We are now in Rabat after crowded but fun and chatty car ride from Casa with our driver Aziz who suggested we just stay in Morocco for four months and he would drive us around - Marrakesh, the desert for camel rides, into the mountains, Fez - no problem. But work awaits tomorrow and an evening conference with other mental health professionals this week.
We are quite an international and varied crew: Ikuko is Japanese and her husband, Livingston used to work for the UN, Helene is Egyptian, Raquel is part Spanish and just spent a year in Estonia, Hilda is Peruvian but grew up in NYC, Jennifer has traveled all over south east Asia solo, Becky who has traveled to Tanzania twice to do art therapy, Toshiko is Japanese and has been all over the world teaching art therapy and origami, myself: I'm half Belgian and can eke out a little French. And of course Richard who by now has been to about 15 countries with his grandparents.
To finish about our adventures in Casa: Ikuko, Livingston and Richard went off together as a family. The rest of us stayed in at our seaside hotel, the Riad Salam and just crashed. I must have slept for four hours, with the waves of the Atlantic rolling in the background, like on Cape Cod only on the other side.
Woken up at 2:30, I had to hustle to join the others for tour of the city. Abdul, our driver seemed to want to take us to the new Morocco Mall down Le Boulevard de la Corniche or the waterfront, from the hotel. The biggest mall in Africa! Speaking of which this is my first trip to the African continent. We all agreed we had enough of that in the States. The corniche was beautiful though reminding me of Venice Beach in LA with a wide walkway and many people strolling, roller blading, palm trees, restaurants.
Abdul drove us through the Anfa section of the city next, which is as he described the "wealthy section" with many walled off houses, white washed walls and luxurious vines and plantings. Again reminds me a bit of Hollywood Hills or Brentwood. Raquel said it looked like the wealthy parts of Mexico city, where walls are high and security is tight. Abdul tells us the king likes to stay in his private home in Anfa when he is in Casa instead of the official palace. We did pass the Royal golf course. From Anfa we drove through Quartier Habous - which had mostly French influenced architecture and is also known as the new medina with fancy stores and a wide boulevard. The new Mall has apparently affected business in this section and there seemed to be much construction - in general much construction in all of Casa.
We stopped in the Ancien Medina or market, and got out for a walk around.
I managed to get my postcards and had my first experience with haggling over a leather wallet for my brother. We found the most beautiful side street market selling only olives and Raquel bought a half kilo.
Many beautiful rugs, scarves, ceramic bowls with geometric patterns, leather slippers - might have to ship my luggage back it will be so heavy.
From the medina off to Place Mohammed V where all the official government buildings are - Ministry of Defense, Palais de Justice, etc... And an incredible large square in which the pigeons gather and fly about in great flocks and the people gather around to watch them and to socialize.
Little children every where. Men selling toys and pistachio nuts and blowing bubbles that the little ones catch and the pigeons flying everywhere.
I photographed the rows of beautiful red Moroccan flags bearing a green five pointed open star in the center.
We finished our tour at the Hassan II mosque on the ocean near to the hotel. On the way there we stopped to photograph Rick's Cafe, of course. The "blue mosque" as it is known for the color of the tiles which are turquoise and blue and purple, was built in the 1990's in honor of the current king's father Hassan II. The tiles were made in Fez. It is a very new mosque, but very old and traditional looking. It is also the largest mosque in Africa. Second largest in the world. It is impressive, overpowering and serene and contemplative all at once.
The minaret tower rising high at a distance against the sea and then as you approach across this vast courtyard filled with fountains and tile work and all in marble! You cannot even take it in it is so tall and grand in scale.
Hilda, Jennifer and Mia
But the lovely thing is the people gathered in small groups with their children, shielding their eyes from the setting sun.
Women in djellaba and men often in seperate groups. Again little children everywhere playing soccer, riding scooters and bikes, throwing balls.
It's a social space and a space of contemplation and prayer. We approach the grand metal doors of the entrance and look in. It is one of the few mosques the public is allowed to enter. We see people taking their shoes off to go inside before walking over the rugs.
