With 2 weeks to kill and absolutely no plans formulated, Ana and I started to look at our onward options in Morocco. Our friends Rod and Jen had been to Morocco on a previous trip and they gave us some really good suggestions on interesting places to see and activities to do. Unfortunately, I think that our schedule here is a bit early in the year, and a lot of the suggestions that our friends gave us involved some level of discomforting cold. I thought about hiking in the High Atlas mountains, but one look at the peaks outside of Marrakech told me that the idea was a snow riddled boondoggle. We looked into going to the medieval seaside town of Essaouira, where harsh winds and kite-boarders rule the day… but the thought of high winds and winter rains dissuaded us. I even looked into heading further south to the Amelin Valley for some warmer hiking, but getting out there was overwhelmingly difficult. Ultimately we decided on visiting some of the northern imperial cities since walking around in cooler weather was ideal and we wanted to visit Meknes and Fez at some point. A taxi and a quick bus ride and we were soon on our way.
Casablanca:
Ok, technically not an imperial city, but a famous city nonetheless: Etched into American consciousness by the classic Hollywood movie that shares its name, Casablanca was a place we had to stop in, right? We wanted to check this place out because it was along the way to Meknes / Fez, and it supposedly had a lively night scene… and we were dying for a beer after only 4 days in a dry (pun intended) Islamic country. There was only one problem: There’s this guy named Mohammed. Maybe you’ve heard of him… 7th centry prophet, born in Mecca, started this little religion called Islam? Well, apparently the day we showed up in Casablanca was his birthday and as such this holiday was something akin to Christmas (but without the eggnog). Everything was shut down: Bars, clubs, restaurants, … even the snack bars were closed. There was literally nothing to do in Casablanca except visit the enormous mosque (Hassam II) on the outskirts of town… and even that we could only view from the outside as it was a holy day (only Muslims allowed). Oh well… So much for a night out on the town.
Pictures : http://picasaweb.google.com/richmosko/Casablanca
Meknes:
Now this was my kind of town. It’s the kind of place that’s not too touristy, but definitely wishes that it were… Sitting in the shadow of the more celebrated city of Fez, this place has all the tourist infrastructure one could want without the costs and attitudes that come along with throngs of tourists. I never once felt hassled or pressured here… just comfort, tranquility, a cool-ass medieval maze of streets to get lost in, and friendly folks happy to help you find you way back home. Our friend Rod had strongly recommended that we stay at a Riad somewhere in Morocco… and we kind of halfway did it in Marrakech. But in Meknes we decided to really pimp-it-out and stay at a 5 star boutique Riad named Riad Bahia. This place was fabulous, and our hosts Camillia and Fatima were nice, sincere, and accommodative to our needs. We had a 1 bedroom suite on the roof terrace which had a bathroom that was as large as some rooms that we have previously stayed in! All of this plus breakfast, fantastic dinners, and a great location inside the Medina… too bad these Riads are so expensive!
Like most other Moroccan cities, there are some seriously elaborate and beautiful buildings here… but what I really want to share with you now (experience wise) is lamb burgers. Yes, lamb burgers. These things are like manna from the heavens… so good. I couldn’t get enough of these things at the street snack bars around the plaza. Think of the best burger you’ve ever had, except it has no bun and it’s made out of chopped lamb. Sprinkled on top of the paddies are dried mustard and curry spices all sitting on a bed of lettuce with surrounding french fried potatoes to keep some company. Add in a fresh salad and (wait for it Breslin) homemade Dijon, mayonnaise, and catsup sauces for dipping and you have an glorious taste sensation in you mouth that will have you coming back for more!
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/richmosko/Meknes
Fez:
Rain… incessant downpours, a veritable deluge the likes that haven’t been seen since the days of Noah. Sweet baby Jesus, when will it end? Ok, our time in Fez was a bit more difficult than other places because of the horrid weather, but I can’t help but feel that this place is a bit overrated. Don’t get me wrong: The Medina is medieval and labyrinthine and great to explore… and the mosques and gates to the city are top notch: maybe the best of the cities that we’ve seen. It’s just that we couldn’t walk 10 feet down the street without someone trying to (aggressively) sell us a guide service or try to greet us in Japanese. Yes, everyone here thinks that Ana is Japanese… Either that or they say “Konichi-Wa” to each person walking down the street. Besides, I couldn’t find a shwarma shop anywhere: Seriously hampering my inner snack-bar cravings. What’s up with that?
We stayed outside of the Medina for this stop… a nice change up as our hotel was right next to the train station and had a legitimate bar in the lobby. After our boondoggle in Casablanca, we were sure to make full use.
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