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My Trip Report - Spain Portugal and Morocco

My Trip Report - Spain Portugal and Morocco

Old May 27th, 2005, 01:09 PM
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Thursday, April 28. This will mostly be a travel day, with the exception of Casablanca. Up early and down to breakfast by 7:15. Breakfast is the same as yesterday, and I ate four of the pancake thingys. Use ATM in hotel lobby to get another 1000 dirham. Depart hotel at 8:00. The landscape in this part of Morocco reminds me of the four corners area of USA. Desert broken up by green areas, occasional hills and small villages. A rest stop after about 2 hours for 30 minutes then back on the road.

We arrive in Casablanca around 11:00. Whereas Fez and Marrakesh were obviously older cities with city walls and low buildings, Casablanca is a much more modern city with high-rise buildings and major traffic issues. Rick, Ilsa and Victor wouldn’t recognize it anymore.

We drive through the modern city on wide boulevards and are shown several historic buildings. The boulevard we are traveling on then intersects with a larger boulevard that parallels the Atlantic coast. We turn north and head towards one of the largest mosques in the world. After the Mosque in Mecca, the Hassan II Mosque of Casablanca is the second largest Islamic monument in the world. Built in 1993 to commemorate the 60th birthday of the former King of Morocco, the Hassan II Mosque is a sight to behold. It was built right on the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean, and has a 689 foot high minaret. It can hold 25,000 worshipers inside and the large plaza can hold an additional 80,000 people. 6000 Morocco artisans were used in the construction and the final cost for construction ended up being in the 800 million US dollar area, most being paid for by the King himself. All of the materials used in the construction were found in Morocco, most of it donated, except for the Murano Glass chandeliers.

After the Mosque, we are taken to the medina section of Casablanca, the only section that still retains that “old morocco” feel. We are given an hour and a half to explore the area and eat. Next to the old medina is a hotel that has “Rick’s Café Americana” recreated, but unfortunately, it was closed for repairs. We find a KFC and eat there. There is a souvenir shop close to the KFC and I go in and buy three fez hats for about 50 dirhim each.

Back on the road headed for Rabat, the capital of Morocco. We arrive in Rabat at about 3:30. Our first stop is the unfinished Hassan Minaret. The third of the minarets built by the Almohad Sultans (the other two being the ones in Sevilla and Marrakesh), but construction halted upon the death of the Sultan in 1199. It was intended to rise to 240 feet, but only made it to 140 feet before construction was halted. There is a very large plaza with dozens of columns (we were told that some of them were “looted” from Volubilis, the old Roman ruins near Fez) and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the grandfather of the current King. The Mausoleum is one of the few Muslim religious buildings that non-Muslims can enter.

We were then taken to the old medina section of Rabat where we were led through the massive old city walls and into the alleyways of the Oudayas casbah. Back on the bus and we are then taken to the Royal Palace where the current King lives. We see the private Mosque of the King and the impressive gates into the private compound of the Palace. The King was not in residence at this time, being on an official diplomatic trip out of the country.

Back to the hotel as it was dinner time and dinner was included in the hotel stay. Quite good offering of couscous and chicken tagine with lots of vegetables and breads. After dinner, I go out walking and end up back at the Hassan minaret. It is lit up with flood lights now and is even more impressive like this. I turn and walk further into the central part of the town and enter into several bookstores. All the books are in either Arabic or French.

After walking around for an hour and a half, it’s back to the hotel to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be the longest travel day of the entire trip, as we will go from here in Rabat all the way to Granada in Spain. Hopefully, the crossing of the Straits of Gibraltar will be much smoother tomorrow than they were a few days ago.

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Old May 27th, 2005, 03:00 PM
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KE1TH, thanks so much for this detailed, informative, entertaining, and interesting report. I have been reading since you first posted early in May.

You have had quite a trip! Thanks for sharing your experiences. Among many other things, I loved reading about your visit to Omar's house. I am also printing this report to enjoy reading again over the weekend as I sit outside if the sun ever comes out where I live! I will be visiting Portugal in July and have wanted to go to Morocco for as long as I can remember.

I truly appreciate all the effort and time you invested in writing this fascinating report.

Best wishes to you in your future travels!

