Backpacking Update

Here's an update on my daughter's hiking experience. An earlier post describes how I was feeling the weekend she did the first hike. See the March entry: "Serenity for the Hiker's Mom".

Before the final expedition

How did they do? Apparently it depends on who you talk to. Lexi says they did fine. The teachers said they need to work on compass skills and on following a map.

Even Lexi had mixed feelings about the weekend, lamenting that "Saturday was the worst day of my life".  But also stating that the camping part was fun. They got lost and had to call the teachers to come pick them up. That day Lexi didn't eat enough protein and didn't snack during the day so she was almost in a daze when they finally made it to camp after all that walking around.

The idea is that they are truly backpacking and carrying everything they need with them. The reality was that they camped at the same place each night. It seemed crazy to them to have to load up all their gear for the day, only to return at night and set up the tent again in the same spot. Lexi quickly figured out that adjusting her backpack and tightening the straps around her hips helped take the load off her shoulders and back and put more weight on her hips which was better.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the practice hike ended up being the longer hike, lasting 3 days. The final expedition was shorter with just 2 days of hiking and 2 nights camping. They were more prepared the second time around, knew what to expect, and knew what was/wasn't essential to bring. Hiking only 2 days instead of 3 definitely helped.

They were blessed with beautiful weather for the first walk, thankfully. Sunny and cool. The second walk was more typical of English weather with rain off and on the entire time. They even got hailed on for about 30 minutes on the second walk. The girls said that was miserable, the teachers said the girls overreacted. I think I'd be more in alignment with the girls!

The teachers that head up the Duke of Edinburgh team at their school are a geologist and a park ranger, so they are both used to expeditions like this. When the girls signed up for it they thought it would be fun but afterwards are wondering why anyone would want to do it.

The teams get assessed by the teachers during the final expedition. If they get lost they fail. Sadly, Lexi's team made an error in judgement. Supposedly a checkpoint got added at the last minute. When the girls missed it they decided to call in that they were lost instead of backtracking to go find it. It's karma because now they have to go back for another day of hiking to prove they can do it without getting lost! Just when the girls (and the Moms) were relieved that it was all over, we find out it's not. At least there will be no camping this time meaning they won't have to lug so much around.

When Lexi came home after the first hike, she told me not to expect her to walk at all that night. I could certainly understand, especially seeing the blisters on her feet. The second time the blisters weren't such an issue. Lexi was mostly happy to have dinner on clean dishes without dirt and mud on everything.

I, along with the other moms, just wanted to pamper our girls when it was all over. We were so proud of them for their hard work. The teachers are definitely not like their nurturing moms. The girls were thinking how their moms would've helped them get settled in and comfortable at the campsite in the evening, no such luck with the teachers. Of course, I'm sure the teachers weren't real pleased to have to deal with the girls either!

Now the stories have started coming out about how they saw a rope swing and of course had to stop and play on that for a while. And a hill beckoned to them to roll down it over and over. And being out in an open field made them want to sing so they took a video of themselves singing and that's why Lexi's phone battery died and she couldn't check in with us that night. For some reason, one of the teachers felt the need to follow behind them on the last day to monitor their navigating skills. That day was not nearly as much fun as the other days. They just had to sadly look at a rope swing as they walked past it.

I was more calm during their second outing, didn't even pick up my cross-stitching that weekend. However, I'm putting the finishing stitches on it now as my son Ryan had surgery in the States for a torn ACL in his knee yesterday and the worrying begins anew.

The Greek Island of Crete

Chris and I spent 5 days on the beautiful island of Crete over the Easter holiday. I learned some interesting facts about the place when I wasn't stuffing my face with the abundant delicious food.

Enjoying welcoming beer

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and has lots of history. We only saw one part of the island, the more touristy area. We stayed in the Elounda Beach Hotel right on the Mediterranean Sea. I hear Jennifer Anniston is thinking about having her wedding at that hotel! April is still early for the tourist season so we found the area peaceful and not crowded, which we liked. Everyone at the hotel was welcoming and friendly to us. We were greeted with a drink of our choice, beer for Chris, champagne for me, while we sat outside on a terrace with a nice view and a member of the hotel staff explained all the amenities of the resort. When we arrived in our room, a complimentary platter of fruit and bottle of wine was delivered. Our stay was starting out on a pleasant note. The warm sunny weather that day certainly helped as well.

Spinalonga Island

One of the top things to do in the Elounda area is to take a ferry boat to the nearby small island of Spinalonga.  The remains of a Venetian fortress from 1579 still stand today. Turks occupied the island in the 19th century. Finally, the island was home to a leper colony from 1903 to 1957. It was interesting to wander among the remains of the buildings that housed the victims of leprosy. There was actually an entire village for them, with shops, gardens, churches, etc. A historical fiction novel called The Island, written by British author Victoria Hislop, is based on the leper colony. I just finished reading it and really enjoyed it, especially as the places in the book were fresh in my mind from just having been there.

