Last Days in Rabat

My time in Morocco is winding down.  Tomorrow I leave for the States.

Here’s what I’ve been doing the last few days

Spending time with my dentist extraordionaire

Dr. Soumaya Benothmane and her assistant

to get a new smile.

Sorry, it's a selfie

Walked up and down this street 

eight different times to the dentist’s office

Enjoyed listening to sound checks for Marwazine

a local musical festival.

One of the sound stages is 3 or 4 blocks from the house so we can hear the concerts in the evening.  Last night we planned on going to dinner along the river near the medina and listened to Bonga, a folk and semba singer and songwriter from Angola.  Until we found out the show didn’t start until 10:00 P.M.  Too late for kids on a school night.  Instead, we listened to Lauryn Hill from the garden.

You can read a bit about Mawazine here: https://www.morocco-guide.com/events/mawazine-festival/ 

And here’s the full lineup of performers: http://www.festivalmawazine.ma/en/programme/

My suitcases are packed (picture a sad smile) and I fly out tomorrow morning around 7:00.  Sad (picture a sad new smile) to be leaving, but looking forward to seeing family and doggies in Albuquerque.

Rambles in Rabat

Back in Morocco and going to fav places and doing fun things.

We had the traditional Friday evening meal in Morocco, couscous.  Much more elaborate than the way I serve it.  I use it as a side dish for fish or chicken, but this is a whole meal.

Couscous with meat, veggies and chickpeas

Saturday we went for a visit to the medina 

A side street. And, yes, this is a street.
Motorbikes roam the medina

to do a bit of shopping

Shoppers and wares

This is the scarf I bought

then home to pick mulberries

The mulberry tree in the garden

and make mulberry preserves

Delicious!  Tastes a lot like figs

For Mother’s Day we all went to Les Trois Palmiers for lunch.  Check out the fish baked in salt, one of their specialties.  

The white mound on the right is the fish

They have to crack open the salt crust to serve the fish.  Not salty, just baked deliciousness.

Peeling off the salt

And fruit torte to die for.  Didn't last long enough for me to take a picture.

The restaurant is right on the beach, and the surf and sea looked very familiar.  Oh, right.  Morocco is on the Atlantic, except on the east side.

Beautiful flowers along a street I’ve walked down frequently back and forth to my dentist.  A bit more about that later.

Anyone know what kind of flowers these are?

The Streets of Seville

We spent four days in Seville, walking around the city.  

Stopping at cafes for coffee.

Nespresso!!  I'm addicted.

                                         And my favorite tapas.

Espinacas con garbanzos, spinach with garbanzos

Lots of fun sights and sounds,        

especially because Feria de Sevilla

started that weekend.                      

All dressed up for the ride to Feria

Lots of flamenco dresses on parade. 

We walked there and back, over 4 miles.  

No trouble sleeping that night.

My son's description:  "It's a thousand cocktail parties and you’re not invited."  Various ‘societies’.  Some are similar to the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade Krews, but also include private families, religious fraternities, etc.

The Feria was originally a cattle fair -- think agricultural fair in the States -- then grew to a place to socialize, setting up tents.  In 1973, it moved to it’s present location, just across the Guadalquivir River (the original Arabic name was Wadi Al-Kabīr -- Great River) from Seville.  Behind the girls is the bridge we walked across to the Feria.

Over 1,000 casetas (temporary tents) are erected, all privately owned and equipped with a bar, kitchen and substantial music system, serving drinks, tapas.  Hence the ‘you’re not invited’ designation.  By evening, impromptu flamenco dancing happens.

On another day, we walked to a cafe, past the first ever tobacco factory in the world

Plaque of the tobacco factory

which is now the University of Seville where my grandson, Ethan, will be taking classes fall semester.

Lunch at the cafe across from the University of Seville

Seville is a great city to visit.  I always enjoy my time here.

Woke up in Spain this morning

Yesterday afternoon we left Rabat to spend a few days in Seville, Spain.

This involves about a three hour drive to Tangier on the Straights of Gibraltar.

Houses crawling up the side of a hill

The boy (not really a boy, but I'm his mother and he'll always be a boy to me) had a short meeting, which gave us a chance to walk around town a bit.

The train station

McDo. Love the Moroccan design

 Meeting over, we drove to the port to board the ferry to Tarifa, Spain. Note:  Tarifa is where the word tariff comes from.

Ferry coming in to port

I also wanted to take a picture of the huge rig that scans the cars and contents--minus people.  Think airport scanner big enough to scan a line of 5 or 6 cars, including busses.  However, the very nice security guy told me that wasn't allowed.  No argument from this girl.

I opted for a view of the harbor.

The medina of Tangier

Then we boarded and were off. (Caution:  this is noisy.  And don't fall overboard!)

The trip across the Straights only takes about half an hour.  Plenty of time to eat a snack and take pictures.  It also makes for a nice break from driving.

One of the Pillars of Hercules.
The other is the Rock of Gibraltar

It was early evening and hazy so the pictures aren't as clear as on a sunny day, but the Pillar is the highest peak.  Below, Europe is barely visible on the left between the boat and K's head

Girlz framed by two continents.
Europe is on the left and Africa on the right.

Then, back in the car for a couple hour drive to Seville.  By then, it was getting dark.  There are miles of windmills along the mountains rimming the coast of Spain.  In the distance, the small (relatively speaking) blinking warning lights looked like fireflies.  Reminded me of summer nights in Maine and fireflies dancing in the tall grass in the field.  Sometimes Dad would catch one for me and put it in a jar beside my bed.

Adiós for now.

In the Air Again

I arrived in Morocco yesterday Friday (their time) and wanted to share a bit of my travel sights.  Fortunately, there was no drama, like people being dragged off the airplane or delayed flights or gate changes--more tricky in Paris where my language skills falter.

In order to catch the 6:10 A.M. flight out of Albuquerque I had to kick the birds awake at 3:30 A.M., get dressed, feed the dogs, close the suitcases (left open in case of any last-minute additions) and load them in the car in time to leave at 4:30 to arrive by 5:00.  Fortunately Black Mesa coffee is up and running at the airport by then so I could be awake enough not to miss the flight.

My reflection looking out the window in
Albuquerque Sunport

Perrier seemed the appropriate beverage before
flying to Paris

Arrived in Atlanta on time--nothing for me to stress about since I had a six-hour layover.  Thanks to Marianne Rice, I had a fun read to dive into.  Check out Strawberry Kisses,  I recommend it.

Nothing says Atlanta like CNN

Finally, at long last the wait was over for the overnight flight to Paris.  Sadly, I had a middle of the middle seat--you know, those plans that have three seats on each side and four in the middle.  Hemmed in by a couple of guys (not cute enough to distract) I got very little sleep.  Thanks again, Marianne.  Jake was much more entertaining in sooooo many ways than the my seatmates.

In Charles de Gaulle Airport, I made a beeline for Starbucks--yes, I’ve been in that airport often enough to know exactly where it is--and loaded up on caffeine.

Didn't even need the Starbucks app to find it

Then on the plane for the last leg of the trip, Paris to Rabat, Morocco.

At last,  peace in the garden.