Did you know that tangerines are actually named after Tangier? The word literally means "from Tangier." So yes - drink all the orange juice you can while you're here…it’s really something else. Mom met me at the airport and we dove right into it: groceries, tile shopping, home-cooked meals, and a rooftop workout. It was the most personal part of the journey - seeing her thrive in a new city, celebrating a new stage, surrounded by great friends, food, and art. Oh, the life! Highlights included sunset drinks at the invite-only Villa Mabrouka with truly incredible views, a cooking class with Blue Door Cuisine where we shopped the fish market and watched our bread bake in a community oven, and meals at MOFI (don't miss the fish crudo with cold coconut broth), Aux 3 Portes, La Muralla, and the Bourdain-approved Le Saveur du Poisson - arrive early. Culture-wise: the Phoenician Tombs, Cinéma Rif Café inside a historic movie theater across from the Grand Soco, the Ibn Battuta Museum, and the bookshop Les Insolites. Mostly, though, it was sun-chasing on Mom's balcony, seagull-watching, and reflecting on how life expands when you choose a new chapter.

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