Advertisement
Published: April 21st 2008
I'm not feeling my best, but my schedule - and the train ticket in my purse - requires that I make it to the train station for a 5:00 am train to Casablanca. I can do this. At least this is what I have been telling myself since I got up just after 3:00am, and, let's face it, on many other occasions during this trip.
And indeed I can. I made it to Casablanca in time to catch a taxi to the Hassan II mosque, the third largest mosque in the world and one of the only mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims. As advertised it was quite impressive, built partially over the sea in reference to a verse in the Koran that specifies God's throne as being built upon the water. Inside there is space for 25,000 worshippers - 5,000 women among them - and the ceiling opens up for ventilation when the space is filled. In the winter the floor is heated. And an entire lower layer of the mosque is filled with ablution fountains and a hammam that will someday be open to the public. Definitely worth the stress of getting here.
From Casablanca it was
back on the train and on to Meknes, a small laid-back city near to the lovely Roman ruins of Volubilis and the religiously important town of Moulay Idriss. Although a pleasant enough place in and of itself the stress of being in three different cities in one day, on top of not feeling so hot, put me in an easily stressed out mood. Unable to stay at the place I had picked out and reserved in advance I flopped near the action in the medina and spent my first evening largely in bed. By the second day I had discovered a tasty juice shop and was busy exploring the attractions mentioned above.
One of the things that stood out the most as I sauntered around town in the afternoon was the total lack of females in any cafe or restaurant that I could see into. Totally male, every one. Public spaces in Morocco and indeed in the Muslim world in general seem to be male dominated, but even still I found this surprising. Perhaps it was only the addition of female tourists in other places that had the tipped the scales in other cities. In any event I couldn't
Prayer Hall of Hassan II Mosque
The beautifully carved section above the ground is for 2,500 praying women - another can be found on the other side of the hall. This allows them to worship away from the watchful eyes of men - a useful idea in this country. bring myself to break the masculine spell the first evening or the second, instead eating from stalls on the street. This morning, however, I decided to stop for pastries and coffee for breakfast and went to one of the fancier places nearby. The waiter, like all the male shopkeepers here, was the epitome of professionalism and, undoubtedly like the others, quite enterprising, and received me without a second glance, returning a moment later with my order. Sipping my steaming coffee I took the opportunity to be the seer instead of the seen, and in glancing about I noticed the television that the men had been vigorously watching soccer - that's football in the rest of the world - on the previous evenings. Now the channel was turned to a show on baby animals, and all the men there were watching the first steps of infant rhinos and little sea lions as they silently drank their morning tea. What a sight.
The taxi drivers, too, have returned on the whole - I think there are always exceptions among taxi drivers - to the politeness and respectability that I had come to expect after my arrival in Rabat. Some of the
Ceiling of Hassan II Mosque
This section opens up to the sky in under five minutes. were almost indignant that I suggest they use their meters - but of course! - and almost didn't believe the problems I described having in larger cities. Taxi drivers who wouldn't use their meters and charged outrageous fees instead? Sans blague? You must be joking.
Despite the generally relaxed nature of the smaller cities here, it has become very apparent - not that I didn't already miss him - that I am no longer traveling with Clement. The male presence has already expanded to fill every available public space, including the air, and I am already avoiding the guys around me or finding male go-betweens in the form of shopkeepers, waiters and hotel owners. If I though it possible I would have tried to attempt this trip dressed as a man - it would have been so much easier!
I arrived in Fez early this afternoon but sadly have little yet to report. My senses have already been so overwhelmed by the other places I have visited in Morocco that I'm afraid Fez is going to have to work extra hard to get my attention. Tomorrow and the next day I will explore the city further and report
on the charms that I am sure to discover, most likely hidden deep within the streets of the medina.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.071s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 12; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0378s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Amanda
non-member comment
Your time here sounds so interesting and quiet. It seems like a movie in my head, you walking the streets and looking into the shops... I don't know, it seems just quiet and so different from anything I know. I hope you're still having a great time and get to feeling better soon!!