Moroccan and Mo'rollin through Morocco, part I

October 15, 2024

Greetings Friends, Family, and Fellow Travelers,

We are putting the finishing touches on our newsletter from El Jadida, a port city on the western coast of Morocco, though by the time we send it, we’ll likely be in Kuala Lumpur after a very long day of flying from Casablanca to Doha and then from Doha to Kuala Lumpur. [Ed note: We exceeded the allowed post limit, so please see part I for Sara’s take and a recap and part II for Justin, Jonah, Simon, and Calla’s blogs plus our videos]. There is so much to say about our two weeks in Morocco. Our days have been packed, and I’ve been trying to keep with daily journal entries so I don’t forget anything. Honestly, I think we’re all feeling pretty worn down at this point, and ready to continue our journey elsewhere. For the most part, Morocco has been such a wonderful experience, but the last few days haven’t been awesome and everyone is quite prickly. We really need some time apart (kids from each other, us from the kids), and I’m hopeful that using kids’ clubs in Borneo and the Maldives will help everyone reset a bit. I was initially going to consolidate my day-to-day recap, but I am not sure how I can sum up such a multi-faceted journey in a highlight reel. So… I’m offering the TL/DR version for those of you who just want the highlight, as well as the longer version for those of you interested in the daily recap (i.e., probably just our mothers). 

TL/DR: Highlights: Merzouga/Sahara Desert, lunch with a Berber family in Skoura, Jewish history and heritage stops, msemen (Moroccan pancakes) and freshly squeezed orange juice, Chefchaouen, our driver/guide, Rabii

Lowlights: Day tour to Marrakech, our hotel in Essaouira, getting stranded in the rain

DAILY RECAP

Casablanca —> Rabat

September 29, 2024: We arrived in Casablanca in the afternoon after a short delay leaving Milan. It was clear from our surroundings that we were no longer in Europe, and all of us were eager to explore a small slice of a new continent. After navigating our way through passport control (and being waved through by customs) we met our driver/guide, Rabii, who was with us for the duration of our time in Morocco. Unlike our time in Europe, which I planned on my own, we opted to visit Morocco via private tour. Everything was organized by an incredible, Marrakech-based travel company called Sun Trails, and after months of planning (me) and driving (Justin) it was so nice to be able to sit back and let someone else take the reins. Rabii was wonderful with our kids and is experienced in the tourism industry. I don’t think I saw him look at a GPS until at least a week and a half into the trip.

Just as quickly as we arrived in Casablanca, we were whisked away to our first riad in Rabat, where we arrived around 6:30. Riads are traditional Moroccan homes, often with gardens, courtyards, and a small pool. We were delighted when we saw Riad Zio, as it was lovely and colorful. For most of our time in Morocco, we roomed in one double and one triple room, aka the “girls’ room” and “boys’ room.” Calla is excellent company and is improving on both her bed sharing and willingness to go to bed at night. Before departing, we tried to re-organize our luggage so that we could ditch our largest bag for the duration of the trip, which was mostly successful. We sat down to dinner at 7:30 to a delectable spread of food, including eggplant and fish tagine. The boys had orange yogurt for dessert, but I had already taken Calla upstairs because she said she was really, really tired. So that was our first day in Morocco. Not much to report, but an auspicious start.