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Old May 27th, 2005, 03:12 PM
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Fascinating - really brings back memories - like the smell at the tannery.
One small point, the mosque in Meknes is not the only one that non-muslims can enter. I've been in the Hasssan II in Casa.
Looking forward to your next post !!
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Old Jun 2nd, 2005, 07:51 AM
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Friday, April 29. Up really early today. Wake-up call is at 5:30. Breakfast is at 6:00 and the bus leaves at 7:00AM. We drive through the desolate streets of Rabat towards the motorway. It is motorway all the way from Rabat to that first little town we stopped at on the first day in Morocco, Larache. From there, it is two lane road to Tangier. It takes about 3 hours or so to get to the port at Tangier. I asked why the tour didn’t spend the evening in Tangier instead of Rabat and was told that the main reason is because Moroccans looking to leave Morocco illegally have been known to hide in the wheel wells and under carriages of tour buses and that some bus drives have been injured when they discovered the stowaways. So the tour company made a business decision to not put the driver in a position to have to search the bus. True or not? I don’t know, but it does make sense.

The crossing of the Straits of Gibralter is much smoother this time. Even though the port at Tangier is less “modern” than the one at Algeciras, it actually took less time to board the ferry here than it did a few days earlier in Spain. We did have to tote our luggage off the bus and carry it with us onto the ferry as customs in Spain will check it upon arrival. The crossing took about an hour and a half and this time the seas were much calmer. A much more pleasant crossing this time than it was last time.

We arrive at Algeciras and have to tote our luggage from the ferry to the passport and customs area. We were all basically waved through. Not a single piece of luggage was opened for inspection (it was x-rayed). We have to wait only about 15 minutes for the bus to be unloaded and then it’s off towards the Costa del Sol.

We drive through several of the coastal resorts along the Costa del Sol before we stop for lunch in Marbella. I once again try my ATM card and once again it is rejected. I have about 100 euro left from Portugal, so hopefully that will last me these last three days. We have about two hours here to explore and eat. I choose a small café and have a ham sandwich and a bottled water. I have no idea exactly which beach or where we are in regards to Marbella, but it could be Florida for all I can tell. Didn’t do much exploring and was back on the bus headed towards Malaga and the Sierra Nevada before long.

We drove through Malaga and were shown the Cathedral and a few other sites before we turn away from the beaches and head inland towards the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Granada. The drive through the Sierra Nevada is breathtaking. These are the tallest mountains in Spain and have lots of winter sports facilities. The motorway weaves through the mountains climbing higher and higher as we go.

We eventually make it to Granada. We arrive around 5:00PM or so and go directly to the hotel. Dinner is included this evening, so we check into our rooms, freshen up and go down to dinner at 7:00. While we are eating, a string quartet from Tuna Universitaria de Granada performed for us playing such favorites as “Granada”, “Y Viva Espana”, “Cielito Lindo” and “Malaguena”. I purchased their CD for 10 euro. It’s in my cd player in the car. Most of us then went to the bar for an included local drink. I don’t know the name of the local drink, but it was on tap and resembled champagne. It had a bitter taste. I didn’t like it, and from all the glasses left on tables still mostly full, I gather that most of my compatriots didn’t like it either.

After this, we decided to do some evening exploring. We walked the quarter mile or so to the Cathedral. It was lit up with floodlights and was beautiful. The Alhambra up on the hill was also awash with floodlights. We walked around the area for about 30 minutes then headed back to the hotel. We found an Irish bar a few doors up from the hotel and had a few pints and then retired for the evening.

Tomorrow: The Alhambra and La Mancha

Saturday, April 30. Today includes a visit to one of if not the Jewel of Spain, the Alhambra. The Alhambra is located on a strategic hill overlooking Granada (al-Hamra means red castle in Arabic). The original buildings were built in the 9th century. In the 13th century, a fortress residence was built for Mohammed ben Al-Hamar, the King of the Islamic kingdom of Nasrid. It has a self-contained medina, (independent of the Medina of Granada) where the Moorish Palace is located, as well as the Alcazaba, or military fortress. After the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, an additional palace, the Charles V Palace, was added to the complex.

