Our tour of Morocco


After a crazy travel day to Tangiers, we explored the city for a day. We woke up in the hostel and were greeted with this view from the rooftop terrace


We walked along the beach and had a wonderful meal. We went to the American Legion museum -  I didn't realize that Morocco was the first country to recognize the US as a nation independent from Britain, and our countries have long been friends. 

Because we were taking an overnight train that left at midnight, we ended up spending about 5 hours at the mall, since we had all our luggage with us, and the main train station is under renovation so there was really nowhere else we felt safe as the sun went down. Crossing the streets was an adventure in itself, they don't really stop for pedestrians unless you are right in front of their car.

I have always wanted to stay in a sleeper car, and it was a lot of fun. I think the train car was from the 1960's, and the bathrooms were not great, but we all enjoyed the 11 hour trip anyway

We arrived in Marrakech, and it was 107 degrees. Luckily our hotel had a pool, so we just relaxed for a few hours until we met our tour group at 6 pm.

Taking a guided tour of Morocco was a great relief for me, since I got a break from navigating and just had to show up when the guide told us to. We also got to see much more than we could have if I were planning the trip.
The tour we took was geared toward families, and there were 4 other families, including 4 boys between 8 and 13, so it was perfect for us. If you can believe it, our kids were some of the better behaved ones. I highly recommend Intrepid tours, it was quite affordable and they have some great itineraries all over the world.
We first went to the high Atlas Mountains, to a very small Berber town called Aroumd. We had to walk an hour to get there, and we stayed in a gite (homestay) with a lovely family. The mosque is on the right, and we heard the call to prayer starting at about 5:15 am.
The next day we took a harrowing bus ride through the mountains and the highest pass in Morocco, Tizi'n'Test. 

We stayed near Tarroudant, and the boys bought Berber robes
We visited a 12th century mosque, one of only 2 in Morocco than non-Muslims can enter

The boys took a donkey ride at an oasis

And check out this crazy rhinoceros beetle (my name for him, not sure what the actual name is)
We then travelled to Essaouira, on the coast, and took a camel ride!


Then we headed back to Morocco and the souks (market)
There were snake charmers in the main square, Djemma El-Fna. Against Jeff's wishes, Teo and I got some photos. Teo got a little close to a cobra who hissed at him.

There are nearly 50,000 mosques in Morocco, Koutoubia is one of the biggest
Our time in Morocco flew by. I am very glad we got to come to Morocco, and I think it will leave a lasting impression on the boys. It was a bit of a culture shock for all of us, and haggling over prices in the markets was exhausting, not my cup of tea.

Now for Paris!



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