Rabat —> Chefchaouen

September 30, 2024: Well, no sooner did we arrive in Rabat than we were ready to check out. For our first breakfast in Morocco, we were introduced to rhagit (also called msemen), which are Moroccan pancakes made of folded dough. Jonah and I are now completely enamored with them. Also phenomenal in Morocco is the fresh squeezed orange juice. Rabii picked us up at nine and we met our guide, Mohammed for a tour of Salé, which is the city next to Rabat; apparently the two have quite the long-standing rivalry. Mohammed is a professor archaeology, so he was able to access all of these places that most tourists are unable to visit. We visited the Madrasa of Abu al-Hasan, which – until about 100 years ago – was used as an Islamic school. We saw the students’ (all male) sleeping and study quarters, which were incredibly small and windowless. We were also taken to an old prison that Mohammed is currently helping to renovate and turn into a museum. On the roof were several old cannons, and the kids were able to hold cannonballs. This, of course, resulted in quite a bit of excitement. In the middle of the day, we stopped for yum my pastries and tea. This was our first experience with Moroccan mint tea, but definitely not our last because Moroccans LOVE tea and we love their tea, too. Calla kept trying to steal more sugar for her tea, but in the end it didn’t matter because she only ate the mint out of the mint tea. At the same time, about halfway through our meal Jonah finally discovered the presence of sugar, even though we’d been saying things to both his siblings like “stop taking so much sugar” pretty much nonstop since we sat down. So… pretty much on par for these two. Around 1:30pm, we started driving to Chefchaouen, with only a quick stop to pick up some additional snacks and use the bathroom. We arrived at our riad around 5:30, where we were given tea and some cookies, and it was nice to have just a little bit more time in the evening before dinner. I took Calla out for a walk/photo shoot. Chefchaouen is just so, so beautiful, and I see why people come here. The blues are multi-hued and bright, and it was so fun to poke around all the nooks and crannies and explore. Calla poses for lots and lots of photos before we returned to the raid for our 7:30pm dinner, and at times attracted quite an audience with her “diva” and “jazz hands” poses. For our meal, we had squash soup, and this delicious main course of meatballs with eggs on top that felt like Morocco’s take on a shakshouka. Even Calla “most likely to become a vegetarian” enjoyed it.  

Chefchaoeun —> Fes

October 1, 2024: We left our riad to explore Chefchaouen, where I insisted on taking approximately one million pictures. Rabii dropped us off in one place and we got so turned around in the winding streets that I need to text him to ask him to pick us up by the riad instead. I loved Chefchaouen, as I knew I would. Simon and Jonah decided to start counting the number of cats they saw. I suggested that they might want to incorporate a correction into their formula, given the high likelihood of repeats (re-cats?) as we inadvertently backtracked our way through Chefchaouen, perhaps 5-10% of the overall total. “Math?!” cried my horrified sons, and thus Simon and Jonah’s (uncorrected) cat total of the day = 112.

We briefly stopped at a Jewish cemetery and synagogue in Asjen, and continued to the archaeological site Volubilis, which contains remains from the Roman Empire as old as 3^rd century B.C. After traveling through Croatia and Italy, we continue to be amazed at the widespread reach of the Roman Empire. While there, someone kept trying to take photos of Simon and Calla. This made Simon uncomfortable, but Calla “baby diva” Schmidt, was all in. We’ve talked with the kids a lot about how they may receive a lot of attention in some of the countries to which we are traveling, particularly blonde haired and blue-eyed Calla. We’ve told them it’s okay to tell people “no” photos if they don’t want their picture taken, and at the same time, it’s okay to tell people “yes” if that’s what they feel comfortable with. Justin and I also don’t love when people start taking photos without asking us first and are still trying to figure out how to navigate this respectfully and in a way that is culturally responsive.

We arrived at our riad in Fes in the late afternoon and were treated to tea in an outdoor courtyard with a small pool and turtles. (Poor turtles, who would soon be descended upon by three very eager children.) Our four-course dinner was divine: green bean soup, veggies including this super yummy pumpkin, chicken tagine, and dessert with crunchy tulle and peach. Best food thus far.

Fes

October 2, 2024: We left our riad for a full day of touring around Fes with our guide, Farida. Farida met us at the riad since it’s humanly impossible to navigate the streets of Fes without getting completely lost. She immediately scooped Calla up for a big hug and kissed her on the cheek. I love how open and friendly Calla is, and at the same time, good lord this girl needs to build some self-preservation instincts if she’s going to be a world traveler! First, we visited the new Fes (outside the walls), and sampled a fresh squeezed juice of sugar cane, lemon, and ginger (yum). This is also where the Jews in the area live, and Farida explained to us that the balconies on the homes get transformed into sukkahs during Sukkot (which is coming up soon). Next, Rabii drove all of us to a traditional pottery studio, which is not in the main souk because of the artists’ need for large ovens at high heat. The kids got to try their hand on the pottery wheels, and then we saw how the artisans make mosaics. In the showroom, we were able to view the final, ornate pieces on display: water fountains, tagines, teapots. Each kid was given a small piece of clay and a mosaic stone to take home.

