After wandering around Barcelona in the area of the Modern
art Museum, we headed down Ramblas, had our chocolate drink, stopped by to pick up our luggage and headed to the airport. We got there with plenty of time, and checked out the airport.
We flew on a very crowded flight to Casablanca and slept much of the way. We were met by local travel folks and headed by Mercedes to our little hotel,Le Doge, not far from the Hassan II Mosque. The traffic from the airport was horrendous and the driving was very scary. Our driver was skilled, but it was a constant game of chicken. We were glad that we weren't trying to navigate the maze of cars, pedestrians and bikes.
The hotel is charming with a dozen rooms, all decorated with different themes. Ours was the jazz singer Josephine Smith.
May 28 Casablanca to Rabat
Jack and I didn't set an alarm as we were under the impression that we would be picked up at 10am and we would naturally wake up at 6:30 OR 7:00. At 9:30 the phone rang and the front desk told us that the guide was waiting for us. OMG! we threw on clothes and threw our stuff in the suitcases and were downstairs at 10am the time we thought we were to be picked up....our friends were worried when they didn't see us on the rooftop for breakfast...we slowly recovered as we drove around Casablanca.
May 29, Fez
What a juxtaposition. I just got off of the phone with a reporter for the Phoenix Business Journal who has a deadline of tomorrow regarding services for families of wealth...after spending the day exploring one of the oldest cities in the world--including (supposedly) seeing the oldest university in the world. Our skype technology didn't work so we had to use the cellphone. Thank goodness for backup technology! It is hard to synthesize the world she was addressing with the world I was seeing.
Going back to Casablanca to catch up with the rest of the story.....
we drove around Casablanca and saw government buildings, the construction of a rail system and the massive traffic jams caused by chaotic driving, walking as well as the construction.
We made our way to the Hassan II Mosque which was an incredible sight.
This is the 3rd largest Mosque in the world (after Mecca and Jerusalem) and can hold 25,000 worshippers inside and 80,000 worshippers outsidee for services. Besides the chandeliers made of Murano glass from Italy, all the other materials used in construction were from Morocco: the marble, the wood, the metal, the composite material used in plaster carvings, etc. the building was on the sea as it is written in the Koran that the mosque should be by the sea. there are elements of earth, water and sun in the mosque along with the symbols of sun, moon and earth. This mammouth building only took 7 years to build.
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| Jack and Leslie at the Kasbah |
From there we went to our hotel and in the case of Jack and me....retired to a quiet dinner and bed. oh... I did slip out to meet up with our group and tour the Hassan II tower and the Mausoleum of King Mohammed 5.
And visit the old market in Rabat.
There was a big "football" match nearby and we believe one of the team was the crowd of big guys we saw in the lobby...wahooo!
May 29. we wanted to be sure not to be delayed this morning so we were downtairs waiting for our tourguide at 7:30 for a 7:45 pick up... and waiting nearly an hour and found a different group and coming for us. We were a bit disappointed as we had quite a convivial group and enjoyed our guide. But our new guide was quite informative and the group was very interesting...my seat mates were from the Bahamas; others were from LA and NY; we had the Ralph Lauren CFO, and a corporate real estate consultant, a former Fed member and a Canadian city manager among our travel companions.
The drive ahead was 3 hours and our guide shared a lot of information on Islam, the dynasties ruling Morocco, the history of the buildings we saw, and the development of the city of Fez.
Fez was much more interesting and clean than the two larger cities of Rabat and Casablanca. we passed one of the royal palaces that was hidden behind high walls and wonderful gardens. we walked to the gates and saw some of the magnificent tile, wood and metal work. Our guide, Mohammed, pointed out that there are typically 3 types of design patterns: geometric, flowers and calligraphy. We drove through the Jewish quarter where he pointed out that in the olden days there were no banks and the Muslims were not allowed to lend money. They depended on the Jews to loan money as they needed it for commerce. The royalty1 wanted to have the Jews close at hand to informally be involved in the oversight of the transactions. We passed old gates to the city and wound by foot through small alleys till we found our place for lunch in a hidden restaurant in the Medina..in a Riad. Wonderful Moroccan lunch of salads, lamb and chicken and a delicate dessert.
