A quick Moroccan getaway
Salaam alaikum!
I am in Moulay Idriss, Morocco, after a four hour train ride from Casablanca and half hour wild taxi ride through olive groves and up the mountain side.
Casablanca was an urban and busy place, filled with people enjoying the sunny Sunday. I didn't feel very comfortable alone as a woman in the Old Medina, where there were very few woman in the morning, so I wandered to the massive mosque by the ocean. While I was walking, people would say hello and bonjour, interested in speaking to foreigners. I met a man about my age and we spoke in French for a while. He works in health insurance and was enjoying his day off, and wanted a chance to use his English. We walked back to the medina and I explored comfortably, and we went to this rooftop terrace overlooking a square where children were playing, and men were enjoying their tea. We had a pot of the syrupy mint tea and discussed our countries, Islam, and the root of happiness. It was a perfect introduction to Morocco and its friendly people. We said goodbye, and I returned to my hotel to meet my new group.
A lovely set of seven girls, our group comes from Australia, Columbia, and Belgium. We went out for our first Moroccan dinner, and I had a vegetable tagine, cooked in a clay flue.
Today was the first full day of the tour, starting with the aforementioned grand mosque. The Hassan II mosque was completed in 1993, with a 250 m tall tower, which I oggled from the plane on the way in. It is topped with lasers that point to Mecca. Constructed with Moroccan marble, cedar, and grand stonework, the only import was Italian Murano glass for the 57 chandeliers.
From there, we journeyed into the countryside. Now in Moulay Idriss, we walk the narrow, staircased lanes of this mountain town alongside donkeys, admiring the beautiful doorways and cheerful children politely saying bonjour madame, or salaam. We learned the history behind the unique doors, and the traditional requirements for every Islamic city, including its mosque (non-muslims not permitted to enter) bathhouse (hammam), bakery (where we sampled steaming fresh bread), fountain, and school.
Our guesthouse is riad style, with a large main courtyard covered by a sunroof, and the rooms circling. Our third floor room is accessed by a spiral staircase on the roof, and a wrapping terrace overlooking the city.
Our hosts taught us how to make their traditional tea, with mint, absinthe, and marjoram. With a special boiling technique, the addition of fresh herbs, and usually heaps of sugar, there is nothing like it.
We had an incredible four course meal, with a pepperonata (Moroccan equivalent) start, accompanied by fresh bread and plentiful olives. Moroccan chickpea soup followed, in which coriander was the star, and then the tagine and couscous.
I am in Moulay Idriss, Morocco, after a four hour train ride from Casablanca and half hour wild taxi ride through olive groves and up the mountain side.
Casablanca was an urban and busy place, filled with people enjoying the sunny Sunday. I didn't feel very comfortable alone as a woman in the Old Medina, where there were very few woman in the morning, so I wandered to the massive mosque by the ocean. While I was walking, people would say hello and bonjour, interested in speaking to foreigners. I met a man about my age and we spoke in French for a while. He works in health insurance and was enjoying his day off, and wanted a chance to use his English. We walked back to the medina and I explored comfortably, and we went to this rooftop terrace overlooking a square where children were playing, and men were enjoying their tea. We had a pot of the syrupy mint tea and discussed our countries, Islam, and the root of happiness. It was a perfect introduction to Morocco and its friendly people. We said goodbye, and I returned to my hotel to meet my new group.
A lovely set of seven girls, our group comes from Australia, Columbia, and Belgium. We went out for our first Moroccan dinner, and I had a vegetable tagine, cooked in a clay flue.
Today was the first full day of the tour, starting with the aforementioned grand mosque. The Hassan II mosque was completed in 1993, with a 250 m tall tower, which I oggled from the plane on the way in. It is topped with lasers that point to Mecca. Constructed with Moroccan marble, cedar, and grand stonework, the only import was Italian Murano glass for the 57 chandeliers.
From there, we journeyed into the countryside. Now in Moulay Idriss, we walk the narrow, staircased lanes of this mountain town alongside donkeys, admiring the beautiful doorways and cheerful children politely saying bonjour madame, or salaam. We learned the history behind the unique doors, and the traditional requirements for every Islamic city, including its mosque (non-muslims not permitted to enter) bathhouse (hammam), bakery (where we sampled steaming fresh bread), fountain, and school.
Our guesthouse is riad style, with a large main courtyard covered by a sunroof, and the rooms circling. Our third floor room is accessed by a spiral staircase on the roof, and a wrapping terrace overlooking the city.
Our hosts taught us how to make their traditional tea, with mint, absinthe, and marjoram. With a special boiling technique, the addition of fresh herbs, and usually heaps of sugar, there is nothing like it.
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| Rashida preparing couscous |
Tomorrow we continue on to Fes, another trainride ahead!
That tea sounds delicious!
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