Finally–Morocco! (you sigh loudly)

Rabat, Morocco

Finally – something about Morocco!

Honestly the first few days have been kind of lost in a haze of jet lag and laziness. But we did manage to do some interesting things, which I have posted below in the form of PICTURES. Because they say a thousand words?

We’re staying in Rabat, Morocco, the capital of the country and described in guidebooks as the somewhat dreary and sleepy bureaucratic hub of the country. Lots of government employees, diplomats, international business people, and all the people who support those people. It’s really nice, though, I think. There are some interesting history sites, and we’ve had two great dinners so far (one French, one Moroccan).

The weather is drop dead gorgeous. One of my favorite French phrases so far is “il fait beau” – literally “it makes beautiful.” And it does. Highs in the upper sixties, clear skies. This is about as good as it gets. This is spring, though, and summer is coming, when the heat will be out of control I’m told (our friend Becca who lives and works here just arrived in October so she’s never gone through summer yet). Rabat is on the coast and that spares it from some of the worst heat, but we’ve heard that Marrakesh and Fes are already hitting 100-110 F. So fun ahoy there.

Anyway, the most exciting thing we have done so far is visit the Medina in Rabat. So the medina is the “old walled city” part of town (in contrast to the French “ville nouvelle” that are the new sections of town). Within the medinas you’ll often find a kasbah, or a fortified villa where the rich folks would live and be self-sustaining enough to survive a siege. Kind of like a castle I guess?

So on Sunday afternoon Becca graciously offered to drive us to the Rabat medina and kasbah. Here’s the photo journey:

(Click to enlarge) Dave and Becca walking through the medina market, where you can get everything. Literally everything. Furniture, incense, cookies, dresses, perfume, shoes, leather goods, burned DVDs, decorative knives, cloth, rugs, tea sets, street food, etc. A mad jumble of people and smells and trash and things for sale.

Nice shot of a relatively quiet section of the medina. Notice the parapet-looking brickwork on the left. We had just gotten a fried fish sandwich which was quite tasty from a street vendor. Tip: go to the ones that are busy with locals.

Inside a woodworkers shop in the medina. Moroccan woodwork in general, but doors specifically, seem to be a source of great pride and craftsmanship. This one I found particularly impressive. Note the massive bolt and lock that closes the door. Seems like something from another time.

Again, fantastic woodwork along a street in the medina.

The exterior wall of the Kasbah, heading north. Note the heavy fortifications (some green bronze cannons still keep watch out of the corner towers on the southern end – not pictured).  The 12th century Almohad Bab Oudaia (“Oudaia Gate”), the dramatic gate to the kasbah, can been seen in the distance (closeup later). 

The Andalusian Gardens within the kasbah. Designed by the French during the colonial period.

The view from Café Maure, a café just inside the kasbah beyond the Andalusian Gardens. It has a fantastic view (above) of the outside of the kasbah walls and the Oued Bou Regreg, the river that separates Rabat from her sister city Sale, seen in the distance (beaches and buildings).

Looking back at Café Maure from where we were sitting. The view from the Café is the previous picture. This gives you an idea of how close the café is to the edge of the precipice.

Moroccan mint tea – our first! Very typical Moroccan local drink. This particular sample was ok – but very very sweet. Note the mint tea leaves in the glass and the lack of handles on the tea glasses. You have to hold it by the very bottom and the rim to keep from burning yourself.

The beautifully painted white and blue residential district of the kasbah. I couldn’t take enough pictures (but I’ll only share some). The plaster and cobblestones and winding, narrow streets give it a distinctly other worldly feel. Keep in mind this area has been inhabited since the 12th century. Which kind of blows my mind.

More of the blue and the white.

Somebody’s gotta keep it blue!

The view looking southwest from the kasbah’s Plateforme du Semaphore, where you can see the ancient battlements, the sunning beach goers (the weather was perfect) and the graveyard to the left. Both in Rabat and Sale across the river we noticed that the graveyards were very close to the beaches. We weren’t sure why this was the case.

The northern view from the Plateforme du Semaphore, looking across the Oued Bou Regreg to Sale and its beaches.

Battlements and beaches: Modern and medieval Rabat. View from the Plateforme du Semaphore.

View from the beach, Rabat side, looking back up at the kasbah. You can see the top of the mosque sticking over the wall on the right side.

Promised close-up of the massive gate to the kasbah, Bab Oudaia, which we caught on our way back to the car. Note the intricate stonework patterns and designs.

I think that’s it for now – hope you enjoyed our little springtime walk through Rabat’s medina and kasbah!