Morocco

Morocco was absolutely incredible, I have uploaded a bunch of pictures on my facebook and will put the link at the end of the page. I left for Morocco last Satruday and got back Monday night. I was very surprised by how green it was there since i had envisioned a desert but it was about as far from that as possible. We crossed the straits of gibraltar by ferry and arrived in the Spanish province of Ceuta. It is similar to the united States Puerto Rico, and nearly impossible to tell that you are in Africa. After a bus tour of the city we headed across the border and headed south to Tetuon. We got in there late and ate dinner which was a vegetable tray of beats, carrots, rice, cucumbers, and tomatoes. For dinner was fried fish and more rice. The next morning we got up early had breakfast which was definitely quite an experience, there were crossiants, coffee, and tea...but there was also some small date filled pastries and pan fried flatbread that resembled a crepe but was a lot blander, chewier, and drier. We got things going relativey early and finally were explained why everywhere we looked was covered in these enormous red flags with a green star on them, the flag is that of Morocco and the reason why there were so many of them is because Morocco is a Kingdom of Mohammad VI and since he was visiting the area because it was the birthday of the prophet Mohammad, founder of Islam. We took a bus south to Chefchaouen which is situated very high up in the RIF mountains. The mountains are absolutely breathtaking and every thing was so green, I felt as if i was back in Ireland. When we got into Chefchaouen we has a tour of the city and weaved in and out of these small streets. There are very few cars there and only on the main roads of the city, much of the city is only accessible on foot. An interesting part of the city is that all of the buildings were painted blue since it is symbolic in the Islamic religion of

Godly love.

The city is nestled high up on one of the ridges and there is a great deal of elevation change within the city, making it quite a workout to get around. After our tour we visited a tapestry store and learned how they were made and some of the history behind them in terms of patterns and designs. After the presentation i headed upstairs to wander around and was able to see the loom that they have been using for over a 100 years and meet a man known as one of the most skilled in the world. After Chefchaouen we headed back to Teuton for lunch in this old Islamic building. We had more vegetables like the night before, lamb kabobs, and chicken, it was all very good.

After lunch we had a tour of the markets in Teuton which had very narrow streets and tiny stores. After the fresh food markets we passed into the old jewish quarter which while is still owned by many of the same jewish families as in the past many of the stores are rented and it is well known as a leather and gold area. In the Islamic religion, weddings last for three days and the women are required to wear a gold belt, but not plated, these belts are 18k pure gold and diamonds and can cost anywhere around 16,000 dollars.

After the markets we headed to an Herbaleria and learned about the many different herbs prevalent in Moroccan culture in their cooking, healthcare, and dying of fabrics. While the practice of using herbs is no longer as prevalent as it once was, it is definitely still a large part of the culture. We then hopped back on the bus and headed to the coastal city of Tanger. We had a wonderful dinner and Moroccan Folklore show. The show started with some singing and dancing, then a man who danced with a tray of candles on his head. At this point i was called up from the audience and attempted to replicate one of the things he was doing, by leaving his hand flat on the ground and spinning around it 360 degrees. I failed miserably on my first two attempts and looked like a fish out of water, but on the third attempt with a little help I was able to make it happen, I will post the link to the video online. The act was followed by some belly dancing and acrobats which were both very impressive. The food was a typical Islamic soup during Ramadan called Harare, next was some meatballs and eggs followed by Couscous with chicken and all sorts of vegetables.

The next day we had our camel rides in the morning and then headed off to the Point of Hercules where the Altantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea meet. The beaches were absolutely gorgeous and the cave was pretty cool too. Our drive back to Ceuta was all along between the coast and was absolutely incredible. The ferry ride on the way back included perfect weather and views and we were able to see Africa and Europe at the same time, it was unbelievable.

The pictures

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2028612&id=1607400358&l=403ae73923

The Video

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1238201687647