Grand Africa Cruise Trip Day 89/96 - Morocco - Casablanca to Marrakech and Back
The alarm went off at zero dark thirty to start our long day. Since we were on a tight schedule, we ordered room service, but it showed up late. We were just about to run up to The Colonnade to grab something quickly when the doorbell rang. We had enough time to eat and get ready to go.
Like almost all the tours, we met in The Grand Salon and waited for our bus to be called. Then, we had to make the long, long, long walk to the bus. Casablanca is opening a new cruise port but it is not ready yet. That meant we had to dock at an industrial dock where they didn't allow vehicles. We had a 500-700 meter (about a third of a mile) walk to reach the buses.
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| There were so many seagulls swarming - it was crazy |
We boarded bus #1 and took off just after 8:30.
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| The Casablanca Clock Tower |
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| JM Suites - an interesting-looking hotel |
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| We caught a brief glimpse of the U.S. Embassy |
About 90 minutes into the drive, we made a comfort stop - a necessity with this guest demographic.
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| Olive tree |
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| Our guide said they had planted 1.5 million palms |
Another 90 minutes later and we approached our destination, Marrakech.
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| Here, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism live together in harmony - and...McDonald's and KFC seem to have learned from that lesson |
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| Royal Theater Performing Arts Center |
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| Marrakech Railway Station |
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| An interesting fountain |
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| Palais des Congrès conference center |
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| Random camels |
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| The Medina wall - the scaffolding holes were left open to provide homes for birds |
Our first stop was a walk-by of the 12th-century Koutoubia mosque, the largest mosque in Marrakech.
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| We passed by a garden area leading to the mosque |
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| That's one big minaret |
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| Coffee vendors were walking around with hot coffee for sale - the pot had a heater cooking underneath it |
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| Water vendors were all over, trying to pose for a photo for a fee |
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| The balls are sized to represent the percentage of the Moroccan population that is Muslim (biggest), Christian (middle), and Jewish (smallest) - they all live together and all get along |
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| Two of those palms look a little suspicious (they are cell towers) |
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| The original foundation for the mosque - it wasn't properly aligned with Mecca and was abandoned |
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| The mosque was constructed next to the initial attempt |
We made a short drive and unloaded again for a tour in the Bahia Palace. Built in the late 19th century as a residential palace, it is now used exclusively as a tourist attraction. We made a short walk to the palace.
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| Narrow alleyways - motorcycles and scooters cruised through here at breakneck speeds |
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| Cutting through a market |
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| Spices! |
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| The palace entrance |
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| A tortoise in the garden |
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| The intricate details were beautiful |
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| The different wings were for wife #1, wife #2, wife #3, and wife #4 - concubines were kept in another area - up to 24 concubines plus four wives - seems like a lot of work |
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| Each ceiling had a unique pattern |
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| It is amazing thinking about all of this being made by hand |
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| Central courtyard - they always had a fountain |
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| That's solid marble |
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| Lots of interesting doors |
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| One room had several of these cool glass windows |
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| The colored and white horizontal section looked almost M.C. Escher-ish how the same shape fit perfectly up and down together |
We walked from there through the town.
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| The appetizers - veggie and meat spring rolls (or something similar) and lots of sides |
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| Another local beer |
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| The main course arrived in a tagine |
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| Tagine chicken plus roasted veggies and couscous |
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| Pouring mint tea to go with the fruit dessert |
After lunch, we continued our walk to the Medina, the main marketplace in Marrakech.
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| Want to cook with a tagine at home? |
A few of us went with our guide to Madrasa Ben Youssef, a former Islamic school. Built in 1565, it has been an intellectual hub in Morocco for centuries.
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| More intricate architecture |
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| One of the oldest Islam prayer pulpits |
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| Students were housed here - these were the room doors |
We browsed some of the shops on the way back to the main square and our meeting point.
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| A falconer with his charge |
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| Snake charmers were here too |
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| The place was hopping - it was Saturday - a typically busy day |
We boarded our bus around 6:00 and set off for the long ride back to Casablanca and our ship. We were supplied with a box dinner before we left Marrakech, not exactly like we get on the ship, but still something.
About an hour into the trip, we hit rain. It didn't last long so that was good. The drive to Marrakech wasn't exciting so we didn't have high hopes for the return ride. Our expectations were met with a three-ish hour, boring ride with little to see. Of course, we made a comfort stop. We were back in our suite by 9:15. Seabourn left us a care package of two plates of snacks and sweets. That was a nice touch.
As expected, we got the notice to move clocks back an hour tonight, so we'll be on UTC tomorrow, and then tomorrow night, flip back to UTC+1, where we are right now. Seems silly. I'd just stay on the ship's time and call it good. Still, I won't scoff at the extra hour of sleep tonight after a long day.
Tomorrow, we'll tour Casablanca.
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