Volubilis Casablanca

Casablanca combines modern city with ancient city. The modern part is full of live and has a wide business district to cope with the industrial part of the country. Bu then you meet the artistic and cultural Casablanca. For example visiting the Royal Palace from outside of course it gives you an idea of the fastous monarchy of the morrocan royal family. The Palace is ...

... leader, Abdul, was a lovely young Moroccan man.\<br><br>The only thing we did in Casablanca, other than dinner, was visit the Hassan II mosque. It is the third largest mosque in the world. It was very beautiful... and huge... elaborately decorated... and had a huge price tag to enter. Ultimately I felt it was lovely but a bit... empty. I mean, why have such a gorgeous hammam that nobody ever uses?<br><br>Anyway, we escaped Casablanca before lunch to make our way to Rabat, the capital...

... us to this Ibis we are staying at. We're going to rest for a little while and then they will meet us in the hotel at 4:30. We know we are here tonight for sure, but not sure where we'll be tomorrow. I'm pretty tired, and my legs are shaking as I write this. Not sure if it's from fatigue, culture shock, hunger, etc. I definitely need a short nap, as well as a shower. I look and feel as if I haven't showered in about 10 days. :) Au revoire for now! :)

Eight of us booked a private tour to Marrakesh through HAL. We chose to use a HAL tour because the trip to Marrakesh is a long one and HAL's policy is that they will hold the ship if one of their tours is late, but if you go independently and you are late, the ship will go on without you. They had a big bus going to Marrakesh, but these smaller tours are usually cheaper, can usually go more places than the big buses, can usually get more done because they have ...

... decorated the sidewalks.  We couldn't figure out where the latrine smell came from, but we figured it out later when we spotted some public urination by gentlemen in business suits so we figured it was the done thing. Not to be put off by this we found our way to our hostel, which seemed clean enough but contained some highly unhelpful staff who, unlike the majority of Moroccan's we'd met at this point, didn't seem to speak French and didn't like to ...

Well 'they' have gone and done it 'they' have. They have done what they always can't help themselves to do. And, they didnt consult me. Me, whom has shared in the cultural and historical legacy of it......someone who has lived and breathed and tasted it.....and thereby has an attachment to it in much the same way that someone who has lived in London is always a Londoner....or someone who has lived in New York is always a New Yorker. I feel rather like the father of young ...

... Renault: What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca? Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters. Captain Renault: The waters? What ...

... Lynn and I felt like we were back in Morrocco... all was well again. Took an overnight train to Barcelona that evening and arrived there thursday morning at the paraiso hostel (also a fantasic hostel, right next door to the Bocaria market, just off the main street La Ramblas). Wandered Barcelona that day, and saw the fantastic Sagrada Familia Cathedral, by Gaudi... absolutely worth its 5 euros. Saw another assistant that evening, Drew, and went to the Dow ...