………………………I have been following closely the news, and the updates of the earthquake in Morocco…….It’s an unbelievable disaster. There are so many dead, and little hope of finding anyone alive in the disintegrated rubble………Jac and I spent one of our favorite vacations in Marrakech………First we flew from JFK to Rome, and spent three days there. We stayed in the penthouse of The Hassler Hotel on the top of the Spanish Steps.. Jac had heard that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton stayed there when they were in Rome…..so being a fan of the couple, she wanted to stay there. It was very LUXE, and it had a huge furnished terrace over looking the city…. We did everything tourists do….we went to the Vatican, the catacombs, the colosseum, the Fountain of Trevi, and went to fabulous restaurants for lunch and dinner. We loved Trastevere, an area in Rome I liken to SoHo or the west village…..There are great little restaurants there and wonderful shops………On the 4th day we flew to Marrakesh. We stayed in the famous and fabulous La Mamounia Hotel. We had a beautiful very large room over looking the gardens and the fabulous pool……We hired a guide named Gili, and he took us on day trips in his limo every other day. On other days he took us around Marrakesh….We spent lots of time in the Souk, the market place. He took us to Taroudant, an ancient city outside of Marrakesh over the Atlas where I bought Berber jewelry. The photo was taken outside of Marrakesh in front of a huge tent. We went to see camel races, and then dinner inside the tent….It was lots of fun! He took us to a wonderful out of the way hotel that had a wonderful restaurant by the pool called La Gazelle d’Or, which reminds me of a story…..One day, as Jac, Gili and I were walking through the streets of the Souk…..shop owners were calling out to Jac, but we didn’t understand what they were saying. Gili told us they were calling her “La Gazelle” because of her long legs……Gili invited us to his home for dinner which was located in the Souk. He was a very sweet diminutive man. It was a lovely evening……..Seeing the destruction I’m hoping he and his family are OK. So many of the buildings are make from unstable materials it’s a wonder any of them are standing…..Such a beautiful country, and such beautiful people.