Morocco and Israel Feb-Mar 2018 - Part 1 Morocco

Morocco and Israel Feb – Mar 2018

Part 1 Morocco 

When we left ATL on Feb 20, the temp was 75. We flew overnight to Paris, where we had a 5 hr. layover. Then it was on to Casablanca. From Casablanca we drove an hour and a half to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, where we spent our 1^st night. We spent the next 13 days in Morocco.

Moroccans speak Arabic and French and in some areas Berber. It was the 1^st nation to recognize the US as an independent country after the Revolutionary War. 

One thing we discovered during our trip, was that hotel in Morocco even Marriott’s, do not have washcloths.

Day 2. Rabat. Rabat is the capital and 2^nd largest city in Morocco it is also on the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded in 1150 by the Sultan Abdul El Mumin, who also built the Kasbah of Oudayas and the wall around the city. We were surprised at the amount of new construction going on around the city and surrounding area. Our 1^st day of sightseeing did not disappoint us.

Our 1^st stop was the Royal Palace. We found out that King Mohammad VI has 43 palaces in Morocco. We also learned that he married a “commoner” and he is beloved by the Moroccans as a man of the people.

Next we went to the ruins of the Necropolis of Chellah. The area had been occupied by the Carthaginians, Phoenician and Romans. It fell into disuse after sultans decided to be buried in Fez.

Hundreds of storks live on the grounds of the Necropolis!

From there we went to the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohamed V. Amazing!

Our last stop of the day was the Kasbah of Oudayas at the mouth of the Bouregreg River on the Atlantic Ocean.

The road in front of our hotel.

Day 3. The road to Fez. The drive to Fez took most of the day. Our 1^st stop was the Roman ruins at Volubilis. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site with many well preserved original mosaics. They do not fade because they are made out of stone.

Upon arrival in Fez we went for a panoramic view of the city. The 2nd picture below are graves.

That evening we had dinner with a Moroccan family. It was delicious! Tajine is a favorite of the Moroccans, served in pottery, usually chicken or lamb, vegetables and couscous.

Day 4. Fez. We stayed in a Marriott.

We spent most of the day in the Medina. What a crazy place! Narrow winding streets in which you can get lost for hours. Thousands of vendors of gold, silver, leather, carpets, food and anything else you can think of. Thousands of people and carts full of products pushed by people or pulled by donkeys crammed into the narrow passages. All the time everyone polite.

We went to a carpet factory, where we bought a beautiful Moroccan carpet.

We also, went to the leather tannery. What a smell!

And a wood museum, where examples of wood working from the last thousand years are displayed.

At the center of the Medina was the Nejjarine Fountain.

The Medina is also home of the Attarine Medersa and the University of Al Karaouine, the oldest operating university in the world, founded in the 700’s.

After lunch we walked by one of the 4 royal palaces in Fez and walked through the Jewish quarter of the Medina.

Day 5. The road from Fez to Erfoud. We drove south to the Middle Atlas Mountains.

Our 1^st stop was in the ski resort of Ifrane. We were told that just last week the area was covered with snow. As we got higher in the mountains the snow got deeper.

This lion rock was carved by a POW during WW2.

We found out the people who lived in the mountains were Berbers, not Arabs and that a lot of Moroccan Apes lived there as well.  

The snow was plentiful along the way and a lot of people were out having fun.

Coming down from the mountains, we drove through the high plateau. Along the road dogs would wait for people to stop or just throw food out their windows and feed them. There were dozens of dogs and each of them had its own spot.

 

And into the lush Ziz Valley.

Dates drying.

We arrived at our hotel late afternoon. What a nice place! Exactly what you would picture an exotic Moroccan hotel to look like.

Day 6. Rissani and the Sahara.

 Our 1^st stop of the day was at a primary school in Erfoud. We visited with the 3-5 year old preschoolers we brought them markers, pencils and beach balls.

After the kids, we went to a fossil factory and watched how they made tables, sinks and a multitude of other things.

From there we went to Rissani and walked through part of a town that wasn’t a tourist town.