Finally, it was time to visit the souk. As we entered the walls, Farida explained to us that there are two different types of signs indicating whether a street is open (i.e., you can exit from another way) or closed (i.e., a dead end). She also showed us that the apartments have two doors, one smaller one for every day, and a larger one for fancy occasions. Farida grew up within the walls of Fes as the oldest of 8, though none of her siblings live there anymore. We sampled pomegranate juice (too sour for us) and rziza, which are pancakes made of stringy phyllo. Jonah and I loved the rziza, but we were already so full we could barely get through two of them. Unfortunately, they have proven impossible to find elsewhere, so we will just hold them in our tastebuds’ memory.

The market of Fes…. Madness. Glorious, glorious madness. Different smells and sights every time you turn a corner. I especially loved the scent of the sandalwood. We visited the tannery, where we were given mint springs because the smell of the leather is overpowering. We saw a zebra hide, and Jonah was horrified until he learned it was just a cow dyed to look like a zebra. Calla and I picked up a couple of new scarves, and we visited an argon oil shop. By this point, it was starting to feel like advertisement travel, and we talked with the kids about balancing supporting artisans and learning about their products while at the same time, not wanting to feel like we have to purchase things. This is especially important for our year-long trip – (turns out, shipping a package internationally is a whole to do. We still have a box in Italy we can’t figure out how to send). There just isn’t space in our luggage for all the things we would want to take home.

We returned to our riad and were later met by a porter to escort us to dinner. I love that restaurants in Fes offer this service, or we’d never find our way there or back. Typically, we’ve been eating dinner in our riads, but we were on our own this evening so decided to try out a place called Dar Roumana, which had been recommended by our tour company and was written up on several “best of Fes” websites. Unfortunately, the dinner was both overpriced and not that great, though the décor was lovely. That said, the adventure out of the hotel room allowed the boys to beat their previous cat record, with a whopping daily total of 134.

Fes —> Azrou

October 3, 2024: We left Ryad Salama at the gloriously late hour of 10am and drove to a beautiful lake in Ifrane where we walked around and looked at the ducks. Next, we stopped for a quick lunch at a restaurant the defied cuisine categorization; their menu included pizza, pasta, burgers, tacos, and Moroccan staples. Jonah ordered a burger, which prompted Calla to – for the 5,000^th time – insist on a burger for herself despite the fact that every time she gets one she does not eat it. It was worth the $5 cost to avoid the meltdown, so she got a burger and for the first time literally ever, she took a bite and said she liked it, but was quick to clarity that she only liked it when combined with everything else and she did not actually like the burger itself. She mostly ate the bread and fries. Justin and I split chicken pastilla and eggplant au gratin. [Ed note: I keep having this experience of knowing I’ve eaten and enjoyed pastilla before, but I cannot for the life of me remember where. I’ve now had it a few times in Morocco.] After lunch, we took photos by a giant lion rock, and then headed to the Ifrane National Park, which contains 10% of the world’s population of the Atlas Cedar tree, as well as 25% of the world’s population of the Barbary Macaque. The kids loved watching the monkeys play, and all of us were hysterical with laughter when one of the monkeys stole bread from a nearby table and then quickly absconded, climbing a tree and throwing small pieces down until he tossed down the entire loaf to an awaiting monkey, who quickly disappeared into the forest.

We arrived at our hotel around 3pm, which gave us lots of time to relax, swim, go to the gym (Sara & Justin), and get a massage (Sara) before our 7:30 dinner. For the first time, Calla swam independently, which we caught on video.

