Highlights of Morocco

My annual vacation took me to Morocco this Aug / Sep.  G Adventures is my go-to tour company when travelling solo.  This trip offered everything I wanted to see, including the Sahara desert, going through the sand dunes, riding a camel, sleeping in a bedouin camp and seeing the souks (markets).

I was researching the weather and expecting 28 - 50C. Although I like hot, it was just too hot and humid to enjoy being outside taking in the sights.  It was always around 35C and high humidity except when we were in the mountains.  However, it was still a great holiday with new friends.

We started in Casablanca, the economic centre of the country.  For a large city, the only tourist spot for me was to see Mosque Hassan II.  It is the 3rd largest mosque in the country and can accommodate 25,000 people indoors and 80,000 outdoors.  Not being Muslim, visitors were only allowed entry during certain times.  In fact, it ended up being almost a 3 hour ordeal for me to get to see the inside, but I was so happy to have seen the elaborately decorated, ornate interior of this grand mosque.  The lights were off, so the photos do not do it justice.

Went to Tangier to see the crossing to Spain. Didn't have time to sit at the beach.

                                                                                                                                                        Went to the blue town of Chefchaouen.  Jewish immigrants painted the town blue and people followed suit.  It's a quaint small town.  Many photo opportunities here.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Volubilis.  Roman ruins from the 3rd Century. 

                                                                             
                                                                    Visited the Imperial City of Meknes, called the Versailles of Morocco, built by the Sultan Moulay Ismail.

The ancient medina (medieval city) walls are visible from the viewpoint.

And there is a granary with the most magnificent arches.






Went to the city of Fes. My 2nd favourite part of the trip.

Fes is known for it's textiles.  They make silk from agave cactus, not tequila.  I guess it's a Muslim country after all, and wouldn't need to make alcohol.

There are blends of cotton, wool and/or silk. Bright colours for purses, scarves, bed spreads, etc.  If only I had a bigger backpack, I would've bought a large bed spread for ~ 400 Moroccan Dirhams (~$ 60 CDN)

 They are also known for their mosaics.  Elaborate mosaic pieces hand cut and assembled.  They make fountains and tables with wheels on the bottom for ease of movement and transport.

Their souks are full of everything.  Food, including dates, olives, fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood, clothing, souvenirs, electronics, etc.

Fes is also known for its tanneries.  This one is a co-op that soaks its hides in pigeon poo to soften them.  We were given mint leaves to mask the smell.  They then dunk the hides in dye, then dry them in the sun.  Their leather is waterproof and fire proof.  Just light a flame to it and it will not burn, everything is natural.  Chemical dyes will burn.  These are typical babouches (Moroccan slippers). I bought myself a wonderful goat leather purse as a souvenir (~$120 CDN)

Went into the Sahara desert (Merzouga area), my favourite day of the trip! 

Our group had 3 cars for a 4x4 excursion over the sand dunes.  

We then went on a camel ride to our bedouin camp to sleep under the stars.  The main question when we hopped on was, do we sit in front or behind the hump :)   It was the best 12 hours of my trip.  

I could not stop taking photos of the sand dunes.  They were like snow capped mountains to me.  

The Sahara was once a lake.  There is evidence of fish fossils here. 

Off to the Todra Gorge.  Although I injured my foot and couldn't hike the trail, the gorge is still spectacular.

                                                                                                                                                           

We travelled through Ouzerate, the route of 1000 Kasbahs (fortified houses) / Tinghir.  T

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Stopped in a spice / aromatherapy  shop.  La Caravan des Espices (Berber pharmacy).  I find spices are the best souvenirs.

There isn't much variety in Moroccan food.  Mostly tajine (stew), cooked in a cone shaped vessel,  skewers/kabobs. harira (bean soup), pastilla (meat pie) and Moroccan salad.  Mint tea is always available, but it is a blend of dried green tea, fresh mint and lots of sugar.