The reddish exterior walls of the fortress and the Moorish palace belie the ornate interiors that you discover inside. Once inside the Nasrid Palaces, you find three separate palaces: the Mexuar, the Comares, and the Palace of the Lions. The Mexuar appears to have been more of a Judicial building than a residence. Unfortunately, much damage and changes occurred after the Catholic Monarchs and the original lay-out and construction of the Mexuar has been lost to time. What is still there, however, is quite impressive. The Mexuar Hall has four columns holding up a balcony and in the rear of the room is a smaller alcove-like room where the Kings granted audience. There are tiles with writings on them, one of which states: “Everything that you own comes from God” and another that states: “Enter and fear not ask to ask for justice, for you will find it”.

Next comes the Comares Palace. The Palace is built around the Court of the Myrtles, a 110 foot long rectangular pool with myrtle bushes planted along side. The most impressive room of the Palace is the Salón de los Embajadores, or Hall of the Ambassadors. This room is where official receptions occurred because the throne of the King was located here. The hall is completely decorated from floor to ceiling with glazed tiles with geometric designs or inscriptions of praise in Arabic. The ceiling is a representation of the Eight Heavens of the Islamic Paradise. Cedar wood is intricately carved with interlacing patterns. The room is lighted so that the King sitting on his throne is in silhouette as subjects enter the room. He can see them but they cannot see him.

The Hall of the Ambassadors is located within the Comares Tower, a 150-foot high tower that is the tallest tower of the Alhambra complex, although it doesn’t appear to be the highest because its base is located further down the hill from the rest of the buildings. The Hall of the Ambassadors is located somewhat in the middle of the tower and the windows look out over Albaicin, the old Arabic section of Granada. Legend has it that the decision by Queen Isabella to sponsor Columbus’ voyage to India (and his subsequent discovery of America) was made within the Hall of the Ambassadors.

There are several other equally impressive rooms that comprise the Comares Palace, like the Sala de la Barca, or the Hall of the Boat and the Patio del Cuarto Dorado, or Patio of the Gilded Room.

The third Palace is the Palace of the Lions, which is built around the magnificent Patio of the Lions. The Patio of the Lions is probably the most famous section of the entire Alhambra complex. In the center of the courtyard is a fountain resting on twelve lions that spout water from their mouths. Surrounding the courtyard is a cloister of 124 white marble columns which support cubic capitals and plaster Arabic arches. There are several impressive rooms located on the various sides of the courtyard. The most important ones are the Hall of the Kings, the Hall of the Two Sisters, the Hall of the Ajimeces, and the Hall of the Abencerrajes.

The Sala de los Reyes, or the Hall of the Kings, is comprised of several rooms, all exquisitely decorated with tile and mocarabes. Mocarabes is an encrustation with which the Moors coated archways and ceilings. These were pre-moulded in plaster and fitted ingeniously together to create the effect of stalactites in a grotto.

The Sala de Dos Hermanas, or the Hall of the Two Sisters, is named so because of two large flat marble slabs in the floor that have a small channel of water that runs into the Patio of the Lions. It has a perfect dome of mocarabes and the glazed tile with geometric patterns and Arabic verses on the walls.

The Hall of the Ajimeces and the Hall of the Abencerrajes are, like the other halls, intricately decorated with tiles and mocarabes. You could literally spend hours looking at the details of the craftsmanship.

You now enter a section of the Alhambra called the Emperors Chambers. They were built for Charles V in 1537, but he never lived in them. Someone who did live in them was Washington Irving, the American writer (Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle). In 1829 he lived in one of the four rooms that comprise the Emperors Chambers (the room is now called the Washington Irving room) and wrote Alhambra which was published in 1832. The Emperors Chambers is quite plain in appointments, especially compared to the Palaces just visited. You pass through the Patio of the Wrought Iron Grille on the way out of the buildings. You are now outside and pass through Daraxa’s Gardens with cypress trees, orange trees and box bushes surrounding a fountain. You then pass into a larger garden called the Garden of the Partal. You are now finished with the Nasrid Palaces.

Next we visit the Palace of Charles V. The Palace of Charles V was built on his command starting in 1527. It is a large rectangular building with the north and eastern walls directly attached to the already existing Nasrid Palaces. The south and western exterior walls are heavily decorated in Renaissance style. The building is probably the most important Renaissance building in Spain. The highlight of the building is circular two-tiered colonnaded patio in the center of the building.

The Alcazaba is the actual fortress section of the Alhambra and is on the section of the hill facing the open plains of Granada. It is the oldest section of the Alhambra and it’s red walls are what give the complex it’s name. The Alcazaba has the traditional turrets and towers that most medieval military fortress have.

