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| Horse guard |
Road trip to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, was on tap today. The journey was about 90 minutes on another wonderful toll road. Not much to see in the way of agriculture except eucalyptus trees, mostly grown for firewood.
Rabat is on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, as is Casablanca. Weather was very pleasant, cool with a little sea breeze blowing. Nice standing in the sun.
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| Imagine how big this would have been. |
Our first stop was at the Unfinished Mosque of Hassan, which has been incomplete since 1195. What is left, declared a World Heritage Site, is the minaret, half the size intended, columns taken from Roman ruins that were to be pillars of the Mosque, and some wall sections. Adjoining this is the Mausoleum of Mohammad V, the grandfather of the current king.
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| Section of original wall |
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| Looking down at tomb |
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| Dome of the Mausoleum |
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| Love the mosaic tile work |
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| Kasbah of the Udayas |
Our second stop was at the Kasbah of the Udayas, built in the 12th century. It is also a World Heritage Site. A kasbah is a fort, of which there are many, and the Udayas were a tribe that used the fort as their home. In beautiful shape, but unfortunately for us (or maybe fortunately) the shops were closed as it is Friday, the Islamic Sunday.
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| Inside the Kasbah |
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| Kids playing football |
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| Pastries at the Moorish Cafe |
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Looking at the Bou Regreg
from the Moorish Cafe
Inside Udayas Kasbah |
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| Cats everywhere in the Kasbah |
Third stop was a restaurant for lunch. We crossed the river Bou Regreg to the city opposite Rabat, Salé. The restaurant was on the waterfront with a nice view across to the Minaret and Mausoleum. Wonderful salad, followed by fish. Two pieces of sole, two whole (and I do mean whole, heads and all) whiting, some whole shrimp and octopus rings. I'm still full and it's six hours later.
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| Fish dinner, absolutely delicious |
Back to Casablanca via the Cornice of Rabat with beautiful Atlantic Ocean scenes along the way. Tanis and I went to the 26th floor restaurant for the view and coffee, then down to the room to pack and juggle stuff so we aren't overweight.
My adventure is coming to an end. Leaving tomorrow for NYC, overnight there, and then home to Santa Rosa! We'll see what adventure comes next.
Back to Casablanca via the Cornice of Rabat with beautiful Atlantic Ocean scenes along the way. Tanis and I went to the 26th floor restaurant for the view and coffee, then down to the room to pack and juggle stuff so we aren't overweight.
Now I've played catch up once again. Your photos are wonderful and your travel log descriptions are great. I am enjoying your trip. I believe I was in Medina - is it pronounced M'dina? Hard to write out a pronunciation...you'll probably be in NYC by the time you get this.
ReplyDeleteI am in NY, stuck in the airport. Seems this happens every time I get to JFK. Now 2 hrs late. A Medina is any city within walls. It's just that Marrakech has such a big one. So, yes, if you were here, you probably would have.
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