Morocco

Morocco 28 October 2009

The Phoenicians established the first settlement in the 7^th C on the present site of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast and called it Migdol, which meant watchtower. The settlers built a lucrative industry extracting a purple dye from a local mollusk. For centuries the town provided a safe harbour and a fresh water source on the trade route between the Cap Verde Islands and the equator. The Portuguese gained control of the bay as a trade and military post in the 15^th C and renamed it Mogodor. By the mid-16^th C the Portuguese had lost the port to the Saadians, descendants of Mohammed from Arabia. Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah hired a French architect to build a city, which he named Essaouira, meaning “well designed” on the shore of the bay. This name lasted until 1912 when the French reverted to the name Mogador. Finally, when Morocco regained independence from the French in 1956, the city once more became Essaouira.

It was a long, boring bus ride from Marrakesh. Next year travelers will take advantage of a new divided highway but right now it is just stretches of construction. Instead of 3 hours it took 3 ½ hours. Our return trip on the bus to Marrakesh was designed to connect with the train to Casablanca. There was only ½ hour between the bus and the train but despite our worries, we did make it with 15 minutes to spare.

The old walled city and fortifications of Essaouira mostly date from the 18^th C. You can walk on part of the ramparts where a row of brass cannons dated 1790 point out to sea. Essaouira is now a tourist destination with lots of restaurants and shops, but smaller and quieter than Marrakesh or Casablanca. Most tour groups only come for the day so the evening reverts to local families who love to walk the streets after work, buying snacks from the street vendors and doing their daily shopping.

Ramparts

Fishing boats in port

There is a busy fishing port full of small dories and bigger deep sea fishing boats. Fishermen sit by the wharf with their catch spread before them hoping. You can select a fish for your meal and have it cooked at one of the nearby fish restaurant stalls. They were loading sharks into a truck but they got very annoyed when we tried to take a photo of the sharks. I think it was because the shark fins had been removed for the Asian shark fin soup market.

Ride a camel on the beach

or join a football (soccer) game

The beach starts right beside the walled city and stretches for a km to sand dunes at the far end where camels strolled waiting for tourists to take a ride. Sunday is pickup soccer day on the beach. At least 10 soccer fields were laid out on the hard packed sand. Uniforms and even shoes were not required, neither were goal posts. It was just a fun day for the participants. The tide was out the morning we walked the beach. The beach has a reputation for being very windy but it was relatively calm. There were beach chairs and umbrellas to rent. It is still the chilly Atlantic Ocean but several families were wading into the shallows to catch the small waves breaking on the shore. Later in the day the wind increased enough to bring out the boards and surfboards. It looked like a good place for beginner surfers as the waves were still not very big.

We stayed in a riad in Essaouira. Riads were townhouses built for the wealthy townspeople. Many of them have been turned into luxury hotels but Riad Nakhla is in the budget category. The houses are built so densely together in Essaouira that some streets are just a tunnel. Some enterprising builders have built a bridge between two sides of a narrow street and added rooms over the bridge. We wondered what we were getting into when we found the front door of Riad Nakhla in a just such a tunnel. Opening the front door allayed our fears.

Riad Nakhla fountain

Even the roof of the terrace is decorated

Riad Nakhla is a very good example of a carefully restored Riad with well decorated common areas. On each floor, the rooms face an atrium open to the sky. The main flour is centered with a working fountain. Simple, not luxurious, rooms are on the next three floors. Our room was large with an attached toilet and shower. On nice days breakfast is served on the roof top terrace. When it is rainy or cold a glass-enclosed room on the rooftop is perfect. Cushioned sofas line the sides of the room and the ceiling is painted in brightly coloured designs of plants and flowers, like the Bahia Palace in Marrakesh. This room was perfect for our late day card games.

Right behind the riad is a large mosque being completely rebuilt. We were lucky never to be too close to active mosques. The call to prayers emanates from the minaret via loudspeakers five times a day. The first call of the day at 4:30 AM is far too early for us.

What is a typically Moroccan experience no visitor should skip? Going to a Hammam. I finally visited a hamman (public bath) in Essaouira and I can unconditionally recommend it for anyone who likes a little pampering. You can go to any number of upscale spas for your hammam experience but I chose a small, traditional one for women only. The hand painted sign above the door simply said “douches publique”. I went all out. For Dh100 (15 CAD) I was handed a loofah mitt and a plastic package of dark oil for a “gommage” (a body scrub) and a massage as well as the bath. I was led past a roaring wood fire that heats the water for the baths into a change room with lockers. Stripped down to panties, I was given three big plastic buckets and led into a large tiled room with a trough along one side. The buckets were filled with hot water from taps in the trough and sluiced over me. I followed the lead of two other women seated on the floor and began scrubbing myself with a loofah mitt. My attendant arrived and offered an unusual mixture for me to smell. A mixture of clay, dried herbs, roses, lavender and some of the black oil is used for the gommage. She proceeded to rub some of the mixture on my limbs and scrape it down with mitt, ever now and then sluicing me down with more hot water. Next came the oil massage, performed not on a special table but on the tiled floor. The treatment ended with a shampoo and a soap down. It took about one hour for me to feel completely cleansed and renewed. Try it, you’ll like it!

Our visit to Morocco ended where it started, in Casablanca. We booked into a different hotel, Oued-Dahab Hotel, the poor sister of the more upscale Guynemer Hotel, down the street. I had reserved a room with a shower and that is what we were shown, a double room with a shower and sink, no toilet. When I asked if there were any rooms available with attached toilet, I was told that all had common toilets in the hall. The facilities were somewhat antiquated and in need of refurbishment but clean and it was only for one night so we stayed. The owners turned out to be very attentive and kind. They phoned the Guynemer the next morning and arranged for us to have their buffet breakfast at half the street rate and then put us in a taxi to the airport for the same price as the less convenient train.

We enjoyed our second visit to Casablanca, discovering a few places we missed the first time, including a gem of a fresh fish restaurant right across from the Central Market. All in all it was a great trip.

So now we are back in Paris. The weather has been moderate, not as warm as it was in September, but still pleasant in the sun. Instead of the usual tourist attractions this time we are taking care of our grandsons, Atticus and Roman, while their parents have a little holiday in Barcelona. We did have a very nice visit with Andrew’s parents, Mary and Herb Auerbach, on their last day in Paris. We visited one man’s fabulous collection of ancient Korans and other artifacts at the Arabic Center, had lunch at Bread and Roses, a small restaurant owned by friends of the Auerbachs, and indulged in a big family style dinner at La Cave de L’Os a Moelle. With the children we have gone swimming, taken the boys for their semi-annual haircut and spent a lot of time in parks.

Time is passing swiftly and we will soon be back in Ottawa. We hear there are still lots of leaves for us to rake and our garden needs winterizing. We will be sad to leave the Parisien family but it will not be long before we return to Paris for Christmas. Now it is time to see the rest of our family and friends in Ottawa.