Day 40: Marrakech, Morocco
I’d really been looking forward to this stop on the cruise. It was the last of my Bucket List ports and another reason I was drawn to this itinerary. Morocco had always sounded so exotic and exciting to me. I envisioned bustling markets and cool architectural details.
Our port city was actually Casablanca—yes, like the movie, except it wasn’t really filmed there—but the excursion we chose for the day was a 3-1/2 hour bus ride away in Marrakech. From the research we did, Casablanca itself isn’t that great of a city to visit. However, I talked to some people later who spent the day there and really liked it. Probably the must-see thing there is the beautiful Hassan II Mosque which is situated right on the water. It is the largest mosque in the world outside of Mecca, and has the tallest minaret in the world. It's open to the public, and I would really like to have visited this place, but it wasn’t going to be on this trip.
There is also the large Cathedral Notre Dame of Casablanca and the Old Medina for shopping and food. We drove by the Cathedral and it looked magnificent.
We only passed through Casablanca though on our way to Marrakech. Along the way we drove through agricultural lands that looked a lot like the American Midwest. That is until we reached the area nearer Marrakech that is inhabited by the Berbers. The Berber settlements were unmistakable. Today, the Berbers are basically a farming people, but in the past they were traders and raiders.
Marrakech is also called the “Red City” because of the ochre color of the buildings. The old part of the city is surrounded by a wall that has 18 gates, or entrances and I believe it’s about 19 km long. I thought it was interesting that the wall has holes in it to help maintain its stability. The holes allow for wind to pass through the wall instead of acting as a barrier to it.
We stopped and visited the outside of the largest mosque in Marrakech, the Koutoubia Mosque. It would have been interesting to be there during a prayer time as there were also rugs outside the mosque in the courtyard. That would have made for some amazing photos.
Next we visited the Bahia Palace. This was the palace of some minister who had 4 wives and 24 concubines. I know there’s a joke in there somewhere about having too many women in your life, I just can’t think of one right now. It really was a beautiful place with its gorgeous woodwork and tiles.
After the palace, we wound our way through the maze of narrow streets of a medina (neighborhood) to a store that sells some Moroccan products (yes, another retail hostage situation) including products made from prickly pear cactus, essential oils, and argan oil which is used in lotions and hair products. I may or may not have bought some essential oil there.
We continued our way through the labyrinth to a Moroccan restaurant for lunch where we were served a salad, chicken in a delicious broth, cous cous with vegetables, watermelon, wine, and water. It was all very tasty. Musicians completed the cultural experience. I did feel a little bad eating and drinking when many of our guides and drivers were still observing Ramadan, meaning no eating or drinking from sunup to sundown. Whenever this situation came up, they would find a place to wait apart from us. Still, it must have made their fasting more difficult.
After lunch we went to a large souk (market) where we followed our guide through yet another maze of streets to a large square called the Place Jemaa El Fna Square. I was told by someone who has been to Marrakech before that at night the square fills up with acrobats, snake charmers, and other street performers as well as food vendors. All lit up and full of energy, I guess it is quite a site. However, this afternoon it was hot and there are still 4 days left in Ramadan so the square was pretty empty. It would have been great to see it really busy. Even the shops that were open, many of the vendors could be seen lying down in the back of the shop, conserving energy until sundown.
Lynda did find a snake charmer and got a snake put around her neck and on top of her head. I was able to get a photo of the cobra without getting too close. And yes, that cobra is real! If you ever find yourself there and think it would be great to get pictures with any of the street performers, know that they WILL be expecting a tip. We had been warned of this in advance by our guide. Also know they can be very aggressive in getting as much money from you as possible, so it may or may not be worth it for you. And in case you're wondering, Lynda was assured the snake around her neck was not venomous.
With another 3-1/2 hour bus ride coming up, that was all we had time for in Marrakech. I think being in a large tour group took away some of the excitement of the city for me. The guide needs to keep the group moving and together. That meant, no time to stop and peruse interesting shops and no time to seek out great photo opportunities. It also meant that I missed a vast majority of what the guide was telling us. I’m sure it was fascinating, but I was usually not close enough to hear because either I was on the edge of the group or I was trying to get in a couple of photos before the group moved on. In addition, trying to take pictures in a large group can be challenging. I can't tell you how many times I would have someone stand right in front of my camera just as I was about to take a shot. Hello!
We had one comfort stop on the ride back, and as you can imagine, the line for the restroom was quite long. I was told there was another one in the building out back, so I went out there. The toilet actually turned out to be behind the building that I thought it was. Instead, I found a small prayer building for travelers with a men's and women's side. Our driver must not have known about it as when I made my way back to the bus I found him with his prayer rug praying right there in the parking lot. That's devotion.
When we got back to the ship, I went up top to see if I could get a picture of any part of the Hassan II Mosque. All I was able to see of it was the top half of the minaret. The sun had set by this time and I could see the laser that is unique to this mosque, pointing the way to mecca.
Next up: Last stop, Portugal
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