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| This is the Jewish quarter which is identifiable by the balconies; not found in rest of Moroccan towns |
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| Lunch at the Hidden Riad |
We walked off lunch by walking for about 4 hours through the tiny alleys of the old market...described by our guide as being a step back in time to what it was like in medieval days....small (literally) holes in the wall for shops, competing for space with donkeys,
cats lying about everywhere and every type of food, fabrics and housewares you can imagine. We visited a leather coop and a copper shop, a ceramic business and a rug shop.
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| View of Fez from our Hotel Room |
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| Leather tanning and tinting |
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| Odd artichokes |
We saw the first hospital for the insane in the world (where I bought a comb used in making rugs) and the ancient school I mentioned earlier:
< We peaked into a mosque in the old town and the shrine to Idress II who is entombed there. He was a developer of Fez and a beloved leader. His father, Idress the first was the Founder of Fez. As the story goes, at the end of 8th century; Idress' family was persecuted in Bagdad and most of them were murdered. He fled, going as far west as he could landing in the area near Voulibis and then built Fez. It is said that ultimately he was poisoned by those who destroyed his family.When he came west he found that Berber tribes had fought each other and that these people were ready to be organized and so he built a strong country. He married a Berber woman and when wife was pregnant with Idriss II, he was murdered.The people of the town loved him and protected his son till he was 13 and could take over as his father's successor. Since the Idresses were descendents of Mohammed, Fez was a spiritual town during their reigns. However after that, the town went into a period of decline as the kingdom of Fez was divided between Idriss II's 2 sons and then their descendents. They became vulnerable to attack by other Muslim sects. Later Fez became a capital again as it was taken over by the Merinid dynasty who saw that it was strategically located between north and south for the trade caravan. they enlarged it, adding a new area and later the french increased it further. This dynasty also founded the Koranic university and built elaborate buildings in 14th century.
they did not manage to maintain a powerful presence in Spain, however during this era. They lost on the military front while they built cultural institutions. They gradually decreased their holdings in Spain and were reduced to the land that is now Morocco. In the 15th century Moslems and Jews were persecuted in Spain. many moved back to Morocco. The Jewish population peaked at 200-300,000 people. Our guide said there were never many Christians here.
While some of the group was meeting to go to a fancy restaurant for dinner, we could not bring ourselves to go out or eat any more. we visited with some of our friends in the elegant bar of our beautiful hotel, the Sofitel Palais Jamel and came to the room for the telephone interview and relaxation....
tomorrow is our 7th anniversary and a trip to Roman Morocco.
May 30, 2012 Voloubilis, Meknes and back to Rabat.
Voloubilis is the site of the most beautiful roman city in Morocco.
Others were destroyed by the Lisbon earthquake in the late 18th century.
In 1912 the site was first excavated by the French (1/3 of it). The work has continued to today by Moroccan archaeologists.
The city was part of the southern expansion of the Roman empire from the first century bc to the third century ad. There is evidence of sophisticated systems of irrigation, waste disposal and aqueducts.
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| Touring the Roman Ruins |
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| Remains of Aqueducts |
By the way, did you notice the stork nest and stork family? Huge nests every so often!
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| Storks feeding |
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| Roman Real Estate Sign indicating Benefits of Locating here |
The Romans chose this location because of the fertile land and water that would flow down from up hill with gravity force. Idriss was inspired by this when he came to this area and similarly built Fez in a valley surrounded by hills that would bring water to the farms. The Romans exported wine and oil and wild animals to be used in sacrifices. This caused extinction of many of the large cats like lions and tigers in this area,
Voloubilis was a major outpost for the Romans and they created incentives for people to move here. These were "advertised" on a gate at the major intersection of th north/ south and east/west roads. These incentives included tax forgiveness for ten years, a grant of land and citizenship in the Roman empire.
Outside of Veloubilis we past a small town Moulay Idryss, that has the tomb of Idryss 1. Becaus it is such a holy place to Muslims, non muslims can not visit here. (He is said to be the great grandson of the Prophet Mohammed).
Meknes:
Our next stop was a charming city (of about 1 million) called Meknes. It has a very storied past as the base of operation of one of Morocco's great tyrants, Moulay Ismail.
