12-13 Nov 2010 - Fez to Parcent

Friday 12 November

 It was another early start, as we had to be in Tangier to catch the 1400 ferry.   It would mean breakfast at 0630 to be ready to leave at 0730 for the 163 mile drive to Tangier

Despite the prospect of a two day coach trip back to the Costa Blanca everyone was in a good mood, and the pleasant weather helped considerably.

We arrived in Tangier at 0100, so we were allowed half an hour to eat our lunch before catching the ferry.   Most of us had bread rolls and fruit from breakfast, so we had a picnic lunch on the promenade.   Also a chance for our last photo in Morocco.

The ferry left on time and the top desk was crowded with tourists taking photos as we left the port, particularly of this luxury cruise ship.

And less than an hour later it was to take photos of Tarifa, as we arrived back in Spain.

We left Tarifa at 1500 and the 92 miles to our hotel in Torremolinos took us two hours.  The hotel had a Spanish dance group performing after dinner, but we preferred a last walk along the promenade.   When we returned to the hotel we were not tempted by the noisy show in the bar, but went straight to bed.

Saturday 13 November

The coach left at a very civilized 0900 for the 352 mile drive back to Moraira. The seating system on the coach was “first come first served”.   This is the fairest method, but it does result is something of a scramble for the best seats, particularly for such a long journey.   So there was a good crowd waiting for the driver to open the doors.

The long journey was more pleasant than expected, mostly due to the exceptionally smooth driving.   Our driver had done much to make the holiday a joy, and I am sure that everyone contributed generously to the collection.   We arrived in Moraira at 1700 and were home in Parcent an hour later.  

Even more thanks are due to Bob and Janet who organised the trip.   They took great pains to ensure that everything went smoothly and even provided free sweets during the coach journey.   They were always on hand to raise spirits or help out if anyone had a problem.  

We had covered a long distance, the driver estimated it at 3000 kilometers (1875 miles).   Many hours had been spent in the coach, though it was more comfortable than many of us had expected.   Although we only spent a short time at each town, we felt we had gained a good impression of Morocco.   There was a general opinion that it was a wonderful holiday and a great experience, though perhaps not one we would want to repeat due to the amount of travel required.  

11 Nov 2010 - Fez

This was the only full day in one city for the whole tour, so with no early start we were able to have a leisurely breakfast before joining the coach for a morning tour of the city.   Fez is the second largest city in Morocco, Casablanca is the largest.   Like Marrakesh it has a very Arab look and feel.

Our tour started at the Royal Palace, where we met our local guide.   Yet another “character”, with excellent English and a wry sense of humour.   He made a point of telling us he was a Berber, nor an Arab.   Not at all sure what the difference is.   The Royal Palace is not open to the public, but the main entrance is a very popular tourist attraction.   It was also ideal for a group photo.

Our next stop was on a hill overlooking the city.   Apparently it is used as an outdoor stadium for religious ceremonies, and our guide could not resist addressing us from one of the platforms used by the holy men.

The view of Fez is pretty spectacular, and as you can see the weather was a great improvement over the heavy rain of the previous evening.

One of the few times when it was warm enough to leave our jackets behind in the hotel.

Back to the city to visit a pottery factory and shop.   Another popular tourist trap, to judge from the number of coaches parked outside.

Each piece of the table is hand cut and filed to fit.   We were told that it would take about four days to finish just one table.

The Medina, or old town, is surrounded by a medieval wall.   A short time on the bus took us to one of the most famous entrances, the Blue Gate.   No motor traffic is allowed in the Medina, so the tradesmen use donkey transport.   They don’t slow down for pedestrians, so you have to move quickly when they bellow at you.

Our guide set a fast pace, and did not wait for stragglers.  So there was not much opportunity to stop and look.

The narrow streets were packed with bodies, tourists, locals and animals.   There were also lots of young children who would brush past your legs like an impatient dog.   Everyone, except us, seemed to know where they were going.

This was the nearest we got to a camel!   There was a lot of unsavory food on offer, and presumably some of it was camel.

This was obviously a regular stop on the tour.  There was an English speaking assistant ready to give us a soft sell, and the walls were covered with photographs of famous people who had been here in the past.

Leaving the Souk behind us we entered the medieval living area of the Medina.   It was fascinating to catch glimpses of locals in the houses we passed, but one of our party was told off when she tried to take of photo of them.

A short break as our guide joined this group of strolling musicians.   As soon as we had taken a photo the music stopped and we were asked for a tip.

 

Both Jan and Rosemary love hand bags and were pleased when we paid a visit to this one.   But as soon as you stopped to look at a bag one of the assistants pounced with the hard sell.

From the balcony of the shop we were invited to view the tannery.   It looked like a scene from a biblical movie.   The smell was really overpowering.

Our city tour had lasted four hours, and a very active four hours at that.   By the end we were ready to return to the hotel to freshen up.   Part of the group went for a 15 euro lunch, but we wanted to get away from the noise and tourist attractions.

From the hotel we walked to the very modern nearby supermarket.   It was interesting to see what the locals buy, and what they pay.   We were particularly interested to note that there was a plentiful supply of wine and spirits.   More expensive than in Spain, but much less expensive than in the hotel.   We found one bottle of wine on offer for 3 euros which had cost 18 euro in the hotel at dinner the previous evening.

10 Nov 2010 - Marrakesh to Fez

We were already well aware that the coach travel between cities takes longer here in Morocco than we were used to in Spain.   We were also aware that the 296 miles between Marrakesh to Fez would be the longest yet, and that it was over “National roads” rather than “Motorway”.   Not just any national roads, but a very winding one over the Atlas Mountains.

Given the guides warning about the length of the days travel, it was surprising that we did not have a particularly early start.  In fact it was 0900 when we left, which was the latest start yet.

