How fitting that we are ending our adventure in Casablanca. Although the movie wasn't even filmed in Morocco, I call almost sense Humphrey Bogart seeing us off at the plane.
The city is part French, part Moroccan--part Art Deco, part Casbah--part extremely wealthy, part struggling to get by. The joke our guide tells is that if you see a young man carrying an umbrella in Casablanca in July, then it must be raining in Paris. The wealthy compete to send their children to French schools and live in prestigious neighbourhoods. I think I miss the Amazighs (Berber) villages. Hypocritically, I suppose, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Hassan II Mosque and the Cathedral Notre Dame De Lourdes. The stain glass windows in Notre Dame were designed by Gabriel Loire (another nod to the French). When you enter you are simply awestruck. The building feels like a skeleton created just to hold up the stained glass. We get on a plane early tomorrow morning. So, here's looking at you, kid😄 As Time Goes By....You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom. P.S. If you haven't seen the movie Casablanca, they have it at the North Perth Library--all you need is a library card
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We are currently in Essaouira, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001. From the sound of the name and the howling of the wind, I was sure it meant "the Windy City"--apparently not. The first sight we saw when we opened our window this morning was a camel train being led down the beach. You sure don't see that in Grand Bend!
We spent most of the day at the port and the medina. The small fishing boats are almost all a colourful blue which really makes the harbour sparkle. Everywhere you turn there are seagulls looking for snacks. They especially hover over the fish cleaners--fish guts....yum! Everywhere we go in Morocco we get a deeper impression of its diversity. Only a few more days left to experience as much as we can, but it is safe to say we have fallen in love with Morocco. Many Europeans winter here. I can certainly see why. Home soon. You Are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom The city of Agadir was destroyed by an earthquake in1960. As we followed a group of boisterous university students to the local pizza joint, you would never have thought that this magnificently rebuilt city had suffered such tragedy. We got take-out and enjoyed it down by the seawall as the sun set.
The pizza was delicious, but my favourite part of the day was still the goats. Morocco has tree climbing goats! I'd heard this before, but it was quite the sight to see. The herders actually direct them into the fields of argan trees. These agile little creatures scamper up the trees to chomp on the leaves. So cool! Tomorrow we are going to an argon cooperative to learn more about argan oil. Until then-- You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom Salam lekum. There aren't enough superlatives to describe our day yesterday--it was magical....simply magical! We traveled by 4x4 through the dessert where we enjoyed a picnic in an oasis and traditional Moroccan dance. Then it was off to meet our dromedaries. We approached the peak of Erg Chebbi just before sunset. We settled in on the Moroccan carpets placed at the top of our ascent to enjoy God's unique light show. Chills--honestly--absolute chills! I get emotional just thinking about it. Special thanks to Boomaley--the best dromedary in the world😄 Hope you enjoy Dad's video. Watch for the Berber sledding. You are Always in My Prayers. Love Mom.
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Ray & Diane
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