Madrid

Find myself in Madrid the day that Juan Carlos has announced that he will abdicate the thrown to his son Felipe. Lots of excitement here in the center of town. Can't tell if they are protesters or supporters, but I presume the former. "No democracia con reyes" read one sign. Very visible police presence.

Central Madrid is gorgeous. Visited the Museo del Prado (it's free after 6pm). Lots of Goyas, of course, El Greco, and Bosch (El Bosco) - "The Garden of Earthly Delights" triptych! Tons of religious stuff but fascinating nonetheless.

By 11pm the protest has pretty much wrapped up. Just a small crowd now and a bunch of folks selling cans of local beer Mahou, the ground strewn with empties.

Casablanca

Took train from Fes to Casablanca, about half way back to Marrakech. This is a sophisticated, modern city with all the incumbent noise and crowds. The medina is clean and well-organized, nobody accosting me to buy the crap they are selling. If this was the only medina you visited in Morocco, you'd have a misleading impression!

Had a great meal at Restaurant du Port de Peche. Started with half dozen oysters from Oualidia, a place I was tempted to visit just for the oysters. Really nice. For main, filet of St Pierre au gratin - bits of meaty white fish baked with cheese over top. Just what I needed. And a really nice local red wine to go with.

Breakfast at La Scala - great coffee, finally, more Moroccan pastries, and eggs with camel meat. Yum.

The Hassan II Mosque: wow, enormous. Built by the king (Hassan II) between 1986 and 1993, architected by a non-Muslim Frenchman, it's the third largest mosque in the world. About a third of the mosque is built over water, a proportion that comes from the koran. Almost all materials come from Morocco, some of the places I have visited:
Cedar - Ifrane
Carpets - Rabat
Granite - Agadir (High Atlas)
Marble - Tiznit
Except chandeliers - Venice
Some columns - Italy
Enormous doors are titanium from Russia to be lightweight and withstand corrosion.
Main floor holds 20,000 (men)
Women's floor holds 5000
Niche is towards Mecca
Columns in ablution (washing) rooms are coated with Venetian plaster to absorb humidity.
There is a beautiful hammam that has never been used - always "next year".

A cooking lesson, or How I learned to appreciate beets

Fatiya, the cook here at the Riad Tara, gave me an informal lesson in Fassi (from Fes) cooking by allowing me to simply watch her prepare tonight's meal - lamb tagine with vegetables. She is a wonderful cook so I felt quite fortunate. She speaks no English but we managed to communicate with gestures and my French phrases. We started by gathering ingredients at the market. Then I watched as she expertly prepared all the dishes simultaneously, me taking notes. Cauliflower in tomatoes for one entree, beets for another, the lamb, and poached pears for dessert.

Now I am indulging, so much more appreciative of the flavors. Outstanding. Can't wait to try it out at home.

Middle Atlas

I hired a guide today to drive me around the villages and forests of the Middle Atlas mountains, home to the Berber people. Monir (sp?) was an excellent guide and indulged me by speaking English all day, although I did try my broken French with him.

Driving past endless olive groves, we first visited a waterfall in Sefrou. Then drove around the mountain to Ifrane, my real curiosity. This lush mountain town is intentionally architected to feel like an Swiss village, with pitched, red tile roofs everywhere and a distinctly European feel. Apparently it snows a lot in this area. Some ski fields nearby. Someone carved a lion from a rock outcrop in town.

In the town of Imouzzer, we stopped in on a woman who has lived in a cave (grotte) all her life, literally. Dinky, one room grotto right in the village where she has raised her family. She served us fantastic Berber tea and demonstrated her weaving skills.

On to the once-a-week souk (market) in Azrou. Huge, temporary affair where everyone must be doing their shopping for the week. The cherries from this area are delicious. Wonderful kebab lunch in town.

Next was the forest where Macaque monkeys live. Very tame and accustomed to visitors.

For dinner, fantastic chicken pastilla at Riad Andalib with a couple I met from Manchester/Marseilles. Pastilla (or bastilla or bisteeya) is filo wrapped around a filling, baked into a pie, and sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Sweet welcome and savory sustenance in one dish. Ground chicken and almond is common, as is squab. Also started the meal with Moroccan salads - 6 small plates each with their own vegetable base - tomato and honey,  courgette, aubergine, carrot, red pepper, and cauliflower. 

Fes medina

Walked around the medina today. The Fes medina is the largest in Morocco with thousands of little alleyways (derbs) to get lost in. I managed without a guide, which I was told was adventurous for my first time. Very crowded, even on a Monday. Found the oldest mosque, medersa (school), and library.

Some of the comments from guys trying to get my attention: "I'm friend of Obama", "You look like Jimi Hendrix", the latter intended to see if I would respond, I'm sure. Made me laugh. 

Marrakech to Fes

Train to Fes pretty much consumed the entire day. It is scheduled to take 7 hours but took a bit longer due to delays. Will need to rethink how I get back to Marrakech.

Found the Riad Tara in the very confounding Fes medina on my own ... almost. I was about 30 feet from the gate but turned around and got directions from another friendly hostel. This place is a massive maze! I'll have fun exploring tomorrow, no doubt getting lost once or twice. So many things to see here.

Topped off a long day with dinner at the riad, including local wine from Meknés - petite syrah, I think.

