhtar says, ‘Just tranquil.’ Only he pronounces it ‘trankeel.’ I love that word with that pronunciation.