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Morocco 2023
  • Penny Patterson
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  • Penny Patterson

Morocco 2023

An open-ended adventure by Penny Read more
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  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Sahara dune sunset

    May 12, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    After the date farm, our guide drove us deep into the dunes, and we got to hike up a baby dune. The sand is so soft. You had to go really fast or you would sink in, several of us. Had to get on all fours to get to the top. There was a rainstorm off in the distance so that was a cool thing to watch. Very beautiful, fantastic place to watch the sunset! To get down. It was pretty steep so we did a berber sled (?) where three of us locked legs and arms in our guide ran backwards pulling us down. It was hilarious, everyone got sand all up in their shirts and pants. We were so far away from the closest village, yet two little girls ran over to us from I don't know where to sell us some handmade camels. They were very sweet.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Date farm

    May 12, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    After dinner at the camp in the Sahara, we visited a date farm and Oasis that was started in 1985. This guy was super happy, and seemed to really enjoy showing us all of his trees, making us guess at all the almond, pomegranate, avocado trees, and tons of other things. He has one male palm tree and he uses it to fertilize all of his female palm trees which he does by hand for each individual cluster! One male can serve up to 150 females. He climbed straight up in his sandals and bare hands to demonstrate, it was crazy. He irrigates with drip irrigation, that apparently is turned on back at his house, it was cute because he called on his cell phone to have somebody turn it on so he could demonstrate. His alfalfa was beautiful, and I think I'm going to try to grow it when I get back for our horses.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Nomad family visit

    May 12, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    On the way out to the Sahara we stopped again in our 4x4s and had tea and bread with a nomadic family. We all got under a giant tent that was lined with carpets, and the roof was woven wool from their camels. There is a permanent structure that's their home base that they come back to, but they spend all of the grazing season pushing their sheep and goats to fertile land. At one point the mom told the daughter to go chase one of their donkeys out of a water bucket and he was not very happy. They have to track a mile to get water so they ration it accordingly. The wife showed us how she combs sheared camel hair with these two large paddle combs. Then she rolls clumps of it into thin cylinders, and then works it with her two fingers to work it even thinner into a thread which she ties around a spool. Super cool.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Drum lesson and Moroccan graveyard

    May 12, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    On the way out to the camp in the Sahara, had a drum lesson, and danced to some tribal beats. Then visited a Moroccan graveyard, where they bury their dead outside the walls of the village and mark them with large rocks instead of ornate headstones. The length of coffins are appropriate for the body size, but every single person that is buried has the same width, which is two hands and four fingers.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Rissani Market & Lunch

    May 11, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    First full day in the Sahara, went to the weekly market in Rissani. I really enjoyed it because it was an open air market as opposed to the closed-in walls of the Fez Medina, but the vendors were super aggressive with some of us. Got to see a donkey parking lot, a farrier, and then lunch for Berber Pizza. I was expecting cheese, but it's actually like a stuffed meat pie, really good.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Kasar Errachidia Province

    May 11, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Went to a tiny mini village called a Kasar, like a Kasbah in that it is a walled community but this one only has one door. We got to visit the school, and all the schools are easy to spot, it seems, cuz they are very multi-colored as opposed to the earthen colors of the other buildings. The kids were the cutest things ever, they followed us around and were just adorable, and then asked for tips on our way out. We had another home visit where we were invited in for tea and cookies and sat on the floor of someone's house. It reminded me of our friends in New Mexico, the building was made of mud, donkey poo, and straw, so it was super insulated inside.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Fossiles Kasbah

    May 11, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Went to the fossil factory, I was completely caught off guard. I didn't really understand how they make fossils like in a factory, but the fossils are so prevalent in the area, they cut them out of the rock, polish them down, and make tables, sinks, or cut them out completely for standalone fossils. They are in sedimentary rock here as opposed to other fossils that are in limestone which is much softer. So they are very well preserved and the colors were just crazy. Lots of reds which indicate the copper that is in the area.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Chergui Hotel: Arfoud

    May 11, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The hotel is truly an oasis in the Sahara. The pool was amazing last night, really helped lower my body temperature before bed. Very much reminds me of the Palm springs area, a very dry heat and tons of palm trees everywhere. We also have a camel and I've named her Gertrude, and no I don't even know if it's a girl or a boy lol.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Fez Tannery

    May 8, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Wow about sums it up. Did you know they soften hides for final product leather by soaking them in pigeon poop? Because of the ammonia? Yellow leather is more expensive than brown leather because they use saffron to dye it. I learned a lot, and it was quite the experience to hold crushed mint in your nostrils to observe the tannery pit. Morocco does not have an offshoot of OSHA here. This has been a real origin story for me.