Off to the area of Ait Ben Haddou, where the largest film studio in the world is located, Atlas Film Studios. 

The off to sleep in a gite (guesthouse) near Mount Toubkal, the tallest peak in North Africa  at 4167m in the High Atlas Mountains.

Next stop is Essaouira, a small relaxing town on the Atlantic coast.  We stayed in the medina.  Lots of time for activities such as kite surfing, regular surfing, horseback riding on the beach, or just swimming.

The final stop is Marakkech.  Known for its souks and Jemaa al Fna Square.  This is a large urban centre, full of shopping, clubs and bars.

A wonderful trip full of memories.  And as I return home to Canada, I feel appreciative and grateful for my life here.  I find that travelling abroad to countries such as Morocco enables me to put perspective on my daily life.  First world problems such as slow internet, traffic jams, labour disputes pale in comparison to the hardship, lack of access to clean water or electricity, infrastructure, waste management and sanitation that we take for granted.  My 32nd country visited and I am still so happy to call Canada my home.

Greece Sep 2015

Decided not to do the usual Greek Isles sailing trip and opted to stay settled in 3 places to enjoy the sunsets and the city at night.

We started in Athens and saw the Acropolis and Parthenon.  I can't believe we're standing in such a historical place!  'Acro' means the highest point and 'polis' means city.  It was built at the highest point in the city so everyone could see it and access it to make offerings.

It was also good to visit The New Acropolis Museum because it helped us understand the history of the Acropolis site.  Athens was named after Athina, who offered the olive tree to the people, whereas Poseidon offered a stream of water.  

Lycabettus Hill and Filapappou Hill, both had great views of the city; miles and miles of short white buildings.

Other ruins in the city include the Temple of Zeus and Ancient Agora.








It was an 8 hour ferry ride to Santorini.  We booked a tour that would show us all that this island has to offer and it was my favourite place of the trip.  The original name for the island is Thira, but people called it Saint Irene and it morphed to Santorini and it stuck.

We started at the archaeological site of Ancient Akrotiri.  It is 2000 years older than Pompeii.  The volcano exploded and buried the city under pumice and volcanic ash, making the ruins well preserved.  This left the caldera (crater of a volcano) and made 3 islands in its place.

Santorini has more churches than houses, more donkeys than people and more wine than water.

We stopped at a winery to check out the wine and the view.  It's just the pictures you see on the internet with blue domed churches and white buildings.


We went to the northern tip of the island of Oia for the sunset.  All the sunset postcards are from here.  We ate at a rooftop restaurant just to enjoy the view.  It was a great day.

We went to the Nea Kamani (meaning new birth) volcano the next day.  It was a short boat ride over and a steep hike up the rocky volcano to get to the view.  The hot springs were nearby, but part of the ocean and people had to swim in, not like the ones I've been to where they are mostly in caves.

After 4 hours on a fast hydrofoil, we were in Mykonos.  Mykonos is the name of Apollo's grandson.  Our first stop was the beach right down the street, Megali Ammos.

We went into town to see the famous windmills, Little Venice and the most photographed church in the world, Paraportiani.

We found a bakery that's been in existence since 1420!  That's the beauty of Europe, it's so old.








I love the narrow cobble stone streets.  So quaint, full of shops, galleries, etc.

This town is gay friendly and full of night clubs and bars, but we didn't party.  In fact, it was a great way to wind down at the end of our travels.















Food was great throughout the country.  Even with my food allergies, we could order tomato & cucumber salad, tried lots of mezzes (appetizers like lamb kleftiko, sausage, dolmades, seafood, hummus), fresh fruit and dried fruit and nuts.

I couldn't have the yogurt, but I hear it was good.


Food and drink was expensive, the same number as Canada but in Euros ($8 CDN beer was now 8 Euros), and our Canadian exchange was x 1.5!




















We also had beer and ouzo along the way.

Greece has so much to offer, I hope to go back again one day to different islands, they all have a different character.