morocco!! casablanca, marrakech, fez & more
D E C E M B E R 6 , 2 0 0 8
we arrived in casablanca!
immersed in architecture and culture that has a combination of european, middle eastern and african influence.
we met our guide, abdul and our driver, hafid and were immediately brought to our hotel. we arrived with a group of 10 of the most amazing travel buddies; pat and i, my parents, my brother, and our family friends, herbie + melissa, j.v. + his girlfriend tanya, and our beloved igor.
casablanca was an incredible introduction to the muslim world. the first major sight we saw was a towering mosque set in the middle of the city. it’s structure was breathtaking. when we left we could hear chanting coming from the loud speaker which was being projected from the top of the tower.
from casablanca we traveled by bus to the city of fez -- a wonderful, charming place full of bustling marketplaces and phenomenal food.
from there we traveled to rabat to see the ceramics and leather tanning factories.
on our way back to marrakech, we stopped at a berber village to see the local people. we were welcome into one of their homes for mint tea and conversation, where we met an inspiring danish girl who had just biked the entire trip we had taken through the deserts, sleeping in a tent alongside the road when she was tired. so inspiring.
throughout our travels we wound through the mountains in different busses and cars (one of which was driven by igor, who drove so close to the brink of the cliff -- with one hand (!), while talking and repeatedly turning to look back at us) that the tires fell off the edge multiple times. eeeek!
morocco was an experience of profound historical, cultural and natural immersion for us. a true jewel of north africa.