Everywhere the intricate geometric patterns worked in stone, in tile, in metal and the richness of the colors blending in with the blue sky and water behind. The building and tower itself seem to be a tan carerra marble against which the azure blue tile work stands out.
It is astonishing to think of this level and scale of craftsmenship done in recent times. One is reminded of the Taj Mahal, the pyramids. The light is golden and glints off of the tiles and the shadows deepen making silhouttes of the people sitting on the sea wall above crashing surf.
Little boys with curly hair run up and demand, "argent Madame argent", or "coins please" but "une photo" seems acceptable too and I take their picture. Then they run off giggling and saying, "thank you, thank you" practicing their English.
Abdul recommends the Basmane restaurant on the corniche for traditional Moroccan meal. We walk down the boulevard after dark in a leisurely stroll. The air has gotten chilly maybe down to 50 F.
It is indeed spectacular when we arrive - a tiled room, cushioned seats and waiters wearing traditional fez. It's recommended to try the specialty of pastille of pigeon which seems strange after seeing them fly about in Place Mohammed V, but we do along with tajine a very fragrant spicy dish with fish, several appetizers: pumpkin, eggplant.
Basmane Restaurant
Altogether a satisfying end to a whirlwind day. Most go off to bed at 10 pm but I stay up to start this blog and to write postcards and make sure they re mailed off. Little do I know that it will take four weeks for them to arrive!
We are now ensconced at the Hotel Splendide in Rabat, which appears much more of a real urban city than the corniche in Casa. We will be here for two weeks and are right in the heart of downtown. The Institute Orient Occident where will work is across town.
Avenue Mohammed V
Rue de Gaza
Views from Hotel
Governmental Square and Buildings
The Splendide is modest, clean, and charming. I have a lovely room overlooking the street and only need to purchase some hangers.
Hotel Splendide, Rue de Gaza
My Room - #6 with balcony
The Snack shop where we ate meals
Views from my room at the Splendide.
Tile floor in Rm 6
Courtyard
There is a central courtyard where we'll have breakfast and otherwise it is small and narrow, nothing fancy, but very homey. Helene has arrived and is arranging dinner for tonight at Les Sessions de Pietri, a jazz club about a ten minute walk from the hotel. It is a feat to organize ten people to get over there and not get lost when we don't really know the way, but we do and enjoy another good, if smokey, meal with lots of wine and olives. After a certain hour jazz and blues groups play, but we were entertained by a steady stream of the Rolling Stones, Blues Project - music from the late sixties. A retro feel in a modern setting...
Tomorrow we go to the Fondation....
We are quite an international and varied crew: Ikuko is Japanese and her husband, Livingston used to work for the UN, Helene is Egyptian, Raquel is part Spanish and just spent a year in Estonia, Hilda is Peruvian but grew up in NYC, Jennifer has traveled all over south east Asia solo, Becky who has traveled to Tanzania twice to do art therapy, Toshiko is Japanese and has been all over the world teaching art therapy and origami, myself: I'm half Belgian and can eke out a little French. And of course Richard who by now has been to about 15 countries with his grandparents.
To finish about our adventures in Casa: Ikuko, Livingston and Richard went off together as a family. The rest of us stayed in at our seaside hotel, the Riad Salam and just crashed. I must have slept for four hours, with the waves of the Atlantic rolling in the background, like on Cape Cod only on the other side.
Woken up at 2:30, I had to hustle to join the others for tour of the city. Abdul, our driver seemed to want to take us to the new Morocco Mall down Le Boulevard de la Corniche or the waterfront, from the hotel. The biggest mall in Africa! Speaking of which this is my first trip to the African continent. We all agreed we had enough of that in the States. The corniche was beautiful though reminding me of Venice Beach in LA with a wide walkway and many people strolling, roller blading, palm trees, restaurants.
 |
| The corniche or seaside walk outside the Riad Salam Hotel |
We stopped in the Ancien Medina or market, and got out for a walk around.