We then walk through the Upper Alhambra to the wonderful gardens called the Generalife. The Generalife is located on the slopes of the Hill of the Sun across a ravine from the Palaces of the Alhambra. It affords a fantastic view of both the Alhambra and Granada below. The gardens were constructed in the 13th century to be a leisure place for the Kings. There is a wonderful but simple building in the Generalife worth mentioning called The Patio de la Acequia, or Patio of the Irrigation Ditch (doesn’t the Spanish word sound much better). It is a long rectangular pool with whispery jets of water shooting into it. A cloister of columns surrounds it.

After exploring the Generalife, the tour of the Alhambra ends. We have spent about four hours and walked at least two miles viewing this wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We now leave Granada headed north to Madrid. It is an uneventful trip excepting the wonderful scenery we pass, including miles and miles of olive trees and mountain passes and canyons. We pass through the region of La Mancha made famous by the tales of Cervantes. There are several windmills still standing, although most have been lost to time and progress.

We arrive in Madrid and our hotel at about 3:00. I head to my room to freshen up and then jump on the number 23 bus and head to Plaza Mayor with several of my fellow tour mates for some people watching and tapas and sangria. More for the sangria than the tapas or people watching. We sit there watching Madrid walk by for a couple of hours. I believe we have four jugs of sangria and four or five different tapas dishes. After this, we head back to the hotel because most of us have early flights home tomorrow.

Sunday, May 1. Breakfast by 7:30. All packed to leave by 8:30 and transfer to airport at 9:30. I check-in at the American counter at Madrid airport. Security ask questions like how did I pay for my ticket. How much did my ticket cost. I couldn’t answer the cost question as the air price was included in my total package cost. But they let me through.

Had about two hours to kill waiting so I hit the duty free shops. I really don’t understand duty-free. I understand the concept, but all the items are priced so high that you actually can pay less for it at home even with the taxes and duty added. Anyway, I was a few souvenirs short for the nieces and nephews, so I got a few trinkets to use up my little remaining euro (BTW: I had tired once more in Madrid to see if my ATM card would work and it did not).

The flight back was just as bad as the flight over. It was probably the exact same plane. No personal screens in the seat in front of you, adequate but not inspired service. Screaming baby somewhere a few rows behind me. You all have taken a similar flight.

Arrived in Madrid and had to go through passport control. What a mess. Very poor physical lay out. There is only about 25 feet of floor space for the line to form before you come to a wall, so instead of lines, you have a mass of people. Very confusing and frustrating.

I had to walk from E Terminal to A Terminal to catch my connecting flight. I was glad I had a two and a half hours in Miami. The flight to Atlanta was mercifully quick.

After picking up my luggage, I took the shuttle to the parking area on Camp Creek Parkway. My parking bill for the two weeks was $126.00. Although I was very tired, I drove the two hours to get home and get into my very own bed. I got home at about 9:00PM and went straight to bed. I had to be at work the next morning at 9:00AM.

I had a great time and would love to visit all three countries again. Some people, especially on this forum, frown upon escorted trips like this, but I have done both independent travel and escorted travel and you have pluses and minuses with each. I don’t think that I could have arranged an independent itinerary that took in as much as what I saw for what I ended up paying for this trip. Two weeks, all hotels (3 or 4 star), portering, breakfast every morning, eight dinners, transportation (coach with 48 seats and toilet), ferry crossing, local guides, and airfare from Atlanta to Madrid and back for $2000.00. You do give up some freedom in that you may want to spend more time in this area as opposed to that area, but if you’ve made reservations at hotels in advance, you still have to be at that hotel on the date reserved. You still have to arrange how to get from point A to point B and you have to carry your own luggage instead of having it portered for you. Plus you get to meet amazing people that you become friends with. I now have new friends from Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada and other parts of the USA.

Thanks for reading my trip report. I tried to make it as accurate and detailed as I remembered. I didn’t take notes, I just used my pictures and the printed itinerary (and a few trips to google.com) to remember place and structure names. Hopefully most of the details are accurate and do not mislead anyone. “ehw” is correct in that the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca does allow non-Muslims to enter. Non-Muslims are allowed to tour the Mosque four times a day with escort and fee.

Keith
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