Marrakech isn’t Marrakech without Jemaa El Fna square . This huge contemporary square is located in the center of the medina and is the biggest tourist attraction of the entire city. As the morning grows into the afternoon, tourists come by the droves to see and be a part of a rich heritage and of a rhythmic life of the locals.
Dancers, musicians, snake charmers, water-carriers wearing traditional costumes, storytellers, magicians, acrobats and natural remedies medicine men, all fill up the square. Don’t forget to tip all the street artisans, that’s how they make their living. At dusk, food stands are overrun by hungry tourist eager to satisfy their appetites; the air is soon full of the aromatic steam and smokes of the Moroccan specialties ; prepared fresh on the spot, tourist and locals can choose between meat, fish or vegetable dishes. You don’t even need to know or speak Arabic, all you need to do is point, indicate quantity and within a few minutes, a wonderfully prepared dish is handed for you to enjoy.
Jemaa El Fna means ‘assembly of the deaths’ in Arabic, but there’s nothing livelier than this square. Observing all the animation from the terrace of one of the hundreds of Marrakech hotels , or from one of the coffeehouses that surround the square while drinking a refreshing mint tea is possibly the best way to take in the entirety of this immense gathering of people from all over Morocco. But, no matter if you observe from up above or on street level, you will catch the Jemaa El Fna fever.
Fort Collins, Colorado is one of those cities that maintains a college town atmosphere throughout the bulk of its areas. This is primarily due to the fact that it basically is a college town and the university plays a major role in the overall cultural heritage of the city. It is the home of Colorada State University , which is the largest land grant university in the entire state. The school has a student body of just under 30,000 and this population contributes heavily to the overall city makeup. There are eight colleges in the university and fifty five different academic departments. And all of these come together to support the school’s sports teams and to engage in various school celebrations and festivals.
The hotels Fort Collins have a definite population of tourists, though a lot of the guests are parents and friends of students. While there is a definite college town feel to the city there is also a strong community commitment atmosphere and it is one of the preferred locations for parents to want their children to go to school. There are numerous clubs and activities on campus for students to get involved with and a large number of the student body participates in these. In addition, the school has a student run newspaper called Rocky Mountain Collegian, as well as a student run television station and radio station. The student body is present in a most of the school’s programs and aspects.
And if the students at CSU feel they are spending too much time in the books there is plenty of beautiful geography just outside the city to work off some frustration. The city is just east of the Rocky Mountain foothills and the winters provide plenty of opportunities for skiing and other snow sports. In addition the Cache La Poudre River and Spring Creek run through the city and also provide great recreational options. Five microbreweries exist in the city, which is an above average amount. These are extremely popular with students and every summer the city celebrates the Colorado Brewer’s Festival , for which a large number of students show up. The Colorado Marathon is another annual event that is popular with students. CSU is a highly respected university, and it is also a great social atmosphere for students to thrive in and and enjoy.
