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We woke up in Morocco's capital city to the call to prayer. As it is coming into summer and the days are long, this meant a very early start - around 4:30am. Well early for me at least, as soon as the melodic singing voice being broadcast from the nearby mosque finished Dale continued happily snoozing, while I lay awake listening to streets outside and the hotel below me slowly come back to life.
Although the French protectorate of Morocco lasted only about 50 years its influence has continued here. French is widely spoken and menus contain many French dishes. Our guide Mohamed tells us that speed cameras were another gift from the French! On average, 10 people are killed in motor accidents every day - they call it "the war of the roads". So no wonder the French speed cameras are put to use.
Breakfast so far has consisted of baguette and croissants with a choice of cream cheese or thick Moroccan apricot jam. The orange juice is spectacular - freshly squeezed from the beautifully sweet oranges they grow here. At other meal times a basket of sliced baguette will be served as well as a dish of olives. There seem to be many different varieties of olives on offer. Green and kalamata olives I recognise, but pink, purple and white olives are new to me.
After breakfast in Rabat our guide took us to see some of the impressive historic sites of the city. First stop was the palace. Apparently the king has 14 palaces as well as over 20 private residences. The contrast between the immaculately maintained palace grounds and the filthy streets around the medina could not have been more noticeable. The palace itself is not open to the public, but we permitted into the palace grounds to look at the decorated entranceway and large planted avenues. I counted at least 6 different uniforms of those working inside the palace grounds, including the traditional white robe and red fez worn by palace servants.
Next stop was a much earlier palace ruin which contained ruins from Roman times. It was a very peaceful and romantic place with broken pillars and massive chunks of rock lying haphazardly every where. Some of the Moroccan tile work remained intact and it was easy to imagine the scale and beauty the place must once have had. Now it is home to a large number of storks which nest in the trees and tallest parts of the remaining structure.
We visited the mausoleum where the king's father and grandfather are buried. The Koran is read aloud inside it 24 hours a day - the readers take 4 hour shifts. In the old part of the city there is a labyrinth of blue and white painted buildings overlooking the sea. We stopped at an outdoor cafe with stunning views and ordered refreshing Moroccan mint tea which is served in small glasses with a fresh mint sprig steeping in the brew. A sweets vendor then came around with a tray of assorted cakes and pastries. Dale chose an almond cake and a coconut one, which he shared with me. Both were delicious. The texture reminded me of macaroons - with a crisp outer shell and soft chewy centre.
After morning tea it was back on the bus and off to Meknes.
- comments
Anneke Barkwith Yay for starting blog! Look forward to reading ongoing updates of your travels :) The cakes sound amazing!!! xox
Sarah McClean Yum! x