I honestly had no idea what to expect when I signed up for a tour that included five nights in Morocco, the northern-most country of Africa. What I received was culture shock as I toured Fez and Marrakech, with stops in Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier. Everything was unique and fascinating about the people and their lifestyle, the Moorish architecture, and the flavorful food.
Our first introduction to Morocco was the long drive from the port city Tangier to Fez. We cruised through countless country towns where we witnessed rundown conditions, a lot of unfinished housing projects, and men sitting in open-air cafes waiting to conduct their daily business. Need a plumber? Simply walk from café to café and let it be known that you have a leaky pipe and soon enough you will find the town plumber shooting the breeze with the town electrician while they wait for business. While driving through the countryside, we passed by young boys herding sheep and cattle as they wait to be married off to a girl from a nearby village.
Fez was my favorite stop in Morocco. The Medina (old walled-in city) was founded in the 9th century and is a 540-acre maze of twisted, narrow streets consisting of houses, churches, palaces, shops, and more. This World UNESCO Heritage Site requires a guide to lead you through the Medina or you would easily be lost. We walked single file through the streets taking in the locals who may have never left the Medina, kids playing, thousands of street cats, and merchants selling textiles, carpets, spices, and leather goods.
While Fez is the more traditional city, Marrakech is the vibrant, loud, and colorful city that welcomes tourists and embraces change. Jemaa el-Fna is the main square where you can find snake charmers, monkeys, restaurants, and markets during the day. But the real action is at night when the square really comes alive. The crowds come out to shop, listen to drum circles and local musicians, and taste a plethora of local dishes from the numerous food stalls. I loved the cinnamon ginger tea.
In all my travels, which have covered five different continents, Morocco may have been the most unique cultural experience yet. –Ellen, November 2015
SENSORY OVERLOAD IN MOROCCO
I honestly had no idea what to expect when I signed up for a tour that included five nights in Morocco, the northern-most country of Africa. What I received was culture shock as I toured Fez and Marrakech, with stops in Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier. Everything was unique and fascinating about the people and their lifestyle, the Moorish architecture, and the flavorful food.
Our first introduction to Morocco was the long drive from the port city Tangier to Fez. We cruised through countless country towns where we witnessed rundown conditions, a lot of unfinished housing projects, and men sitting in open-air cafes waiting to conduct their daily business. Need a plumber? Simply walk from café to café and let it be known that you have a leaky pipe and soon enough you will find the town plumber shooting the breeze with the town electrician while they wait for business. While driving through the countryside, we passed by young boys herding sheep and cattle as they wait to be married off to a girl from a nearby village.
Fez was my favorite stop in Morocco. The Medina (old walled-in city) was founded in the 9th century and is a 540-acre maze of twisted, narrow streets consisting of houses, churches, palaces, shops, and more. This World UNESCO Heritage Site requires a guide to lead you through the Medina or you would easily be lost. We walked single file through the streets taking in the locals who may have never left the Medina, kids playing, thousands of street cats, and merchants selling textiles, carpets, spices, and leather goods.
While Fez is the more traditional city, Marrakech is the vibrant, loud, and colorful city that welcomes tourists and embraces change. Jemaa el-Fna is the main square where you can find snake charmers, monkeys, restaurants, and markets during the day. But the real action is at night when the square really comes alive. The crowds come out to shop, listen to drum circles and local musicians, and taste a plethora of local dishes from the numerous food stalls. I loved the cinnamon ginger tea.
In all my travels, which have covered five different continents, Morocco may have been the most unique cultural experience yet. –Ellen, November 2015