Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 16

6.24.19 Just as soon as it began, the trip was already winding to a close. Today was our last full day together. We left Fez for the long push to Casablanca via Volubilis, where some of the best preserved Roman ruins can be found. It was a hot afternoon, but wandering among the vaulted arches, sunken baths, and tiled floors as lovely as they were in their day was completely with it! Then we visited the capitol city of Rabat and the Hassan I mosque (father of the current king, Hassan II). It was comprised of a sprawling courtyard of white sandstone with a minaret at one end and a shrine at the other. Non-Muslims are permitted to enter the shrine, so we bypassed the two guards on horseback, climbed the wide staircase, and entered the ... read more

It was quite an early morning, as we had many miles to go before we would sleep again. We grabbed our sack breakfasts and loaded the bus under a still-dark sky. Most of our group, along with our Texas and Arizona fellow travelers, went right back to sleep. But a few stayed awake to catch the creamy orange sunrise surrounding the Rock of Gibraltar. Once we reached the port an hour later, we took the ferry into Morocco, receiving a passport stamp in Arabic while still on board the boat. Joe taught us some important words to get us by during our time here: La=No (useful in the Medina to turn away salesmen), shukraun=thank you, salam=hello. The crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar was choppy and blue, passing through veils of mist, and arriving on the ... read more

Let us sit bent, but talk straight ~ Moroccan Proverb HE SAID... Morocco – what an incredible country. We spent a month travelling either side of the Atlas Mountains in the north western tip of Africa, and we loved every minute of it. Sometimes when a country touches you unexpectedly and gets under your skin, it is hard to encapsulate the reason (or reasons) why. I’m still not exactly sure. I didn’t know what to expect when we first touched down in Casablanca, and I didn’t want to leave when we left Marrakesh airport on our return journey home. My only option, therefore, is to share the highlights of our Moroccan travels. Maybe through these I can start to understand why I loved this place so much. The People More than anything else, I loved the ... read more

By bread and salt we are united ~ Moroccan Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling northeast from Taghazout to Marrakesh. After a late morning surf, I met Ren on the beach and headed back to our comfy room at the Sol House surf resort, which sits about a stone’s throw south of Taghazout (a small fishing village on Morocco’s Atlantic coast). We needed to organise our packs for the final leg of our month-long Moroccan adventure – we were returning to Marrakesh. We walked to reception, loaded our packs into the minibus and headed off. We drove a short distance along the coastline to Agadir, then turned inland and travelled northeast to Marrakesh. Despite having driven through Agadir a few times over the past few weeks, I was still surprised by the endless rows of ... read more

It was a bit soggy when we arrived in Tangier. Once again a taxi from the airport was easy to find and the whole journey from Nador to the url=https://www.booking.com/hotel/ma/rembrandt.en.html?aid=1769628&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&room1=A%2CAHotel Rembrandt was over in the blink of a bleary eye. Our room wasn't ready though, one of the perils of an early flight, but the cafe opposite had good coffee and croissants, and strong WiFi so we were able to chill for a couple of hours. Once inside the hotel we were pleased with our choice. Yes, there's a lot of faded elegance going on and it's definitely a throwback to the 1970s but it was comfortable enough and the price is great too. Unfortunately, especially for those in need of a siesta after an early flight, there was significant renovation going on somewhere inside the ... read more