Babouch
Tourists
I managed to get my postcards and had my first experience with haggling over a leather wallet for my brother. We found the most beautiful side street market selling only olives and Raquel bought a half kilo.
Many beautiful rugs, scarves, ceramic bowls with geometric patterns, leather slippers - might have to ship my luggage back it will be so heavy.
From the medina off to Place Mohammed V where all the official government buildings are - Ministry of Defense, Palais de Justice, etc... And an incredible large square in which the pigeons gather and fly about in great flocks and the people gather around to watch them and to socialize.
Place Mohammed V
Little children every where. Men selling toys and pistachio nuts and blowing bubbles that the little ones catch and the pigeons flying everywhere.
Snails!
I photographed the rows of beautiful red Moroccan flags bearing a green five pointed open star in the center.
We finished our tour at the Hassan II mosque on the ocean near to the hotel. On the way there we stopped to photograph Rick's Cafe, of course. The "blue mosque" as it is known for the color of the tiles which are turquoise and blue and purple, was built in the 1990's in honor of the current king's father Hassan II. The tiles were made in Fez. It is a very new mosque, but very old and traditional looking. It is also the largest mosque in Africa. Second largest in the world. It is impressive, overpowering and serene and contemplative all at once.
The minaret tower rising high at a distance against the sea and then as you approach across this vast courtyard filled with fountains and tile work and all in marble! You cannot even take it in it is so tall and grand in scale.
But the lovely thing is the people gathered in small groups with their children, shielding their eyes from the setting sun.
Women in djellaba and men often in seperate groups. Again little children everywhere playing soccer, riding scooters and bikes, throwing balls.
It's a social space and a space of contemplation and prayer. We approach the grand metal doors of the entrance and look in. It is one of the few mosques the public is allowed to enter. We see people taking their shoes off to go inside before walking over the rugs.
Everywhere the intricate geometric patterns worked in stone, in tile, in metal and the richness of the colors blending in with the blue sky and water behind. The building and tower itself seem to be a tan carerra marble against which the azure blue tile work stands out.
It is astonishing to think of this level and scale of craftsmenship done in recent times. One is reminded of the Taj Mahal, the pyramids. The light is golden and glints off of the tiles and the shadows deepen making silhouttes of the people sitting on the sea wall above crashing surf.
Little boys with curly hair run up and demand, "argent Madame argent", or "coins please" but "une photo" seems acceptable too and I take their picture. Then they run off giggling and saying, "thank you, thank you" practicing their English.
Abdul recommends the Basmane restaurant on the corniche for traditional Moroccan meal. We walk down the boulevard after dark in a leisurely stroll. The air has gotten chilly maybe down to 50 F.
It is indeed spectacular when we arrive - a tiled room, cushioned seats and waiters wearing traditional fez. It's recommended to try the specialty of pastille of pigeon which seems strange after seeing them fly about in Place Mohammed V, but we do along with tajine a very fragrant spicy dish with fish, several appetizers: pumpkin, eggplant.
Altogether a satisfying end to a whirlwind day. Most go off to bed at 10 pm but I stay up to start this blog and to write postcards and make sure they re mailed off. Little do I know that it will take four weeks for them to arrive!
We are now ensconced at the Hotel Splendide in Rabat, which appears much more of a real urban city than the corniche in Casa. We will be here for two weeks and are right in the heart of downtown. The Institute Orient Occident where will work is across town.
Avenue Mohammed V
The Splendide is modest, clean, and charming. I have a lovely room overlooking the street and only need to purchase some hangers.
There is a central courtyard where we'll have breakfast and otherwise it is small and narrow, nothing fancy, but very homey. Helene has arrived and is arranging dinner for tonight at Les Sessions de Pietri, a jazz club about a ten minute walk from the hotel. It is a feat to organize ten people to get over there and not get lost when we don't really know the way, but we do and enjoy another good, if smokey, meal with lots of wine and olives. After a certain hour jazz and blues groups play, but we were entertained by a steady stream of the Rolling Stones, Blues Project - music from the late sixties. A retro feel in a modern setting...
Tomorrow we go to the Fondation....
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