Azrou —> Merzouga

October 4, 2024: Today we left Azrou and drove for six hours to get to the desert so it wasn’t a big day for activities. We were going to make a stop to see more monkeys, but our guide didn’t see them in the forest so he continued driving. We made a couple of stops for scenic views, where the kids talked me into buying them Oreo popsicles because “it’s hot out.” (Again, we are in a desert.) We stopped to visit an artisan who turns fossils into art, which was moderately interesting, but it was also another one of those “here, look at fossils and now here is my showroom where I sell things.” We’ve told our guide that it makes our kids uncomfortable (us, too) and that we aren’t planning to shop, so it’s likely best to avoid places like this unless the visit allows for more hands-on participation or learning for the kids.

We made it to our riad at 4:30pm, and promptly all went in the pool. This pool….just…wow. The desert in the distance, the cool water, Calla flexing her new skills. I was worried the frequent long car rides would be too much, but they really aren’t at all because the scenery is diverse and stunning. We saw the Atlas Mountains, then the sand dunes, and then suddenly we were no longer on the highway as Rabii had veered off onto a desert road. After swimming, we packed for the desert, and then Calla and I had a lovely time sitting out on the little balcony. She colored and I did a word puzzle, and I told her it reminded me of being in Puerto Rico together, eating pastries out on the balcony in the morning – the first time we had a “girls room” while traveling. We all went out to the pool to take some photos, where we met several members of a large tour group. They offered me a glass of wine, which I happily accepted, and then we had a lovely four course dinner outside before we headed to bed in anticipation of our day in the desert!

Merzouga

October 5, 2024: Today we woke up at our beautiful riad, took some photos outside, and ate breakfast. The kids weren’t super hungry, but we knew we had to steel ourselves for a long day ahead. First, we did a little shopping so that we could find scarves for the men and some Moroccan-style camel riding outfits for the ladies. Then, we went to have tea with nomads. The woman who prepared out bread and tea did not come sit with us because she was taking care of her sleeping baby, Deena, who was dozing soundly on a mat. Rabii provided information about the history of community and showed us around the compound. The nomads live in tents they make from blankets and camel skin. Our tea was very strong and everyone kept adding extra sugar. Rabbi called it “Berber whiskey.” We were also given some nuts and bread with delectable date sauce to accompany it. We also saw the fridge made from animal skin, as well as marveled at the handmade outdoor ovens for bread and couscous.

In anticipation of our camel riding adventure later in the day, much of our car ride was spent discussing names for our camels. Here is what we landed on:

Humphrey II - Jonah

Humpty Dumpty - Calla

Wednesday - Sara

Camelman (18) - Simon

Camala Saharris – Justin

Rabii, naturally, declined to name his fictitious camel. Next up was a trip to go hunting for fossils. The boys found a lot of “crystals,” and are now scheming to figure out how to export them back into the US as part of their “get rich quick” scheme.

After our visit to the nomad community, we went to see an African music performance.  Calla really wanted to dance but was scared because no one else was getting out of their seat. Nevertheless, she and I got moving soon enough and soon several others started dancing together in a circle. Calla had a blast, and we were even able to snag a videorecording from a man from Spain who caught the whole thing on tape. After the performance, Justin tried his hand at playing a guitar-like instrument whose name I forget, and then the kids joined along drumming and playing the castanets.