    They tried to charge the same price as RH for a poof when multiple guide books said I should be able to get one for about $30. I'll try again in Marrakesh. I will say, I have a deep, deep appreciation for the human effort that goes into leather furniture or goods and the jackets were absolutely buttery, soft and beautiful.    Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Al Attirine Madrasa

    May 8, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    14th-century school for Islamic studies featuring ornate tile work & dramatic architecture. Beautiful carvings, they get the cedarwood wet and then carve it. What was interesting was the guide's commentary about how the school used to teach rote memorization and recitation of the Quran which reminded me of attending a Catholic mass in Latin when you may not understand the words or the meaning behind it.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Riad Authentic Palace

    May 7, 2023 in Morocco

    A Moroccan home that has been refurbished into a guest house, this Riad had 20 rooms, perfect for our group. Breakfast in the morning was simple and delicious, and the coffee was the best on the entire trip. They added cardamom, star anise and cinnamon to the pot. Pure comedy when the tiny plate of scrambled eggs came out and everybody wanted some, as the meal was pretty carb laden. Nice rooftop area for a glass of wine in the evening and chatting.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Fez Medina

    May 7, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Wow, the people the sounds, the smells were pretty overwhelming in our first experience in a Medina. Watched a lady rolling out bread, which they use in lieu of utensils for all their meals. Felt like this was truly a locals place, as there were several shops where they repaired or made metalworks.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Drive to Fez

    May 7, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Drove to Fez through an agricultural region between the Rif and Atlas mountains. Saw lots of olive and persimmon trees and the persimmon trees were easy to spot because they were netted in huge groves. Also saw 100,000 acres of cork oak trees and you could see where they corked them I guess. Pretty recently up to 6 to 8 ft. Guide said they can be harvested every 9 years. I didn't know cork trees were in the oak family. The guide said they are trying to cut out growing avocado and watermelon because of the drought, which reminded me quite a bit of what's going on in California.

    We stopped at a gas station for coffee and a bathroom halfway through with a short walkabout. We walked through a super long outdoor market with tons of produce, chickens, butchers, etc. Eventually got to the riad, which is in the Medina, which is the original, old part of the city that is walled. Walled. Fez is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco.    Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Last Rabat dinner: Dinarjat

    May 6, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Had a delicious Moroccan meal served family style. Live music, dancing, singing. On the walk to the restaurant, it was very tight corridors with these cute little pots overhead and had some very cool doors. They were two parts, a smaller door for family and familiar people to knock on, and then a much larger door for horses.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Underground liquor stop

    May 6, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Since we are staying in a Medina and not a hotel in Fez, we had to bring our alcohol with us. Alcohol is against the Muslim religion and should not be consumed..... Yet there are underground liquor stores! Super fun, when our parade of white people walked down the steps and entered the area, we got lots of looks and chatter.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Musee Mohammed VI

    May 6, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Contemporary art museum, some really cool pieces. A fellow traveler gave us the tip that Google lens will translate text which came in handy because all descriptions were in Arabic and French.

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    La Halinka

    May 6, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Oldest coffee shop in the region with great views and even better people watching. Our crew of 15 had nos-nos, Moroccan whiskey, and baked goods. Left to right, Betty, Zaid, Penny, Kathy, local, Debi, Kathy, Mary Ellen.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Kasbah

    May 6, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Kasbah right on the river that meets the Atlantic Ocean, so beautiful and a perfect day, blue skies, no humidity. Tight walkways between tall white stuccoed buildings, reminded me of European small towns. We started with an art gallery by a female artist that was really cool with a theme of time, walked within the walls, and had a mint tea or a coffee overlooking the Atlantic.

    Best gardens yet! Two museums, but the gardens... goodness goodness so great.    Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler
    1111

    Mauseleum of Mohammed V

    May 6, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Beautiful day, mausoleum is on a bluff where it seems like you can see most of the city, you can see the opera house, the skyscraper, the river, and the Atlantic. The guide said it is the number two mosque in the world behind the Taj Mahal. Views of the Bouregreg River as it meets the Atlantic spectacular with people enjoying the day.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    St Peter's Cathedral

    May 5, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    1930s art deco cathedral. The outside does have Moroccan influences but you can see the cross at the very top and know it's not a mosque. The building is ginormous, super huge, but when you go inside where you actually sit in the pulpit is tiny so they must be a ton of offices or perhaps a school in there.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Nouzhat Hassan Garden

    May 5, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    After I dropped the kids off at the hotel for a nap, I went back out and there was a super pretty and well maintained garden close to the hotel. I was the only Westerner in there but I did good with my assertive walk and no eye contact.

    On the way over to the next stop, I ran into an Irish bar and a building with an amazing full wall frieze in a beautiful pattern.    Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler
    1

    Lunch at La Menora

    May 5, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Great lunch place, we sat on the patio and I had a tagine of beef shank, dates, apricots, and almonds and it was bomb! The ladies had chicken with olives and lemon and I believe Ron had Moroccan chicken. I won the day with that one! And they had Casablancas, very nice when they're ice cold.Read more

  • Penny PattersonMorocco 2023Traveler

    Medina

    May 5, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    When you walk out of the new city, the old city is called the Medina and there's a big old light red wall between them. It's the original city, I think before we Rabat became the capital and they started building all the pretty new stuff. It was really overwhelming at first cuz it's like a bunch of crazy stalls like parts of Greece, but we went down several side streets where it was quieter and it was nice. I am a door person so here are a couple of pictures of the medina and the rest are my favorite doors.Read more

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