Meknes is separated from the desert by the middle atlas mountains, so it wasn't an easy target for enemies from the southwest. Moulay Ismail (second major sovereign of the dynasty) came to be king by accident. He was a governor, gathering money when his brother ( the king) lost control of horse, went under a tree and he hit his head and died. He proved to be one of the most powerful, ruthless and authoritarian kings of the Morocans.
Ismail came to Meknes from Fez to build this city because he didn't trust the people of fez and to prevent invasions by berbers or arab tribers. To protect himself, he built 3 layers of walls He was the first king in history to take control and govern all over the country. he Built an army all over country. He had a huge army and a cavalry with 10,000 horses. He had black slaves who were the most ferocious fighters. He used everyone to work on his city: his own Versaille in Meknes : an elegant and highly fortified city.
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| Driving between fortress walls |
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| Moulay Ismail's last resting place |
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| Bab Monsour |
He also had the pirates on the barbary coast near Sale to steal gold coming from the new world...waiting for the ships to come. Corsairs; and took European hostages for ransom. He built a prosperous city. Graineries where he stored food for his people in case he was beseiged (could last 20 years for all his people) the stables; cisters of water; his mausaleum. and shrine are all there. Most famous are the bab Monsour (gates created by a renegade Christian)...supposedly the largest and most beautiful in the world, then.
The land there is very fertile. And is now known for producing 300,000 bottles of wine/ year. Moulay Ismail: also known as the leader who unified Morocco.
Also known as Dar el-Ma (Water Palace) for the Agdal Basin reservoir beneath, the granaries were one of Moulay Ismail's greatest achievements and are the first place any Meknessi will take you to give you an idea of the second Alaouite sultan's grandiose vision. The Royal Granaries were designed to store grain as feed for the 10,000 horses in the royal stables—not just for a few days or weeks but over a 20-year siege if necessary. Ismail and his engineers counted on three things to keep the granaries cool enough that the grain would never rot: thick walls (12 feet), suspended gardens (a cedar forest was planted on the roof), and an underground reservoir with water ducts under the floors. The high-vaulted chamber on the far right as you enter has a 30-foot well in its center and a towpath around it—donkeys circulated constantly, activating the waterwheel in the well, which forced water through the ducts and maintained a stable temperature in the granaries. Out behind the granaries are the remains of the royal stables, roofless after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Some 1,200 purebreds, just one-tenth of Moulay Ismail's cavalry, were kept here. Stand just to the left of the door out to the stables-you can see the stunning symmetry of the stable's pillars from three different perspectives. The granaries have such elegance and grace that they were once called the Cathedral of Grain by a group of Franciscan priests, who were so moved that they requested permission to sing religious chants here. Acoustically perfect, the granaries and surrounding park are now often used for summer concerts and receptions
Widely considered North Africa's most beautiful gate, this huge horseshoe-shape triumphal arch was completed in 1732 by a Christian convert to Islam named Mansour Laalej (whose name means "victorious renegade") and looms over the medina square. The marble Ionic columns supporting the two bastions on either side of the main entry were taken from the Roman ruins at Volubilis, while the taller Corinthian columns came from Marrakesh's El Badi Palace, part of Moulay Ismail's campaign to erase any vestige of the Saadian dynasty that preceded the Alaouites. Ismail's last important construction project, the gate was conceived as an elaborate homage to himself and strong Muslim orthodoxy of the dynasty rather than a defensive stronghold—hence, its intense decoration of green and white tiles and engraved Koranic panels, all faded significantly with age.
The following are a couple of interesting architectural details: hinges and locks!
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| Door Hinges...Elaborate~~ |
From there we drove back to Rabat and to the opening ceremonies of the International Women's Forum at a beautiful palace. Our buses had a police escort so that we could get through rush hour traffic and to the event on time!
Wednesday
Le Palais Tazi was a lovely facility where we were greeted by ethnic drumming and entertained by the military band. Within the palace are 3 riads (I.e.a home with a central courtyard with a garden) beautiful tile work and crystal chandeliers. The opening ceremonies included speeches by many dignitaries including the mayor of Rabat. Our group of 480 was an international one from 30 countries. Many faces looked familiar from other international women's forum meetings I have attended before. What was different this time? Despite growing so much wine here, as an official event, no liquor was served. This was the beginning of our understanding of the intertwining of Islamic law with official and public life.
