happy hour: mint tea in marrakech

view of our riad's interior from rooftop terrace

mid-honeymoon, craig and i spent a long weekend in marrakech, morocco.  it was another world.  i had never been to africa before, so venturing across the mediterranean from sevilla, where we had been staying, was a thrill in and of itself.  there was a moment during our hour-long plane ride over when you could see europe, the mediterranean islands and africa all at once.  it was unreal.

our meal at the food stalls

yes, we went on a camel excursion : )

lantern souk

moroccan breakfast

in marrakech the streets are narrow, the squares are crowded and the smells (both good and bad) are overpowering.  we stayed in a great riad (i.e. small hotel) not to far from the spice market and the main square.  the majority of our time was spent shopping in the souks - small artisan shops.  and when we weren't shopping, we were drinking mint tea.

me with monkey

mint tea and "pancakes" with honey

olive tree on our riad's rooftop terrace

rug souk (where we bought a little moraccan carpet!)

their green tea & fresh mint infusion was so refreshing and deliciously sweet, and our riad - riad charlott' - offered it as a complimentary treat along with sesame seed biscotti whenever your heart desired.  needless to say, craig and i enjoyed several pots of mint tea during our 3 day stay : )



spice shop in the spice market near our riad

spa where we enjoyed a tradition scrub (and massage)   sunset in marrakech

though we experienced a bit of culture shock, we both completely enjoyed our weekend in morocco.  and...we left with a rug, 2 punched-copper lanterns, several pairs of leather slipper shoes, countless scarves and a small ceramic bowl.  all of which survived the ride home!

.

foreign style {guest post}

Good morning mavens! I'm Emily from so anthro and I am so. excited. to be guest posting for Cailen while she is a bit busy getting married this week :) I can't even remember when I began reading Lifystyle Maven, but I do know I have been a fan and a follower of all of its inspiring posts and delicious recipes for quite some time now! I try to focus my blog on lifestyle, so I thought that I'd put the fashion-focussed part of my brain to work to come up with some pretty honeymoon outfits for my lovely host! Cailen and her hubs will be visiting Marrakesh, Morocco and Seville, Spain this week, so here are some outfits I put together with those two destinations in mind! And also pretending that we have no budget to keep in mind...

Marrakesh, Morocco

Stefe Shift, Lilly Pulitzer Pashmina, Jones New York Twin Bracelet, Alexander McQueen Sequinned Wallet, Zara Maggie Kitten Heel Sandals, Jack Rogers Paloma's Venezia Goldoni Quadruplo Drop Earrings, Tiffany & Co.

When I picture Morocco, I just see these rich colors and intricate shapes and designs. Because the dress pops on its own, I paired it with solid accessories, just a lot of luscious gold! And a pashmina, I have always found, is a lifesaver while traveling. Cover up in the museums? Warm up on a chilly night? AC blasting on the plane or train? It's got you covered.

---------------------------------------------------

Seville, Spain

Swing Tee Dress, Desigual Silky Rosette Headband, Forever 21 Evening Bag, Balenciaga Identity Heels, Two Lips Bangles with Clip, Michael Kors Therapy Mood Cuff, Fallon 

This summery dress (for those warm Seville temperatures!) is by a Spanish brand I discovered while I was studying abroad in college. So for Cailen's trip to Spain, it seems only appropriate to wear Desigual! Desigual's designs are always full of color, so I like to take advantage of that by pairing the outfit with accessories that bring out those colors. And for jewelry, you can never go wrong with some chunky gold bangles.

What do you think? Would you wear either of these on a trip abroad?

I'm wishing Cailen the most happiness and well wishes for her wedding and honeymoon and thank her again for letting me borrow her blog for the day! If any of you have any questions or want to see more of my personal style, you can find me here!

xo, Emily

.

gorgeous islands (which one to choose...)

craig sent me a link to the "world's most romantic islands".  omg they are gorgeous!  we still don't know where exactly we want to honeymoon, but we do know that we want a combo of culture/fun and super relaxation.  our thought was to split our time...5-7 days in one place then another 5-7 days somewhere else.  could be fun, right?!  that way, we could get the best of both worlds.  maybe touring california wine country for a week then heading south to a mexican beach for margaritas and coronas. 

bocas del toro, panama

so, grab a pina colada and let your mind wander to far off lands...

santorini, greece



laucala island, fiji



rangali island, the maldives



st. lucia, caribbean

ooh la la...so lovely...
any suggestions/recommendations for awesome honeymoon destinations?







for the complete article (and more pictures) click {here}

.