Morocco

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Morocco is an Arab country in the north of Africa and perhaps the most liberal Muslim country. We began our explorations in Tangier after arriving from Spain via ferry. Our next destination was Rabat, located on the infamous Barbary Coast, which is now the country’s capital. There were visited the Royal Palace, Hassan Tower and Roman ruins.

We then went to Casablanca, Morocco’s now modern seaport with a strong French influence. It isn’t hard to imagine Bogart among the throngs however we learned that no part of the movie of the same name was filmed in Morocco! Next came Marrakesh, situated in an oasis with more than half a million palm trees. To some of us “old hippies,” there’s a great tune, “Marrakesh Express” by Crosby, Stills & Nash which gives you a great flavor of the city. It was here in the “souk” (market place) within the Medina (old walled city) we took some wonderful photos of the locals and their goods. Also, due to his short beard, Ed was often referred to as “Ali Babba” by the kids who followed us around. Moroccans ordinarily don’t wear beards. They dislike the fundamentalist Muslims who wear very long beards. Therefore, short beards are a real anomaly.

From Marrakesh, we went to Fez. Fez houses a beautiful Royal Palace. However the highlight of our visit to Fez was the incredible FES-EL-BALI, the largest medina in Morocco, a maze of tiny, narrow streets jammed with people and goods and sounds and smells (and donkeys, goats, etc. too!). The medina dates from approximately the 9^th to the 14^th centuries!! Again, a great spot for photographs and one of the highlights of our visit to Morocco. As a matter of fact we would say a visit to the medina in Fez is by itself worth the trip to Morocco. We returned that night (a totally different experience) to visit a former palace where we had dinner and saw wonderful Moroccan music & dance.

We left Morocco by traveling through the Rif Mountains to arrive in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, a protectorate of Spain despite being on the African continent.

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RABAT

	CROSSING THE STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR FROM ALGARCES, SPAIN TO TANGIER, MOROCCO
	RABAT, MOROCCO'S CAPITAL, IS LOCATED ON THE ATLANTIC; A VIEW OF ITS CASBAH (ANCIENT WALLED CITY)
	OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE KING OF MOROCCO
	PALACE GUARD AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE KING'S OFFICIAL RESIDENCE
	MAUSOLEUM OF MOHAMMAD V, GRANDFATHER OF THE CURRENT KING, CONSIDERED TO BE THE FATHER OF THE COUNTRY FOR EXPELLING THE FRENCH

CASABLANCA

3rd LARGEST MOSQUE IN THE WORLD

CAN HOLD 125,000 WORSHIPPERS AT ONE TIME

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MARRAKESH

	MEDINA (OR OLD TOWN) OF MARRAKESH
	FORMERLY A PALACE, NOW A MUSEUM
	LARGEST CARPET COOPERATIVE IN MOROCCO YES, WE BOUGHT ONE, OUR 6TH
	SNAKE CHARMER IN THE MAIN SQUARE
	THE BLACK COBRA BELONGING TO THE SNAKE CHARMER
	OPEN-AIR SOUK (MARKET) IN MARRAKESH

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FEZ

	CITY OF FEZ OLDEST CITY IN MORROCO DATING BACK TO 8th - 9th CENTURY WITH THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND
	MEDINA (OR OLD TOWN) OF FEZ FROM 9th - 14th CENTURY
	A CLOSER LOOK IN THE MEDINA
	THE SOUK IN THE MEDINA
	THRONGS IN THE SOUK
	FRUIT, NUT & SPICE VENDOR WE BOUGHT FRESH DATES HERE
	INTERIOR COURTYARD OF A PALACE IN THE MEDINA, NOW A MUSEUM AND A SCHOOL OF ISLAM
	CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE WALLS OF THE PALACE WHICH ARE INCISED IN THE ORIGINAL WET PLASTER BY ARTISANS
	AN EVEN CLOSER LOOK AT THE ARTISTRY OF THE PALACE WALLS

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SEFROU

	TOWN OF SEFROU A VIEW OF THE SOUK IN THE MEDINA
	A VENDOR SELLING FRIED DOUGH COVERED WITH HONEY

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