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| One of the tribal bands that greeted us |
The conference focus was "Morocco and the future of the Arab World."
The panelists came from all over the world and were quite fascinating. We learned more about the revolutions happening all over the region from the point of view of the revolutionaries and those in power. In Morocco, the changes were referred to as the "King's revolution" since Mohammed VI (a royal patron of the conference) has instigated many significant changes in the country in terms of human rights, etc
For more than a decade King Mohammed VI has been instigating this change (1999 Mohammed 6 came to power). The King has been modernizing the country including a
new family code( making 18 the youngest a woman can marry, allowing women to divorce, etc). Women are now in significant roles in military,Parliament, biz, etc. The changes included:
1 democratic and social transition
Eg human rights
Freedom of press
Prevention of corruption
Judicial reform now
2. Initiative for human development
Education
Healthcare across the county
Fight against poverty
3. Investment grade
Working to increase foreign investment
Average growth rate of 5% annually over last decade
Agriculture...green morocco
Energy plan...solar and wind
Location is a strategic advantage for hqs around the world
Democracy, equity, prosperity are the themes
However it was also pointed out that if you institute democracy, you can't control the outcome and in recent elections more of the traditional Islamists came into power and fewer women subsequently were appointed to high positions ( 1 rather than 7). However this was a clear test of the king's commitment to democracy and people are watching to see how he responds.
Another issue was that of the Berbers. The Berbers were tribes who were here before the Arabs ( in Arabic, Berber means " not us"). While 60% of the population is of Berber heritage, the official language is Arabic. There has been a movement to adopt Berber as a second official language (French is right now the second most commonly used tongue).there are now Berber tv programs, newspapers, etc. one of our speakers was a linguist who spoke about the importance of language to identity and sense of worth. Fascinating.
One of the most dynamic sessions was a panel on the future of Syria. Given the massacre reported just days before, the topic was quite raw. On the panel was the Russian ambassador to Morocco, a journalist who had been imprisoned in Syria and who is living in the US as a political refugee and two academics who were more balanced in their perspective.
The group felt that the Russians were supporting the Assad regime and without this support it would be jars for the regime to survive. The Ambassador denied that and interestingly enough, later in the day the Russians came out in favor of the internationally brokered peace accord. It was electrifying to be in the midst of this debate during this time and in this place.
Another interesting panel was on the changes in Turkey and whether it is still a model of moderation and democracy.
That evening we had our traditional IWF dine around. Mine was at the home of Zoubida Charrouff who is a professor of chemistry in Rabat and developed the argon oil that is sweeping the world. This oil is squeezed from nuts grown on trees in only two countries in the world, Morocco being one of them. She did much of the research showing the benefits to skin, hair and digestion and then developed cooperatives for women to produce the oil and sell it world-wide. There are now 5000 women in cooperatives around Morocco producing and selling this oil. She created yet another revolution.
(We visited one such cooperative later in the trip and I'll tell you more later.)
One of the remarkable opportunities associated with IWF meetings is access to people and experiences. In the case of Morocco it was the support of King Mohammed VI. Apparently he was honored by the decision to hold this conference in his country and did three things to demonstrate that:
He was a sponsor of the conference
His wife, the Princess Lalla Salma, hosted a reception for us and shook the hands of all 400 of us who attended, and
he arranged a "fantasia" for the 70 of us who went on to Marrakesh. We thought we were attending this event as his guest and would be hosted by the ambassador to NY. We had no idea this incredible Berber horse and arms display was just for us. More later.
The second day of the conference focused on Wealth and opportunity in the Arab world: market development and transformation. The discussion addressed Morocco and the rest of the region. They noted some critical variables for Morocco:
Stability and predictability of morocco: 5% increase in GDP annually
Monarchy in place for 1200 years
Positioned well geographically
free trade agreements
Inexpensive labor costs
Open environment: no limits on foreign ownership
After the closing luncheon we went back to our hotel and had a short amount of time to get ready for our visit to the Royal Palace at Dar Essalam and the closing dinner. There was elaborate security, beginning with having sent our passport information when we RSVPed for the reception. We were told not to bring cameras or cellphones. And we had to bring passports, official invitations and transfer documents which were checked three times. Once again our busses had police escort. What would have been a 20 minute process of getting from our hotel to the palace ended up taking 2 hours!
