Morocco ,after the wedding

Thursday,14November,2013

This was a fairy take wedding.  It was nighttime, in a huge garden with a lake surrounding an elegant hall designed to host comfortably hundreds. And  there were at least 400 hundred guests who came ,some, from over the world. Ei navy and Teddy were married in a huppah overlooking the lake and nobody was left unmoved.  There was, of course, food and drink in abundance and dancing till dawn when we had to leave in order to catch the plane to Morocco.



Friday, 16 November,2013
We are in our hotel in Casablanca. The weather is fine and we take advantage of the free day to see the huge Hassan mosque and follow the Lonely Planet walking tour of the town. We are supposed to admire the French architecture. Evidently the locals haven,t because the buildings are sorely neglected. It is a pleasant walk though, we have ice cream sitting outside a cafe, as in Paris, and  discover a bookshop which sells French books.

Saturday, 17 November, 2013
Today the tour starts in earnest. So does the rain. It is unbelievably cold and though we try to ignore. The weather in our admiration of Meknes , there is plenty to admire, the palace with colorful mosaics, the mosque and....the stables, which used to house hundreds of horses.  Pity we can t admire the view of the city from the terrace, the wind and the rain chance us away.
The afternoon is spent visiting Volubilis, the ruins of a roman settlement of over 15,000. It reminds of Pompeii; there  are the mosaics from the elegant houses, shop signs, the forum and the temple.



Sunday, 18 November, 2013
Fez, in a very elegant hotel. As an introduction to the visit of the ancient Jewish quarter ourguide informs us that he is student of ancient Arab language and has written a thesis comparing the Arab and Hebrew languages.
The best part is a visit to the ancient quarter of the city of Fez, apparently the oldest, existing, city of the world. We follow him through narrow passages, rabbit warren of dwellings, and marvel . A baker lets us have a glimpse of his bread baking .
And of course, we visit the ceramic factory (where we resist buying ), and a tannery where Jennifer buys a really nice blue bag.
We feel that Gadventure is a good travel company.

Monday, 19 November, 2013
This is a very long drive though the mountains. The view is reminiscing of Norway. It is bizarre though, that we are heading for  Sahara.


Tuesday, 20 November,2013
Our hotel is very picturesque with hand woven coverings and camels in the courtyard. Jennifer goes for a camel ride, which she enjoys, she says.

Wednesday, 21 November, 2013
This is the real desert. We experiencing it as we are waken at dawn and taken to the sand dunes to seethe sunrise. I didn't expect walking on the sand to be so hard. The sunrise was spectacular and worth the effort.




In the afternoon we went for a pleasant, leisurely walk in an oasis.
The walk through the 'oasis' was fun.  Our guide, a berber clad in a brown monk habit gave us a very intelligent  overview of the tribal agricultural system.
The day was not over yet. We drove through one of the most spectacular range of mountains . These are the anti Atlas Mountains, which separate Sahara from the high Atlas. These are incredibly sheer, bold rocks with a magnificent pink colour.  The houses built over these mountains appear to grow naturally out of the rocks.
Our hotel is called Timbuktu and is inspired by the old caravans crossing the desert.

Thursday, 22 November, 2013
While we were travelling I admired the local houses. Their colour blends in with the mountains  so well that it looks as if they are growing out of stone.  They must be solid yet they look like sandcastle. Today we had the chance to visit one. The interior reflects the traditional Muslim family where men and women lead separate lives yet very confusing to the western eye. There  is a note saying that the palace was built freely, without a plan . This is obvious,but it must have been such fun for children playing hide and seek.. We admire the decorated walls, the narrow windows, the views, and take photos.
Our hotel, Berber Palace ,is well named. It offers not a room, but an elegant suite in  a huge, we'll cared for garden. Pity we spend only one night here.
What follows is drive in the Atlas  mountains designed with  the steepest  and most abrupt serpentines. I admire the views and regret that I cannot take a photo of the goats which seem to hang on the face of the rocks.



















Sunday, 18 November,2013

Fez, in a very elegant hotel