Apart from one stop, the whole day was spent in the coach and any photos had to be taken through the window of the moving coach.   Which was a shame, because we passed many interesting sights, both people and scenery.   Like this family leaving an open air market in one of the villages we passed through.

The one stop we did have was at the most impressive motorway café we experienced during our tour.   It looked pretty ordinary when we pulled up outside the café, but it had this lovely rose garden at the back.  

Despite being on the edge of the Sahara Desert we only saw a few camels.  It was so unusual that our guide Hassan drew our attention to this one as we were passing.

We had been lucky with the weather so far on this holiday, but by mid afternoon it was clear that today would be wet.   Despite the weather there was a market in this little village, and despite the mud and pools of water it seemed to be well supported.

The highlight of today was to have been what Hassan called “The Switzerland of Morocco”.  The weather must have delayed us longer than expected because even though Hassan pursuaded our driver to drive through his scheduled break it was still dark when we arrived in heavy rain.   So despite a three hour drive without a single stop we still did not see "The Switzerland of Morocco".   After a visit to the café we were determined to see something of the village, but this stone lion was the best we could do.   Despite the weather it was good to get out of the coach and stretch our legs.

It was 1900 when we finally arrived at our 5 star hotel in Fez.   It has been a long ten hours, for the driver even more than for us.  He was rewarded with a round of applause when we reached the hotel – much like a pilot landing after a difficult flight.   Hassan had made much of the fact that we had been upgraded from a four star to a five star hotel.  However he did not mention that it was much further from the centre of Fez.   After a long and tiring day we were not tempted to venture out and explore.  A good meal and off to bed was the preferred option for most of us.    

9 Nov 2010 - Marrakesh

After our brief tour of Casablanca we were on the road to Marrakesh just after 1000.   It took us five hours to cover the 170 miles, and we arrived just after 1500.   This was our first sight of the “real Morocco”.   Rabat and Casablanca had both been modern cities and in the main looked much like a modern city anywhere in the world.   On the other hand Marrakesh looked just like we expected it to be.   It is known as the “Red City” because of the colour of the buildings, most of which are very Arab looking single story.

Our first stop was the hotel.   There was a complicated system to transfer our suitcases from the coach to the hotel room.   The hotel staff, supervised by Hassan and his assistant, would take our cases from the coach to the lobby.   We would book in, another shambles as we crowded around reception to fill out hotel forms.   We would then have to tell the porters which room we were in, and they would (eventually) deliver the cases to the room.   In fact most of us took our own suitcases to the room.   One member of the group who relied on the “official system” had to wait more than an hour for their suitcase.   After unpacking and a quick wash most of us gathered around the pool to wait for the tour of Marrakesh.

The first visit was to the Souk, our first opportunity to visit one.   We were led by the local guide, and did not have much opportunity to see what was on offer, or what it cost.

We spent half an hour exploring the colourful passages, with their exotic sights, sounds and smells.

It was a short distance to Marrakesh Palace, where we had a local guide to show us around.

Once more we were fortunate to have a very good guide, who spoke excellent English.   Only parts of the palace have been renovated, including this lovely courtyard and the harem.

Next was Djemma el Fna, the famous square of Marrakesh. This traditional market is the largest in Morocco.   The large square is covered in open air eating places plus many stalls and entertainers.   There were dancers, musicians, snake charmers and various performing animals.   All had their own little group who pounced on any tourist pointing a camera at them and demanded a tip.   

It was late afternoon when we arrived, and the place was soon lit up.  The noise is deafening, but the whole thing very exciting.

We were warned by the local guide not to be tempted by the cheap meals at the open air food stalls.   Apparently you can get a meal for as little as 2 euro, but the hygiene leaves a lot to be desired.  One of our party did take the risk, and paid the price for the next couple of days.

After the official tour we had an hour or so to explore on our own.   We found a table on the balcony of one of the restaurants which surround the square.  The tables were packed with tourists who needed a little rest and a drink between exploring the square.

It was still early evening when we left to catch the coach back to the hotel and an early night.   Some of our party remained to enjoy the delights of Marrakesh by night.   More than one would have to bear the consequences in the coming days.

9 Nov 2010 - Casablanca

Casablanca is best known for the 1942 movie of the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.  In fact, as our guide was quick to tell us, it was made entirely in Hollywood with no filming in Morocco at all.   The city is the capital of Morocco and is famous for the Hassan II Mosque.   This is the largest Mosque in Morocco, and the fifth largest in the world.   It is also open to the public, at a charge.   Entrance cost 6 euro for locals and 12 euro for tourists.

According to our guide there is not much else to do in Casablanca, though he might have said this because we did not have time to do more than a coach tour of the city followed by a visit to the Mosque.   It is a very impressive building and a good location for a group photograph.

It is also the ideal setting for our “we have been to Casablanca” photograph!

There was the usual shambles getting tickets and hanging around for our Mosque guide.  However he was well worth the wait.  Unlike Hassan, our tour guide, he spoke very good English and had a real gift for making the tour interesting.   We all had to wear our badges to prove we had paid, but not sure why Bob had to wear his on his forehead.

The tour took about an hour, and most of what we were told has long since gone.  But I do remember that it can hold 25,000 worshippers at one time.   I was also impressed by the size of the building where everything is on a grand style.  It is very modern and has a heated floor, electric doors, and a sliding roof.

There is a large washing area for worshippers beneath the Mosque

The Mosque is built on reclaimed land; almost half of the surface of the mosque lies over the Atlantic water.

 After our tour we were allowed a few minutes to explore the outside area, which is equally impressive

It was cooler than we had expected of Morocco in November, and we were glad that we had brought our jackets with us