However, it was worth it.
Sadly, I don't have photos to share. But we passed by the embassies of many countries and turned onto what looked like a a tree-lined street, but quickly it became clear that this was the driveway to the palace. There were a number of guard posts along the way and outbuildings behind the fences and trees that looked like French provincial homes. The closer we got the more elaborate the plantings and security. We went through several checkpoints and saw military, police and provincial guards. Finally we disembarked and walked past beautiful French provincial buildings that might have been the actual palace and went to a more traditionally Moroocan archway where the princess and attendants greeted us. As mentioned, the princess, who comes from a humble Fez family..and was educated abroad as an engineer, graciously greeted each and every one of us.
We walked down an outdoor stairway of tiles into a courtyard with a large pool surrounded by two covered pavilions filled with tables of Morrocan food and drink. On either side were buildings with reception halls with the most beautiful tile, glass and carved stucco decorations you could imagine. And then gardens that seemed like semi-cultivated enchanted forests. This really was an amazing setting for a closing reception. It felt like a peak into the world of royals. I subsequently asked someone whom I think knew about such things about how often this couple entertained groups like this and she said it was quite rare.
Wait till you hear and see the Fantasia!
Our trip back to the hotel only took about 20 minutes. Once again, we were greeted with musicians playing local music and walked on carpets through baskets of presents. The closing banquet was our opportunity to be part of local weddings from 3 traditions. The local organizing committee actually put out a call and found 3 couples who would actually get married at our banquet in a style they would otherwise not be able to afford.
They came in on horses or were carried in on elaborate carriages carried by 4 men. While this was another interesting cultural experience, the volume was too high and the amount of food overwhelming, that we had to leave early. We had a taste of both and we're satiated!
Saturday June 3 to Marrakesh
Our drive this morning was about 4 hours heading southwest, past Casablanca to Marrakesh. During the drive our guide, Aziz, educated us. He had been a history professor and was the most knowledgeable of our guides.
He told us that there are several mountain ranges; Rif along the coast; high atlas, middle atlas and anti-atlas. The Berbers who come from each region have differing tribal traditions and dialects. They were pagans before being exposed to the monotheistic traditions of Judaism and Islam.
three tribal groups:
Amizir of caucus origin ( independent people)
riffian from Viking tribes ( northern med)
Shlour from yemin and ethiopia (southern)
2nd century Jews came to live among Berbers and they peacefully coexisted.
When Islam came, the monotheistic people were not forced to change religion, but they had to pay a tax. the pagans were forced to convert to Islam.
Aziz said that the jews of Morroca were protected. The Jews and Muslims came to Morroca from Spain for 3 centuries, both being thrown out by the Catholics.
And throughout morocco the Jews had their own quarter with synagogues,etc.
Under Vichy govt. Morocco wa occupied by the French. Still they wanted King Mohammed v to sign important docs. He was asked to sign a document giving Jews to the German. He said:" never! Take me first."
The Jews went to French schools and after independence many went to university there and then with the birth of Israel many went, although they were the among the last to leave Arab counties. The economy of Morroco was bad in 70s And many left then. All of our guides wanted the groups to see Morocco as a country that honors people of all faiths.
As we entered the foothills of the high atlas it looked like vast desert and we came across adobe villages that looked like they could be in Santa Fe!
Orientation to Marrakesh:
It has a Population of 1.7 million: 60% Berber
3rd largest city in Morocco; 2nd oldest capital. Built in the11th century
By the Almoravids, a Tuareg dynasty or "blue men" who came from the south to what had been a caravan stop. It had great location as a place to stop for those trading between the sub-Sahara ( below Sahara..,country of black skins for senegal el Sudan) and the north. Caravans trading gold, ivory etc,
Marrakech was built to control this traffic and take taxes from the caravans.
Oasis which offered food water and relaxation. We have underground and mountain water and shade. Marrakech means "pass quickly" ( so you can stay away from land pirates), but I also heard that it means land of god.