Agadir to Marrakech

Drove the excellent A7 motorway ("Autoroute du Maroc") from Agadir to Marrakech through a low pass in the High Atlas mountains. Interesting geology but not allowed to stop ("Arret Interdit") anywhere for photos. Just have a few.

Tonight was the UEFA Champions League final match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, with Real heavily favored. I walked around the Place close to where I'm staying, near the train station, and found a smoky dive bar to watch the game. Most of the patrons were Real fans, not surprisingly, so it was fun to watch the crowd when they were down 1-0 until the 93rd minute in injury time, when Sergio Ramos scored to send the match into overtime. Then Atletico just didn't have the stamina to withstand Real and fell apart, losing 4-1. Very entertaining.

Wonderful fish meal at highly-reviewed Al Bahriya. An older French couple sat down beside me at the communal tables and shared a bit of their fish with me. Turns out they will be on the same train as me to Fes the next day!

Essaouira to Agadir

Drove south from Essaouira to Agadir, about 3 hours. Pretty uninspiring, passing through dusty villages whose entrances are foreshadowed by scrub trees bearing plastic bags delivered by the wind. I'm not sure what the asthetic is but nobody bothers to prevent it or clean it up.

Approaching Agadir, the road joins the coast again. Awesome surf breaks have made this area a destination for surfers and beachgoers. Agadir itself is high rise buildings in the centre ville and no medina that I've noticed. That might be due to the catastrophic earthquake in 1960. Plus, a Club Med and a huge Sofitel complex. I'm staying at a cheap hotel downtown far from the resorts. A refreshing respite after a long, arid drive.

Think I'll seek out the "Irish" pub for a beer before dinner!

"Irish Bar", ha! This is an empty dance hall during the day, night club after hours, serving Heinekin, Bud, and the national beer Flag, which is as good as you'd expect a nation of mostly non-drinkers to produce. Refreshing, nonetheless. 

I did *not* go to Pizza Hut or "GFC" (Golden Fried Chicken) but had to take the photo. 

Went to a restaurant called Mezzo Mezzo for dinner. Felt like I could be anywhere in France. 

North of Essaouira

Took a drive about 1.5 hours north out of town along the coast. Dry farmland coming down to dunes and the ocean.

Stopped at village of Souira Kedima, a place waiting for something to happen. Half finished houses, promenade along an empty beach, idling trucks. Would only take a little bit of attention, perhaps from Europe, to get this place hopping.

Dinner tonight at Triskala. Great veggie meal topped off with chocolat fondant, like a brownie. Just what I needed after having a bit of gastro-intestinal distress. 

Essaouira

Laid back town with a fishing and tourism economy.

Marrakech to Essaouira

Rented a car to drive myself from Marrakech to Essaouira ("esweera"). Great drive once I got out of the urban area. In the small, beautiful oasis town of Chichaoua I was stopped for failing to yield in a traffic circle. I was still driving in Marrakech mode. But the gendarme just took my last 100dh - about $12, all the cash I had - laughed and let me go. Don't know if he was laughing at taking my last dollar or because I had foiled his effort to exact more.

Passed through groves of argan trees, one with actual goats in its limbs!  I didn't bother to stop and get my own photo.

Essaouira is a gorgeous seaside town. The Portuguese created a fort here and the cannons remain on the ramparts. Great medina (ancient walled town center) without risk of getting lost, windsurf beach, fishing port. I'll enjoy my time here.

Had dinner at the open air fish stalls where you pick from the daily catch and they prepare right there. Mullet, John Dory, snapper, prawns, sole, flounder, calamari, even lobster. Think I'll have a few meals here.

Badia Palace

Today, a visit to Badia Palace. Expansive showcase for visiting dignitaries in the late 16th century, it was disassembled not long after and now lies in ruins.

Bahia Palais

Another walk through the souks today with Bahia Palais as destination. Wasn't harassed at all today - yesterday, they must have known somehow that it was my first day.

Bahia Palais was built in the late 1800s as private residence to the grand vizier (prime minister). Ornate stucco and tiling.

Souks and Place Jemaa el Fna

Well, I'm in the right spot. After late breakfast at the riad, I ventured out to the souks (markets). I paid a "faux guide" to get me lost, then another to help me find my way! No worries, it's all part of the game.

View from Dar Zelda

Stopped in at a spice shop for a couple goodies. They have really amazing spices, from saffron and galangal to special blends for tagine.

Was guided, then, to a textile shop. No shortage of young men who will be glad to show you the way to their family's shop. So wonderful to walk through the crowded alleys and stalls, though. I was completely lost. But found my way to the big square: Place Jemaa el Fna. Stopped for pamplemousse ice cream (grapefruit) and vert menthe thè (green mint tea). Can't wait to see this at night.

Afternoon at Place Jemaa el Fna

Made my way back to the riad by a very circuitous route - good thing I had placed a pin on google maps. But after a day of wandering, I'm getting the hang of it.

Marrakech Museum

Going out to dinner with new friends DanO and Tracy I met while traveling yesterday. Funny the bonds one makes while you're all in the same predicament. Turns out that in this vast city of hotels and riads, they are staying just a few steps away!

Night at Place Jemaa el Fna (the smoke is from all the food stalls)

Overhead view of Place Jemaa el Fna