After the music performance, we went to lunch to have mtfouna, which is traditional food akin to Berber pizza. I giggled when they brought out the first course, as they kept referring to it as the “salad” on several occasions. It was basically a huge plate of rice with a teeny tiny bit of eggplant-olive-pepper purée on the side. Next, we ate the mtfouna, which Calla misunderstood as “burger pizza,” but that’s more or less what it was. The mtfouna was stuffed with meat, eggs, and some veggies, and was tasty. After lunch, we went back to Rabii’s hotel to change into our clothes for the camel ride, and then we all piled back into the car to meet our camels. Everyone was excited and a little antsy. You climb onto the camel while they are on the ground, but then they stand up and it’s quite bumpy and you are much higher off the ground. I rode a camel in Israel many years ago, but it was the first time for everyone else, unless you count Justin’s brief camel ride at the Bronx Zoo as a child. We’d been told the camel ride would be 45 minutes, but it was almost double that because we were staying in what must have been the farthest camp from civilization. The first half of the ride was stunning. It felt like the dunes would go on forever, and I’ve never seen anything like the scenery we saw that afternoon. It was like something out of a movie – this rich, deep brick color that went on for miles. After a while, though, everyone was starting to feel uncomfortable. Calla was complaining that Simon’s camel was sniffing her butt, and I could feel my brand-new pants wanting to rip. We made it to our camp around 6pm, and following tea, I promptly dragged everyone into the dunes for a sunset photo shoot. Being out in the dunes was a wild experience. I’d look up and suddenly the child who was right next to me was several sand dunes away, disappearing suddenly and looking so small, but then reappearing just as quickly. It felt like we were the only five souls in the universe. After the sun went down, a sliver of a moon appeared in the sky to take its place. We went to look at the stars, where we noticed the Milky Way, The Big Dipper, and several people who were not me counted multiple shooting stars. By the time we were served dinner at 9, everyone was hungry, sleepy, and blissed out on the desert vibes. We ate eggplant with cheese cooked in the tagine that I loved, and Calla and I didn’t head to bed until around 10:30pm, where I found it hard to sleep as a moth kept falling on my face. Our luxury tent had two queen beds, but we still chose to snuggle up in one. It was a glorious, glorious day. Probably my favorite of the entire trip.

Merzouga —> Skoura

Sunday, October 6^th: We woke up to the peace and quiet of the desert, shortly after sunrise. After a buffet breakfast, we borrowed a sandboard. This was something to which we’d all been looking forward, so we eagerly carried the board out into the dunes in search of the best place to hone our skills. Justin went first, followed by Simon, Jonah, and me. Calla was apprehensive, but eventually we convinced her to try the sledding version of sandboarding. Everyone had a blast, and it was so cool to watch our kids fearlessly take on the hills. We headed out around 10am, taking on the dunes in a 4x4. The kids loved it.

We met Rabii for our long drive into Skoura. We stopped at The Oasis Museum in Ksar El Khorbat, which tells the story of the culture of Southern Morocco. and includes many artifacts such an antiques, maps, and tools used in daily life. I’m particularly enthralled by all the outdoor kitchens with huge ovens for bread and smaller ovens for couscous. After picking up a quick lunch to go, we stopped at Dades Gorge for a brief walk, and then got back in the car with the hopes of arriving at our next riad before 6pm so that we could re-organize our luggage and rest before dinner. Nature had other plans in store. Shortly after we passed the gorge, it began to rain heavily. When we were approximately 20 minutes outside our hotel, we got stuck behind a long line of cars, and quickly realized that the river had flooded and we would be unable to cross. After about two hours, we decided to try to turn around to find food only to get stuck at yet another river. So, we turned back around and steeled ourselves for a long night waiting for the water levels to recede. Rabii was incredible – calling the tour company to update them, walking outside to get updates from the police and other drivers, and even finding our kids some apples, oranges, and dates to snack on since we had no more food left in the car. Our kids watched all of Encanto and ½ of Frozen 2 on Calla’s tablet before finally – after about 4 hours – we were able to drive through, arriving at Chez Talout at around 9:30pm. Everyone was exhausted and famished, so we raced through dinner, and came upstairs to sleep. Calla literally fell asleep with a piece of bread in her mouth, which I promptly removed before she passed out cold in her bed. All in all, a positive ending to the story, but this was definitely the first clusterfuck (or, I suppose, clusterfuck-lite) of the trip. We were proud of the kids for maintaining such positive attitudes, and reminded then that we had warm clothes and that Rabii knew what he was doing in case we needed to sleep in the car. Some family members can now check “peeing in the middle of the desert during a rainstorm in Morocco” off their bingo cards, but I won’t tell you which ones.  