After a quick lunch by the pool at the beautiful Marrakesh Sofitel hotel, we took off for the medina to a rug store. There we saw dozens of rugs and ended up buying two. While we negotiated a price that was half of the original offer, I felt We still might have paid a bit too much. We returned to change into "casual chic clothes" to go to the aforementioned "fantasia." we learned that this type of entertainment is provided during very special events such as fancy weddings, for visiting dignitaries, etc. when we arrived we found that we were the visiting dignitaries and the entire event was arranged for us!
This is basically a reenactment of tribal warfare and competitions. Teams of horseback riders would race across the field and shoot their rifles in unison ( that is the goal) .
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| Leslie and Jack at Fantasia |
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| Ambassador Abdeslam Jaidi, Chief of Mission of the Moroccan Consulate General (NY) |
Sunday, June 3
We headed out for our tour of cultural sights in the morning followed by lunch in a riad and shopping in the afternoon. That evening we had dinner on the hotel rooftop by the light of the full moon.
First stop: the landmark minarets and mosque. The first ones were built here in the 11th century by the Almoravids who came from the south. The mosque and minaret was destroyed
in 12th century by the Almohads who built their own, the so-called Koutubia mosque because the square around it had been the place of booksellers. It is the landmark for the town and nothing can be taller.it is larger and more elaborate than the one before (at 77 meters tall) and a square minaret so that the muezzin can call the community to prayer from all 4 directions. Inside had a ramp on which the horse would take the construction workers and perhaps others on horseback to the top of the minaret. The Almohads also built Rabat.
We also met the me who sell water (and now photographic opportunities),in the olden days they kept only enough money from sales to take care of their survival and shared the rest with the poor. They were an early social service agency!
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| water man |
Their large and bright hats and costumes can be seen all over Morocco and this is purposeful: everyone knows who they are and can easily find them.
Next stop: Palais Bahia. This was the home of a 19th century prime minister who had 4 wives (as permitted in Islam) and a harem of 24. This was another beautifully decorated home with marble fountains, interior gardens
and an extensive area for the harem which was currently under reconstruction.
Our guide explained that the acceptance of polygamy in Islam was practical: men were in short supply because of deaths in war and this provided a way of taking care of more women and widows.
Aziz also showed us a 500 year old fig tree that is still bearing fruit... A source of optimism for us aging folks!
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| Fig from 500 year old tree |
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| 500 year old tree! |
We went on to the Ben Youssef Medersa. This Koranic school was built in the 14th century and was one of the largest and most beautifully decorated in the country.
We also saw a museum of folk art, Dar si Said. the jewelry, pottery and doors were fabulous. As in most cases throughout this trip we had insufficient time to study the contents of each building./s640/blogger-image--1602369393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
Before lunch, we hunted down a pharmacy that was open on Sunday to buy medicine for all those with tourista. Lunch at the riad was composed of the great assortment of salads, lamb chops and sausage and the beautiful delicate dessert shown below.
Then, we added a stop at the Majorelle garden. These gardens were originally designed by an artist, Jacques Majorelle in the early 20th century and later renovated by Yves st. Laurent. All kinds of plants including hundreds of species of Palms and thousands of cactus..including our beloved crested blue myrtle.
Time limitations kept us from seeing the little museum there. In retrospect it would have been a better use of our time.
Last activities of the afternoon involved shopping in the medina and in another area. We bought an interesting Berber teapot and ceramic pot and then went to a store selling spices and oils not only for cooking but also medicinal purposes
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| Moonlight over Marrakesh taken with my iPad. |
We left Marrakesh with our 10 traveling companions and our guided Aziz and headed through the desert and several small towns for Essaouire, an old Portuguese fishing village. En route, we past the famous argon trees. If you recall, I had dinner with a science professor who did much of the research on the argon trees and started the women's cooperatives that are now employing 5000 women in the regions where these trees grow. This oil is now very popular in the US and Europe as it is very good for the skin. Thenuts from the tree from which the oil is extracted is very high in vitamin e. goats also love these nuts and we saw photos in the scientist's book of them in the trees eating them.
