Morocco

Thursday September 9 - Friday September 10

We arrive in Morocco WHEN?

After settling in on ship, I learned that, not only would we set our clocks back and gain two hours, we would also gain an additional day.  The captain had decided not to refuel -- apparently it was more cost effective to do this later on in the Canary Islands--and so we would land in Morocco the very next day.

An extra day in port is always welcome...but having just adjusted to dinner at 10, this quick turnaround was a challenge.  (OK so that's not such a bad problem to have.) And then of course, it was the end of Ramadan.    Arriving in Morocco as Ramadan was ending was equivalent to being in New York City on Christmas Day.  Everything closes.
 
I quickly learned that Semester at Sea does a series of programs prior to arrival in a new port...presentations on the country's culture and history, guest lecturers, even a  briefing from the State Department.  This usually takes place over a series of days...in this case we got a crash course in two hours.

That afternoon we toured Casablanca.  Its an industrial city with not much to offer for tourists...that is with the exception of the Hassan II mosque.  What a spectacular building.  Its the world's 3rd largest mosque... built right over the ocean.  Portions of the floor are glass allowing you to see the ocean underneath...there's even a rectractable roof.

 

 

The next day....the end of Ramadan...I took the train to Rabat.  At the station were  Moroccans dressed in their finest, headed  home to celebrate with their families.  On the platform one woman stood out--totally covered in black jalaba and veil--even her face.    Wouldn't you know she and her son sat across from me.  And what was she was carrying?  A  bag from Pizza Hut.  

Arriving in Rabat,  I walked the main street of the medina.  There was a wall at the end where people were passing through an entrance--going to what I assumed was the beach.  At a  table sat a man  selling water --now that's an entrepreneur.    But as I soon discovered,  this was  the entrance to the cemetery.  At the end of Ramadan its customary for families to visit the graves of relatives..  The "water" was rose water they bring to  the gravesite.   Was I ever glad that I hadn't bought a bottle and started drinking.

The remainder of the day was spent touring the Kasbah with guide Abdel Aziz and visiting the tomb of the last king, Hassan V.  There were winding streets with the most beautful colored blue walls, children playing in the  playing in the streets and people embracing one another with good wishes for the holiday.  Aid Mubarek Said.