Skoura

Monday, October 7^th:  We headed out around 10am as we needed a little bit more sleep after such a late evening, and our stuff was all over the place after a night in the desert so it took some time to locate clothing and shoes, particularly clothing and shoes that were not covered in sand. We met Rabii as well as our guide for the day, Abdul. Abdul took us for a short walk – including a stop to see the panoramic view of the valley – before arriving at Lapoterie de Skoura with Mohamed (poteria-mohamed-elfakhare.com). Abdul explained how different regions in Morocco have different traditions when it comes to pottery, and indeed, our experience with Mohamed was very different from the one we had in Fes. In Fes, the pottery is much more elaborate, painted in various colors. Mohamed’s pottery was neither, but rustic and well-constructed, beautiful in its simplicity and clean lines. First, Mohamed showed us how to smash the clods with a big club in order to break them down. Then, he passed the clods through the sieve in order to weed out the large clots. Then, he mixed the fine powder with water and included Calla and Simon in this process. Abdul said we would all get a piece of clay to make whatever we want, and that it would be a competition to see whose was best. This may not have been the set up, because Jonah took the whole competition thing very seriously. Nevertheless, the kids had a ton of fun. Simon made a hammerhead shark, and then tried to pass off Abdul’s turtle as his own. Calla made a rock covered in gravel on the spinning wheel, as well as assisted Mohamed with a cup. I made a flower, Justin made some sort of dinosaur thing, and Jonah – of course – made a tiger. We left our art out to dry in the sun, and Mohamed showed us his house, where we met his adorable seven-month-old baby. Next, we drove to a kasbah and learned about the architecture. The kasbah – or “fortress” - is made of packed mud and no steel or metal at all. Next, we made a quick stop for stamps to mail some postcards we’d been carrying for several days, and then traveled on to the local market. Abdul explained that Mondays are the big market day in the village, and that this is where most people go to buy everything they need. There was not another tourist in sight, and Abdul knew so many of the vendors. We bought popcorn for kids as well as for the Berber family with whom were eating lunch immediately following the market visit. Simon had been asking us to buy him a pomegranate for weeks, so we did. He picked out the one he wanted and paid the 3 dirhams for it. This is about equivalent to 30 cents, and I told Abdul that a pomegranate where we live costs about $4 (40 dirham); more if you just want the seeds.  While we wandered around, we saw people selling fruits, spices, nuts, as well as animals (baby chicks, goats, birds). I continue to find the smells of Morocco absolutely intoxicating. There were also people repairing watches, making keys, and fixing ovens and pot lids.

We left the market and drove to the home of a Berber family. Berbers are indigenous to Northern Morocco and are actually quite a diverse ethnic group. The home was simple, but inviting, and our host served us an elaborate meal of tea, dates, huge flats of homemade bread, veggies, pasta, chicken skewers, chicken tagine, and fruit. We ate and ate and ate until we were stuffed, as everything was delicious and we wanted to be respectful guests. Abdul helped translate, and Calla quickly ran off to play with four-year-old Aminah, the daughter of our hosts. We then spent a long time talking with Abdul, Abdul said while he has never left Morocco, he learns a lot about other cultures through his work as a tour guide as well as through reading non-fiction. I talked about my work as a psychologist and how much I miss it, as well as the pros and cons of being my own boss. Jonah talked a lot about school, and asked questions about the schools in Skoura. We spoke about travel, and Abdul asked the kids how our experience of Morocco differed from what we expected, as well as what we would tell people when we returned. Both boys said that they thought Morocco would be much more dangerous, for which I quickly provided context (thanks, Grandma 😊). I shared that I was worried the pace of our trip would be too fast after slower days in Italy, but that it hadn’t felt that way at all. Each day has brought something new, and we’ve been blown away by the hospitality of the people we’ve met along the way. The experience of being invited into others’ homes – first nomads, and then Berbers, has been quite humbling. Jonah was describing how he wants to upgrade his furniture to a loft bed with a gaming set up, and I’m sitting there thinking “this family sleeps on mats on the floor.” I giggled when Aminah came over with her dad’s phone to watch videos with Calla. I suppose some things transcend cultures, like holding hands with a new friend, giggles, and iPhones. We were there for more than two hours, just eating and talking and visiting the animals. I was particularly proud of Jonah for engaging in such a long dialogue with Abdul, as he is typically quite introverted and does not often engage in small talk with adults.