So here is what we saw as we approached the argon trees:
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| (one of them was really out on a limb...) |
Soon thereafter we reached the women's cooperative, learned how they extract the oil by hand and manufacture oils, soaps and almond- flavored oil ( like peanut butter). The purchasers were very compelling because of the work it was creating for these women as well as the good it would do for us.
We had a quick stop to see Essaouire from a distance, but it was quite hazy.
Once we arrived we stopped at a seaside restaurant for lunch.
We stopped at our very quaint hotel to check in and as usual were greeted with tea and sweets.
Then headed into the port and the medina to explore.
Returning fatigued didn't keep us from having a bit of a party in one of our friends room. We had all been given a bottle of red Moroccan wine by our conference hosts. We brought them to Elizabeth's room along with a few hors d'oeuvres and had a great farewell soirée. Our friends along the way included folks from the Bahamas , Jamaica, Oregon, NY, Boston,Maine L.A. and many other places.
On the route back to Marrakesh, we stopped for coffee,bathrooms, etc. and I spotted another women's cooperative. My friend Pam and I made a b- line for the carpet coop as we had only 15 minutes. We had so much fun with these women, bought a present for Beverly's birthday and took pictures of the women.
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| 100 Year old Woman at Cooperative |
Tuesday, June 5
On the route back to Marrakesh, we stopped for coffee, bathrooms, etc. and I spotted another women's cooperative. My friend Pam and I made a b- line for the carpet coop as we had only 15 minutes. We had so much fun with these women, bought a present for Beverly's birthday and took pictures of the women.
After being dropped at the Sofitel, a couple us made a quick dash to the medina and bought a bag to carry our rugs, etc home and a couple of other souvenirs. turns out the driver left us off by a tourist dept. store rather than the winding paths of the medina: much less crowded, cooler and quieter...but not as much fun.
Then we made it back in time for a drink before our taxi driver from Amizmiz for our trek to the middle Atlas, In a very old ( read: worn out) Mercedes without a/c and a kind man whom our mini resort sent for us.
We drove out of Marrakesh hotel area, past development of housing and new golf course developments under construction, then occasional towns and pottery facilities, very dusty roads, passing large trucks on one lane roads through the desert and up into the mountains, past a dam and a hilltop hotel and some camels. Finally we approached signs for "Amizimiz" and at very high speeds we reached our oasis.
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| Maroc Lodge Gardens |
The story of this five room resort is most interesting. Bruno ( who is my age) and his sister Beatrice inherited this land which was a vacation spot for their family. Their father became a famous doctor (from France) who successfully treated King Mohammed V and became his good friend. In fact, such a good friend that the king left his money with the doctor when he was exiled.
Bruno and his sister who grew up in Morocco, decided to try their hands at a resort and built the first five little cottages which they furnished with their parents furnishings (more French style than Moorish).
Our living room
They have been quite popular on travel advisor on internet...which is how we found them. The staff were lovely and our language in common was French, so as happened throughout Morocco, I had good practice! The Maroc Lodge was built around a swimming pool with views of the other side of town in the distance.
Our first dinner was on the patio of the main bldg, by ourselves.
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| Chicken Tagine |
We had planned to spend the next day with a guide they recommended, Latifa. She came over to discuss plans. As it turned out, some American surgeons were there to help villagers so she was going to end up translating. We agreed to tour with her for a few hours at the end of the day.a
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| Where breakfast is served...on each porch |
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| Neighborhood bird sitting at the edge of the infinity pool |
We fell into our bed happy to have no early call the next day. In fact we were awoken by the staff bringing our breakfast to our patio after 8 am. We sat by the pool reading and writing and enjoying the quiet with a young couple from the UK.
At 5:30 Latifa arrived and took me on a trek on both sides of the town, divided by a river. Jack was down with a bit of tourista so stayed back. The one-to- one walk gave me a chance to get to know Latifa and for the women we met to feel a bit more at ease. By the end of or 3 hours together, Latifa and I were good friends.
I became known as a photographer and after the first photo I took of an elder woman, all the kids wanted their pictures taken and all loved seeing their image on the camera.
I promised Latifa to send prints for them.
We visited the potter, the weaver and the blacksmith.
We went through the main part of town, the marketplace and the old Jewish quarter.
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| The remains of the Synagogue |
The boarded up building was the old synagogue. We visited in the tiny home next door which was the cleanest and most decorated in town.
