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Morocco

October 2018
Illene, Isabel, Jeannie and Kay. Two weeks with OAT travel in Morocco Read more
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  • TravelerMorocco
    Day 12

    Morocco Day 12

    October 23, 2018 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Out for a morning walk to see the major sites of Marrakesh. A little background on Marrakesh, the most visited city in Morocco, also called the Red City, for its predominate pink adobe buildings. city of 1.7 million people and thin the last 20 years. The city consists of a large medina which includes the bazaar as well as a huge city outside of the walls of the city. Marrakesh is also called the City of Gardens for its lovely gardens and lots of parks and green spaces - all spotless and immaculate. Our first stop was the Koutoubia Mosque, near our hotel. It is the 2nd largest mosque in Morocco. As in Turkey, the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer 5 times a day on loudspeakers all over the medina. This mosque has a huge minaret that serves as an architectural landmark for the city, all in pink plaster. Our mode of transportation around the city today was unique, horse and carriage! :-) Lots of fun taking pictures as 16 of us drove around the city in 4 carriages. The horses took us to the Jewish quarter, same story here, minimal number of Jews remain but the style of home (living quarters on top and store on the bottom) has been retained. A short walk to the Bahia Palace. A beautiful massive building filled with complex geometrical carvings and dazzling bright colored mosaics, Carrara marble floors and - replete with a harem. Quite the impressive palace. A short stop at the Saadian Tombs. Built in the 16th C by a very wealthy Sultan who decided to build a mausoleum for his family. More mosaics and tombs clearly a representation of immense wealth.
    Light lunch in the square, some shopping in the medina and back to hotel for siesta.
    Dinner was on our own this PM and we had planned carefully for our dinner in Marrakesh. Lots of discussion and research between Isabel and me. Mustafa tried to get reservations and they were full. :-( So we took Mustafa's recommendataion and went to La Maison Arabe - terrific setting in a huge courtyard surrounded by lush greenery and low lighting. Food was 8-9 on a scale of 10 but ambiance was a 10+. Vendy and Phil went with us as well.    Read more

  • TravelerMorocco
    Day 13

    Morocco Day 13

    October 24, 2018 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Morocco Day 13
    Today was an optional day for activities. Ilene and I had talked with Mustafa about hiking somewhere near Marrakech and he had arranged a guide for us to hike in the High Atlas mountians. However Illene was up most of the night with a GI issue (has attacked most all of us at one time or another this trip) so we had to cancel. Illene rested this AM and I went on the tour with a few of the others.
    The Jardin Majorelle is a highlight of things to do in Marrakech. Yves St Laurent and his partner adoptees of the city of Marrakech, bought the villa and gardens in 1964. They restored the gardens, added a well-curated Berber museum and gift shop. The botanical gardens include plants from 5 continents. Many cacti to represent the Sahara and throughout the gardens electric blue building, canal and large pots of every color. Terrific ambiance and so pleasing to the eye. So glad I did not miss this.
    Next another walk through a different section of the medina – more upscale products and work areas. The colors, sights, and smells are so great - a constant stimulation of your senses. In this section a lot of smaller souks for woodworking, metal working, leather, dyeing, etc. A short stop at the Marrakech Museum housed in a restored palace. More lovely mosaics – one of the things I will remember most about Morocco.
    Lunch in the median, the traditional Moroccan way – lamb on a big plate and eaten with your fingers.😊 Very sticky and very good lamb!
    Back to the hotel for rest and packing before a discussion in the early evening with Hind, a 22-yer-old Moroccan member of an organization in Morocco promoting women’s rights. She was simply amazing. So well spoken for a 22 year old. She reviewed for us what is good in Morocco about the rights of women and then things that “need more work for change”. No topic was off limits and we spent about an hour and a half discussing marriage laws, educational system, abortion, gay rights, birth control and many more. Highly enlightening.
    Our “farewell” dinner at the Red House. Cornish hen couscous and good wine in a lovely setting.    Read more

  • TravelerMorocco
    Day 14

    Morocco Day 14

    October 25, 2018 in Morocco ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Our final day on this wonderful trip through Morocco. Novotel hotel in Casablanca not up to the other hotels on this trip. However for one night, no problem. About a 3 hour bus ride from Marrakesh, Casablanca is on the coast of the Atlantic and the largest city in Morocco. Casablanca is considered the economic and business center of Morocco and has an urban population of 3.35 million and a regional population of 6.8 million. A lot of work going on to renovate and take advantage of their long beachfront with parks and facilities. From the small bit of the city we saw, still a lot of work to do.
    We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Casablanca and then to our hotel to check in. The afternoon was spent touring the amazing Hassan II Mosque. The mosque is set on an outcrop of land jutting over the Atlantic. The mosque is the 3rd largest in the world after Mecca and Medina. The beautiful building holds 25,000 people inside and an additional 125,000 outside for special celebrations such as Ramadan!!! Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 metres. (689ft) And the inside is filled every Friday for services. We were able to tour the interior of this mosque which was completed and opened in 1993. It is open to the public at various times each day when not in use. The interior is quite spectacular, especially the chandeliers - 56 chandeliers of white/clear Murano glass. The mosque is a showcase of the very best Moroccan artisan-ship: hand-carved stone and wood, intricate marble flooring and inlay, gilded cedar ceilings and exquisite zellige (geometric mosaic tilework) abound. The ablution area, where the men wash according to a Koran prescribed method, has fountains and wash stations for 1,000 people !! Again we learned a lot and so happy to have had this opportunity.
    Back to our hotel for packing and other necessities to get ready to fly home tomorrow. However no trip to Casablanca would be complete without a trip to Rick's Cafe. (Of the movie, Casablanca and Humphrey Bogart, fame. Illene and I out with other members of the tour group to see the famed bar for our pre-dinner cocktail I rather expected a dive but it was a lovely restuarant and bar, very homey and warm with low seating, fire places and lots of small rooms on 2 floors. Our room had Casablanca playing on a monitor in the room. :-) Fun and a drink to remember.
    Back for dinner at the hotel, saying our goodbys as all leave at different times tomorrow. A great trip, good people on the tour, new friends and a wonderful guide in Mustafa.    Read more

  • TravelerMorocco
    Day 15

    Morocco Day 15

    October 26, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

    Up and out for our flights home. Isabel, Illene, Jeannie and I out by 6:30 AM for flight to Paris and then Paris to home. Uneventful but long. Pictures attached today are each of the couples and roommates on our trip. A wonderful group to hike with and, of course, out terrific guide, Mustafa.Read more

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