From Casablanca on the coast to the inland city of Fez in the northern part of Morocco, the area looks very much like the American Southwest.
Looking out the window of the van, there's not much to see.
A well-paved highway cuts through the flat, dusty farmland, passing villages remarkable only for the number of flat roofed houses with satellite dishes and the occasional donkey cart.
I'm with a group of travel and food writers visiting Morocco. Some of us are here for the first time.
Before we leave Casablanca we stop at the Mosque Hassam II, the 3rd largest mosque in the world, the largest in Morocco.
The scale of the doors makes visitors look very small. The detailing on tiles and metal work on the tall doorways is beautiful. The mosque overlooks the breakwater and harbor. A few blocks away, restaurants and clubs share the same view. We grab a quick breakfast after our all-night flight before we climb in the van for a three hour drive.
My best friend Kim swears my favorite movie is 'The Blue Lagoon.'
Ok, I admit, it's true that I have watched it a half a dozen times or
more over the years. But when you're 15 years old and the same age as
Brooke Shields and she's frolicking on a tropical beach with a cute boy
and I am stuck in a small town, on a farm in Georgia with boys who look
nothing like Christopher Atkins, one can understand my emotional
attachment. Kim would also tell you I am a huge fan of 'Far and Away'
and yes, I have also watched that movie more times than I can count. I
am sure that Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman would prefer that movie be
removed from their list of credentials on IMDB because as many times as
I have seen it, I still couldn't tell you what's going on in that
movie.
There is good food everywhere. That's my theory and I'm sticking with it. In some places it is easier than others, to find something delicious. Sorrento is a pretty tourist town just a stone's throw from Naples. Orange trees pop up through the sidewalk and the views of the bay are breathtaking, especially at sunset when everything turns shades of pink and blue and grey. The town inspired many artists and poets and their ghosts are felt everywhere in the gardens, the public spaces and the names of the streets. I'm staying at the romantic Hotel Tramontano perched on the edge of the bay. The history of the hotel makes me feel as if I am stepping into a more refined era.
One of London’s most elegant hotels is 
I think I stopped giving grits a chance many years ago when Lucy became our family pet. She's an amazing bird, a Yellow Naped Amazon parrot that has an unbelievable vocabulary, an infectious laugh, can tell my identical twin brothers apart and eats grits every morning for breakfast. Sounds charming but think about being awakened by a bird with a loud, piercing voice calling my name every morning demanding her grits.