We visited Latifa's home and met her sister and her mother who had Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
We spoke of our fears with so much of the disease in our families. We also had in common a father who was quite elderly: her father died several months ago at age 96.
Latifa, at age 44, is the second youngest of 7 children, but the only one living with her mother. Her siblings are all married with children; Latifa prefers her independence and feels responsible for her mother. Without children of her own, she worries about who will care for her when she is elderly. She worked as a secretary, but now works as a guide and translator on an ad hoc basis. She tries to save money for the future.
The town has several thousand residents of Berber descent. It is a poor town and the only entertainment comes from their satellite dishes. Latifa seemed to know everyone in town and spoke with many of the people we saw.
We visited several homes and Our last stop was with friends who made Berber bread for me in a clay oven. They went to great expense to serve cookies and croissant as well. I asked the women's ages and they did not know the eldest sister's age for sure, but estimated at 52. They were impressed when I told them I was older than all of them! They were so gracious. Latifa took my picture with the other 3 women.
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| 52 year old sister |
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| Latifa serving us Moroccan Mint Tea |
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| Fatima putting the bread dough on the inside of the dirt oven to bake |
We returned at 8:30 and I was soaking with perspiration and covered with dust. I pointed to the town across in the distance and asked Latifa what town that was. She said "we were just there! That is the other side of town!" Shortly thereafter we met Bruno who told us about the history of Maroc Lodge. Usually, his sister and Husband DaVid, run the lodge with a bit of assistance from him. However just now she is dealing with breast cancer and he is having to do more. Normally, he is an agent for those from abroad who want to do business in Morocco and works with the Yves St Lauren Foundation overseeing the Majorelle gardens we visited in Marrakesh.
He shared that he had enjoyed his independence and as his mother was dying about 5 or 6 years ago, she told him not "to be silly. Get married and have children!" so he heeded her advice and around the age of 60, had a child....now a darling two year old. Reminds me off the tree still producing figs at the age of 500.
Thursday and Friday
I am writing as we approach London and our flight has been delayed by an hour due to bad weather. Storms with rain and winds of 50mph in Britain...we are about to land and make a mad dash for our last leg to home. It will have taken us about two days: from Amizmiz to Marrakesh (and a long wait in that airport) to Madrid where we spent a lot of time waiting for our bags ( one reason I never check bags), then finding out if we could check them early to London/ Phoenix..which we could, then finding that the new bag we bought for the rugs had ripped so changed money to euros to get that bag wrapped, then finding our bus to the hotel airport and seeing all 4 terminals in the process...and finally checking in to our hotel. After sangria and tapas, we headed to our ultra modern room and crashed! This morning we made the trek back to the airport, found the right part do the airport then waited and waited for the go ahead to take off...stand by for the rest of the transit home...it has yet to be determined!
Well, we made it through Heathrow to our last flight...by not waiting in many ques ( lines) as we were instructed....just went around them. what a relief! Now we just need to see if our bags made it. On both flights, the pilots were most gracious. While we waited on the ground in Madrid the pilot came out and personally apologized for the weather delay and just chatted. The next pilot ( on this flight) invited me in to the cockpit as I asked questions about anticipated schedules. Much more relaxed and personal than my experience on US domestic flights.
As I reflect on our two week trip, it was packed to the max! Jack and I agreed that while we enjoyed our overview of Morocco, this is too difficult. We would prefer not to move every day or two. I have always looked forward to coming to Morocco because of the richness of its culture, the color and craftsmanship of its folk art, the beautiful desert and architecture and the intensity of its seaside life. I have not been disappointed. But I also found.a graciousness and collaborative attitude that I hope they are able to preserve in these difficult times in their region. Most of those we met, indicated that they share a sense of brotherhood or sisterhood with other monotheistic religions and have since even before Islam took firm hold in Morocco. they believe in the peacefulness
And moderation preached in the Koran. The hospitality I experienced from the most humble to the royal is like nothing I have ever had the opportunity to experience any where else. I felt a true warmth from so many people. Folk.Art. I loved both.
Soon we will be back in our own desert with our own art and folks and look forward to reconnecting.
Thanks for joining our excursion.
Leslie
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