In the afternoon we went to the Sahara Desert.  We road in 4-wheel drive vehicles into the desert and had lunch in open tents. Actually, it was a long drive in the desert getting there and back. Lots of fun on the dunes!

The wind was roaring over 30 mph, but we still wanted to go on our camel ride. Any stronger winds and it would have been a no go.

We rode for over an hour. At one point rain was mixed with the sand. The gusts were so strong at times that even the camels were not happy with all the blowing sand.

 It was a great experience and we really enjoyed it even though we were getting sandblasted. Picture with our guide.

Day 7. The road to Quarzazate. We had a last visit with the camels before departing.

We headed back north on the Tinjdad Road with the Upper Atlas Mountains on the right side of the bus.

Our 1^st stop of the day was Todgha Canyons and Tinghir.  The canyons rise over 800 feet and are a popular climbing destination.

From there we went on the road of a thousands Kasbahs, almost all destroyed, through the Dades Valley, famous for its roses, which don’t bloom till May. The white tree in bloom 6 pictures down is an almond tree

Day 8. Quarzazate and the Road to Marrakesh. The name Quarzazate means “without noise” in the Berber language. The Berber were the original occupants of most of Morocco. The language is still spoken along with Arabic and French in many areas.

Our 1^st stop was in the Taourirt Village, constructed in the 12^th century, had the Kasbah Taourirt, a fortress to guard the village, constructed to house a wealthy man, his 11 wives, 30 concubines and all their children.

 It is known as the movie making capital of Morocco; including, Lawrence of Arabia, The Jewel of the Nile, Indiana Jones, Gladiator, Jesus of Nazareth and Game of Thrones.

Then we went to Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built to protect caravans.

From there we spent 4 hours travelling the narrow winding roads with few railings, over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakesh. Our driver, Mohamed did a great job getting us across safely.

This was the street outside our hotel in Marrakesh, Mohammad VI Ave.

Day 9. Marrakesh. Our day started with a visit to the Koutoubia Minaret.

 The bell ringers.

From there we went to the Bahia Palace.

Before lunch we enter through Jaama El Fna Square and the Souks.

 For lunch we had a demonstration on making a Moroccan meal with Coucous and then we ate it.

After lunch we went to the Jardin Majorelle, which was restored by Yves Saint Laurentis and Pierre Berge. It also had an excellent Berber museum, but allowed no pictures.

After that we went back to the Souks, so Zach could visit with the cobras!

 That night we went for a carriage ride from the hotel to the Souks and had dinner at Lotus Prestige. We went up, for 2 kilometers, before turning; Mohamed 6 Blvd, the longest named street in all of Africa.  It was the best meal we had in Morocco and included a belly dancer and other entertainment.

Day 10. Essaouira. Great day today, although very windy! We drove to Essaouira from Marrakesh.  Our 1^st stop was the crazy goats in the Argan trees. The goats eat the fruit and spit out seeds.

After the goats eat the fruit, the seeds are gathered. Then women and others like them process the seeds into Argan oil for food and cosmetic products.

Essaouira is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 11^th century fortified coastal town has been well preserved. Great view of the harbor and boats and the Atlantic Ocean from the ramparts and towers.

It all had nice markets, where we were not hounded constantly to buy stuff we didn’t want It was one of our favorite places on this tour of Morocco.

Day 11. Casablanca. After a 3-hour drive from Marrakesh, we arrived in Casablanca. It was our last tour day of the trip. The next day we were flying to Tel Aviv via Istanbul. Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco.

 It was a stormy day in Casablanca. Our 1^st stop was the Notre Dame de Lourdes Cathedral.

Then to Mohamed V Square.

After that we went to the Corniche seaside for lunch and a beach walk, except it wasn’t a good day for the beach.

Our last stops of the day were the magnificent Hassan II Mosque.

and Rick’s Cafe. The movie Casablanca which made the city famous was not filmed there and Rick’s was only built years after the movie was made. Nonetheless, it is a popular tourist destination.

Double rainbow from our hotel room.

That night we had our farewell dinner with our tour group. Our tour manager Abdel was one of our best ever. He did all the little extra things to make it a great trip!

The next day we departed for Israel.