We arrived back at our riad at 4:45, so we hit the pool and the foosball table and tried to figure out how we would manage another large meal. We figured we’d go light until we tried the chicken and holy hell it was the best chicken we’ve eaten since arriving in Morocco. Chicken tagine, falling off the bone, in a sauce of lemon, onions, and raisins. The lemons were cooked so much that you could eat them almost like oranges. Suffice it to say, Justin and I both failed at eating light. Additionally, our pottery was returned to us in the evening, and I took lots of photos because there is no way any of that will survive the next nine months of travel. 

Skoura —> Marrakech

October 8, 2024: Rabii picked us up at 10am for our long drive to Marrakech. We stopped to visit another kasbah (Kasbah of Ait-Ben-Haddou), which has been featured in many movies and TV shows, none of which I have seen except for “Babel.” We took a detour to visit the Jarjeer Mule and Donkey Refuge, which rescues animals that have been injured or traumatized and help rehabilitate them. Upon arrival at our riad, we were served more tea, and we relaxed until dinnertime. There was a bit of a miscommunication whereby we ended up with only a giant plate of couscous with onions and raisins for dinner. It was tasty, but definitely not enough food for the kids. Not a huge deal, though, as we’d planned to visit Jemaa El Fna, a UNESCO heritage site that is the main square of the Marrakech medina. Upon arrival, Justin and I were reminded of some of the night markets we visited many years ago in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Everything was loud and bright, with people approaching us from all angles. There were fresh juice stands everywhere, so we picked up three juices for the kids, and then we wandered around taking in all the sights and sounds. Everyone got a little overwhelmed by so many people approaching us asking us to eat at their restaurants, and we even had someone tell us to go back to the US. I explained to Simon that this happens all the time to people of color in the US – including our friends who are American citizens/permanent residents (i.e., not just random people he’s never met before who are on vacation) – and he was both saddened and surprised to hear this. Since the kids were continuing to say they were hungry, we grabbed some stroopwafels on the way back filled with white chocolate and caramel.

Marrakech

October 9, 2024: I think I am finally feeling some travel fatigue today, which I attribute primarily to three “too late” nights in a row, followed by an incredibly lackluster tour guide for Marrakech. Calla was a mess at breakfast, resulting in her needing to sit in another room with me while she ate. Our guide, Abdul, introduced himself, and brought us first to Bahia Palace. Unlike the other guides we’ve had, Abdul was soft spoken and mumbled, which made it hard to hear him. We also kept losing him in the crowds, and he didn’t tell us very much about the palace. By the time we made it to the madrasa – the third we’ve seen in Morocco – he didn’t even walk around with us, and I found myself envious of all the groups of tourists who were receiving full run downs from their guides. With three kids – particularly on their 11^th day of fast paced travel – we do so much better with a guide who interacts with them and makes the day exciting. Our Skoura guide was like this, and it was one of the highlights of our entire time in Morocco. Unfortunately, that just didn’t happen today, and so we felt like it was up to us to navigate the sites and learn on our own. Nevertheless, overall the day was nice, and each of the kids picked up a small souvenir at the souk. I also purchased a pretty phenomenal sign for my office, as well.

After our tour, Calla and I visited a henna café, where we I was inked with flowers and she got a unicorn. The highlight of the day for me was a visit to the Slat Al-Azama synagogue, which was built in 1492 after the Jews were expulsion of Jews from Spain. While there used to be thousands of Jews in Marrakech, today there are only about 200. While visiting the synagogue, we were able to speak with a docent, who walked us through both the history of the Jews in the area – (including why so many left for Israel) – as well as their current daily life in Marrakech.

We returned to our hotel in the late afternoon and rested before another delicious rooftop dinner.

Simon and Jonah’s cat count: 54

Marrakech —> Essaouira

October 10, 2024: We were met this morning by a young woman, Wiam, for our cooking class. Wiam explained that she is a 3^rd year university student in English Literature who works part time as an assistant/translator for a tour company offering – among other things – in home cooking classes. We walked to the home of a local Moroccan family, where we met Mrs. Sarah. Mrs. Sarah lives in the medina, and upon arrival at her house, we were quickly shepherded back to the market to pick up vegetables for our tagine. With the help of our hosts, we made traditional Moroccan bread, chicken tagine with lemon, raisins, and onions, and zaalouk, a warm salad made of eggplant that we’ve now eaten several times and love. While the food was cooking, we were served tea and cookies and had to impose a two-cookie limit so the kids would actually eat their lunch.

