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For this blog:

This blog is about our trip to Morocco on an organized Tara Tour. 

Please do read through this blog for our narrative and the related photos.  

Sometimes there is a More ... link in a post at the end of the discussion about a place.  These are slide shows containing more photos about that place.  Because we liked the photo, but we try to limit the number in the actual blog to something reasonable.  They open in a new window. 

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Abstracts
Architecture
Art
Cats
Colorful Towns
Countrysides
Doors, Ceilings, and Doors
Kasbas and Riads and Medinas
Markets
Mosaics
Mosques, Synagogues and Churches

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Nov 17 - Flying to Casablanca

Our flight from the Canary Islands didn’t leave until late afternoon and we were fortunate to get a very late checkout.  So we had a leisurely breakfast and spent the morning packing and working on more photos (sometimes it feels like we are in a rut with packing and photos).

The sky looks a bit overcast and gloomy so we didn't go for much of a walk at lunchtime, just out for a bite to eat.  

We were picked up about 3:30 and headed out for the airport and on to Morocco.  Upon arrival we found out that our flight was delayed about a half hour…not a big deal.  And in about a half an hour they ran us through a passport check and a boarding pass check and sent us downstairs to the lounge…where we waited about 15+ minutes for the bus that would take us to the plane…not a big deal.

After boarding they announced that we were delayed by another hour…beginning to be a big deal.  There was a young couple with two very young children who had been on the road for a large number of hours and were concerned about missing their connecting flight to Gambia.  He is in the marines and is stationed at the embassy there. 

After FINALLY taking off things weren’t too bad except that their littlest one had had enough and had a meltdown.  Oh well.

We finally got to Casablanca, went through passport control again and picked up our luggage.  Fortunately, our transfer was waiting for us just outside of luggage claim.  Unfortunately, we are going to Rabat tonight so we had an hour plus drive.  We didn’t get to our hotel and into bed until 2:00 am.  Exhausted.

However, the Riad we are staying in is beautiful and we have a two story room…sitting room downstairs and bedroom and gigantic bathroom on the second floor.  

Nov 18 - Rabat

We set the alarm for a little after 9:00am so that we wouldn’t sleep the night away.  We made it down in time for breakfast.  They had various breads, a Moroccan cake (sort of a lemon pound cake), yogurt, dried fruits, and yummy fresh squeezed orange juice.  We had a nice visit with Maureen and John from Chicago who had been touring Morocco and were visiting their son who was studying here. 

The Riad:

We then decided to head out to do a bit of exploring.  Our Riad is in the middle of the Medina, the old town with a maze of streets.  We found the market and had an enjoyable time inspecting the shops. 

Just outside the Riad,

We then headed down to the river, with a beach, and the marina.  

We passed by the kasbah, Kasbah-de-Oudayas:

While there we could see the ocean at a distance and the waves were fierce.  We opted not to stop in the Kasbah but headed on down to the viewpoint overlooking a cemetery and the coast line.  The waves were so strong that they occasionally washed totally over a long walkway that stretched out into the water.  There was a person that started on the walkway, but quickly turned around.

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Watch video of the waves.
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It started to sprinkle and it was a bit cold so we decided to head back to the Riad.  It is a good thing we did because about 5 minutes after we got back the skies opened up and it rained buckets.  We sat in the courtyard of the Riad most of the rest of the afternoon working on photos.  And it rained hard off and on the rest of the day.

Fortunately they serve dinner in the Riad so we ate in…rather romantic with the soft lights illuminating various features in the courtyard.

We were in bed pretty early tonight.  Hopefully the weather will clear up tomorrow so that we can explore more.

Nov 19 - Rabat

The weather is much better today; however, we spent most of the early part of the day at the Riad.  After breakfast we met with Tara for almost two hours going over upcoming travel planning that will take us into 2020. 

We then sat and visited with Helen, one of the other ladies on our Tara Morocco tour.  Then the four of us headed out for lunch about 1:00.  We decided to go back into town...

and then down to the riverfront and try one of the restaurants there.

While watching the boats on the river we finally figured out that there were small boats operating as ferries between the two sides of the river. 

While walking the waterfront we came across an enterprising fellow selling potato chips.  Not the pre-bagged ones.  He had a huge pile of loose chips and would give you the size bag you want. 

We walked by the Kasbah de Oudayas again on our way back to the Riad.

When we got back it was still sunny so we went up to the top of the Riad to see what it had to offer.  We were told it was very pretty and had a nice pool.  We weren't disappointed.

Most of the rest of the group were in by 7:30 so most of us took the tour bus across town to a local Moroccan restaurant.  The food was very good and very much cheaper than the meal at the Riad. 

We were back at the hotel by about 9:30, just in time to pack as we leave tomorrow morning for our tour. 

Nov 20 - Rabat and Asilah

Today we start our official tour.  It is raining today but not in buckets so maybe the day will turn out okay.  Our tour will be covering Rabat as our first stop being the Kasbah de Oudayas. From the front of the Kasbah we had good views down the street and the town beyond. 

It was a whirlwind tour by an amazing gate...

and through a few streets (many painted white and bright blue).

One stretch had a mural of Indian Women marching down the lane.  No idea what it was about.

We stopped at a couple of viewpoints that looked out over the ocean...

and the nearby walls and buildings.

  

There was also a beautiful garden but we had started late and it was raining so there really wasn’t any chance to explore it. 

We saw lots of cats here, as we have all over Rabat.

On the way to the next stop the rains let up.  The stop was the unfinished Hassan Tower, the incomplete minaret that was to accompany the world’s largest mosque.  Neither were completed.  The tower was commissioned in 1195 and at 140 feet it is about half of the intended height.   

Facing the unfinished mosque was the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, considered the Father of Modern Morocco.  

There were guards posted in the four corners of the mausoleum and at the four entrances

and there were also two mounted guards at the entrance to the complex.

On the walk back to the bus we had some more interesting views of the tower and the gardens around the outer walls at its base.

We opted to not visit some nearby gardens as the rains had started again in earnest.  We also opted not to visit the town of Sale because of time and rain.

We saw a lot of banana green houses during our drive.  

We drove to a small seaside village for lunch.  By then the sun was shining and we were able to set out on a patio to enjoy the now nice day.  However, it was very slow getting served so we were running late again.

Our next stop was the town of Asilah.  The town’s origins date back to the Romans but there was also some imposing Portuguese fortifications and interesting sights around every corner.

Fortunately the sun was still shining so we walked along the waterfront and through some of the streets of the town.  Most of the buildings in the old section were painted blue and white, which made for a very picturesque sight. 

The town is something of an artist's colony and there were a lot of murals on the walls.

 

We didn’t really have enough time in Asilah as we never did quite catch up on our time.  We arrived in Tangier after dark and had only a short walk to our new Riad.  After getting settled in we, along with Tara and Joanne, walked down the hill to a nice local restaurant for dinner.  We had the harira, a traditional Moroccan soup that is just a bit reminiscent of Chinese hot and sour soup but with chickpeas. 

Then it was back to the hotel to get settled in for the night.