Morocco
The belief in my language abilities was shattered this morning between coffee mug number 1 and 2. While I thought I was responding “All’s good” or “I’m good” I had, in fact, been saying, “Not yet!” As I started revisiting every conversation over these past two weeks, I began giggling at my interchanges.
-“Good morning, how are you?” -“Not yet!”
-“How was your meal?” -”Not yet!”
- “What do you think of these shoes?” -”Not yet!”
-“More coffee?” -”Not yet!” Well, that one actually works.
Hmm, I guess it’s back to Google Translate for help.
I spent a month in Morocco visiting it all, from the mountains to the coasts, from the south to the north and from old Portuguese forts to old Moorish forts to ruins of old Roman forts. That’s a lot of forts. And it was wonderful. The culture was vibrant, the vistas beautiful, the architecture enthralling and the people, oh, so nice.
The big city, and therefore the hub, is Casablanca. Even though the name inspires intrigue (probably due to the movie) and maybe a whisper of the exotic, it is, in fact, the least attractive city. But the one place that needs visiting is the immense Hassan II mosque, built on a promontory jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. The 700-foot minaret and massive dome simply dominate the city. The mosque can accommodate 25,000 people inside. Other than that, that’s it. Oh, wait, there’s also Rick’s Café. Some entrepreneurs decided, 20 years ago, to create a restaurant that paid homage to the movie. It’s a converted riad which is a square building, 2 or 3 stories high, with an open courtyard. Communal rooms on the ground floor and the family rooms up above. Many have been turned into small boutique hotels. The café’s decor is stylized arabesque with white columns, large palms and plants strewn about, and rugs covering tiled floors. The upstairs bar doubles as the movie’s casino with a chip on black 22 of the roulette table, a wink to the movie aficionados!
So Casablanca is the place you get in and get out. And doing so is easy because the train system is very efficient. The Marrakech line goes south, the Fès line goes east, and to go north, there’s a high-speed line to Tangier.
Speaking of Tangier, I really liked this city. At the north end of the country and very cosmopolitan. From its long corniche (urban waterfront that hugs the bay) you can see the coastline of Spain and the ferries making their frenetic back and forth trips. Many Spaniards come over just for the day. A quick shopping trip and a great meal at a fraction of the price. I really liked the vibe here. A bit European, a bit Moroccan. A city going all the way back to the Phoenicians, 2500 years ago. I’ll tell ya, those Phoenicians really got around!
Rabat, the country’s capital, is a much more grandiose city. Tall, terra-cotta colored crenulated walls enclose Moorish forts that are used for administrative buildings as well as the king’s residence. Many of the Moroccans I spoke to love coming here because it’s very clean compared to the other cities in the country. No trash, no begging, no tagging, no dilapidated vacant buildings. It’s orderly and brightly painted… which then begs the questions, if it can be done here, then why not everywhere?
Away from the coast is Marrakech. This is the city that comes to mind whenever anyone mentions Morocco; the towering square minarets, the souks (these are the bewildering bazaars laden with colorful everything), the food, the red-clayed colored buildings, the smells and the spices. It’s a beautiful city with hidden gems around every corner. In fact, Yves Saint Laurent lived here for over 40 years. His home and gardens have been turned into museums. A true feast of colors.
Another pair of cities, in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains, a protective ridge in the middle of the country that holds back the encroaching Sahara Desert to the east, are Fès and Meknes. It seems that the further you get from the coast, the further back in time you go. These cities are much more traditional. Less mini skirts and more caftans and djellabas. On the outskirts of these two towns is the ancient roman outpost of Volubilis. Gorgeous roman ruins on hills overlooking a wide valley. The day I was there, they were setting up the small amphitheater for a concert later in the week. I can only imagine how beautiful it must be at night with the vista and the music reverberating through the night air.
My last visit was to another colorful city, Chefchaouen, known as the blue city. This place is really tucked into the hills and the name doesn’t disappoint. It really is blue. Indigo blue, to be precise. And it’s everywhere. So much so that after a while, you can still see the color even when you close your eyes! As to why it’s blue, well, that’s been lost to the fog of history.
I’m so glad I finally got to visit Morocco. It had been on my list for such a long time and it didn’t disappoint. Though all said, the people are really the main attraction to this country. Their hospitality, their smiles and their love of country is genuine. Whomever I met would light up, grin and belt out “welcome to my country!”