After our class, Rabii picked us up and took us to Essaouira. Our riad didn’t have a record of our reservation at first, so he drove to another spot with the same name, but they sent us back in the direction from which we came. If you think this might be an inauspicious start, you would be correct. That is all I will say.

Simon and Jonah’s cat count: 48

Essaouira

October 11, 2024: We left our riad in Essaouira and headed to the beach! The water was too choppy to swim, but we had fun walking and playing in the sand. Calla built a sandcastle while I read my book, and both of us periodically jumped aside to avoid getting trampled by a horse, camel, or dog.

After the beach, we wandered around the Essaouira harbor to admire the blue boats, and then walked up and down the fish market. The market is lined with fisherman selling their fresh catches, which you can buy and take to have grilled. As someone who, as a child, would reliably panic and avoid the fish counter at the supermarket, this was my personal idea of hell/massive exposure to disgust. As luck would have it, my two beautiful sons have the exact opposite opinion about stalls and stalls of dead fish and thus they were delighted. “Look over here, Mom” they cried, and I – sucker that I am – would quickly find myself face to face with GIANT BEADY FISH EYES. No, I am not a vegetarian, but I prefer for my food to not make eye contact with me, thank you very much. The boys could have stayed there all day, but by the “hey, look, Mom, it’s a shark!” time rolled around, I enticed Calla with the promise of looking at stores and got out of there. She and I walked inside the city walls, and headed to the restaurant I’d found for lunch (Fish Burger). The boys met us, and we had a delicious lunch of sardine croquettes, an eggplant burger (me), and fried fish sandwiches (everyone else). After lunch, we walked around the city and took in the coastal views. Bliss.

 We headed back to our hotel, and shortly thereafter Rabii picked me up to take me to a hammam, a private bath with a steam room, hot water, and a full body scrub down. As I relayed the experience to my kids later in the evening, they were horrified – both by the nudity and the fact that I had so much water dumped over my face. (Calla would have hated it.) After my visit to the hammam, I enjoyed a luxurious massage followed by tea before returning to the hotel. (Calla would have loved it.)

As was bound to happen eventually, shit shortly hit the fan. The pace of the trip is really starting to wear on the kids, as are the later dinners. We’d also learned from the previous evening that the hotel restaurant is very, very slow, particularly given the language barrier. (This was the first hotel in which we stayed where there was no one who spoke English on staff.) For various reasons I don’t feel like writing about, we had already soured on our hotel, and a series of events/misunderstandings led us to believe we’d been kicked out of the restaurant. The kids were upset, and Simon cut his toe on a jagged rock in the dark. It bled profusely, and we thought he might need stitches. I frantically tried to translate this all into French while also hoping the staff could bring us some pizza as soon as possible since Simon was very hungry and Rabii – bless Rabii! – was coming to take Justin and Simon to the local hospital. Forty-five minutes. That is how long it took to receive two completely inedible pizzas. By that point, Justin and Simon had already left and another hotel staff member cut her toe on the same damn rock. At any rate, happily Simon did not need stitches, and we learned that an ER visit in Essaouira lasts for less than an hour and only costs $30. 

Simon and Jonah’s cat count: 82

Essaouira —> El Jadida

October 12, 2024: We woke up and were thrilled to check out of our hotel. After a brief stop in Safi to admire the pottery, we continued to venture up the coast to Oualidia. There, we had a delicious lunch. When I asked what the waiter recommended, he said for the kids “pizza or pasta.” So of course, we ordered Calla oysters au gratin with mushrooms. After lunch, we took a small boat ride around the lagoon. It was starting to rain, so we huddled up in our sweatshirts while we gazed the scenery. After the boat ride, it was time to get back in the car for the 90- minute drive to El Jadida for our final night in Morocco.

October 13, 2024

El Jadida —> Casablanca

Woke up, ate breakfast, and headed to the airport!

Please read part II to get everyone else’s take on our time in Morocco!