Spinalonga Island

Walking around on Spinalonga Island

Tour

On a rainy overcast day, we took a Great Adventure Land Rover tour around the area to see some scenery and interesting spots. We snapped a quick photo at one scenic overlook while the sun came out for a moment.

Next stop was a local kafenion in the plateau of Katharo where we had fresh squeezed orange juice and a look at some prehistoric bones that were found at the site when the cafe was being built. The bones were from pygmy rhinos and elephants from 14,000 years ago. This area is so high up in the mountains that there are only shepherds living there in the summertime. There is no electricity or running water. The room we were in was heated by a wood burning stove that can also be used to cook food. The cafe uses a generator for electricity. The people were offered utility services recently but they turned down the offer, preferring to keep the old ways.

Lunch was at a taverna, a small restaurant serving Greek cuisine. Plates of meze were served as appetizers including feta cheese, olives, bread with olive oil, hummus, tzatziki cucumber yogurt dip, Greek Salad, and more that I can't remember. The main course was souvlaki, grilled pork cubes on a skewer. We were told not to call it kebab which originated in Turkey and it's still a sore subject how the Turks occupied Crete. Unlimited homemade wine was available. The first taste was bitter, but the flavor seemed to mellow with each sip.

We had a taste of Greek mythology when we went to the cave where Zeus, the father of all the gods, was born. After a steep trek up the mountain, steps lead down inside the huge cave to the bottom. Beautiful stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. It was a tough climb and we joked about Zeus's poor mom being 9 months pregnant and having to negotiate the ascent and descent. While down in the cave, my over-active imagination wondered what it would be like to be down there giving birth. Then I remembered it was just a myth!

This cave is the birthplace of Zeus

A lot of British people holiday in Crete and we came across several who now live on the island. Our tour guide was an Englishman. He and his wife had always planned to retire in Greece someday. When he got laid off his job twice and his wife was not happy in her job they decided that "someday" had come and they sold everything and moved to Crete. He was able to give us a good perspective on the local life. They live in a small village in a house built into the side of a mountain. Their neighbors have accepted them and have even Greek-i-fied their names. Gary is now known as something like Gary-opoulis.

Here are some tidbits of trivia that Gary shared with us:

Olive trees - Practically everyone in Crete owns olive trees and every olive tree on the island is owned by someone. The locals have no need to buy olive oil as they use what their own trees produce. Extra oil is sold to wholesale companies. Supposedly the extra virgin olive oil in Crete is less acidic and higher quality than Italy's.

GMT stands for "Greek Maybe Time" - Maybe they will be there on time.

Weddings are huge affairs with the entire village invited and thousands attending. Money is the accepted wedding gift. Parents of the bride give a house to the newly wed couple. As soon as a daughter is born, construction on the house begins and is slowly built as money is available. That is why you see so many partially constructed houses.

Women are expected to serve the men who don't help out around the house at all. When out at the bar, the woman must watch to see when the man's glass is empty and then go fetch him another drink. If she neglects to do this, he will pound his glass on the table to get her attention. If this happens, all the other women shame her. Gary-opoulis said he and his wife were out one night and he had to pound his glass down. His wife dutifully went and got a fresh beer and proceeded to pour it on his head! All the women had a good laugh about it but then they reverted to the proper chastisement of the wife.

Goats - We saw tons of goats grazing, but only some of them wear bells around their necks. Gary-opoulis explained that it is only the naughty goats that wear the bells: the ones that don't return when called or that are too amorous for the females. We saw some goats climbing up to the tops of trees to get to the tasty leaves remaining there.

Climbing goat

Naughty goat with bell

Raki - A shot of raki is offered at the end of a meal, similar to the ouzo that the rest of Greece drinks. Families make their own from the leftovers of the stomped grapes from the winemaking process. Supposedly the families keep the best for themselves and offer the rest to the tourists. Maybe that explains why we could hardly drink it. It was way too strong for me. It's an insult to refuse the drink when it is offered so Chris would often pour it into his empty beer bottle so as not to hurt anyone's feelings. We did have some flavored with lemon and some with herbs that made it sweeter and much easier to down. Yammas! (Cheers!)

Recycling - Cretans are big into recycling. When they make their homemade wine and raki they store it in plastic water bottles, see photo below. We sampled some red herb-infused raki at this shop. We also were given a dollop of honey on the backs of our hands to sample, which promptly resulted in our purchasing a jar of the delectable treat. But back to recycling, a discarded refrigerator becomes a tool cabinet, a cast-off chest freezer gets built into a fence, you get the picture.

Bottles of homemade raki, wine, and honey for sale

Easter is the most important celebration of the year in Crete. The Greek Orthodox church was preparing to celebrate Easter just as we were leaving. All during the week firecrackers could be heard in the streets in the evenings in preparation for Easter. At midnight on the night before Easter, the whole town collects in the darkness and the priest starts with a single lighted candle. He then passes the flame to those holding candles nearby and they each pass the flame back to others until the entire area is lit up with candles. Our taxi driver told us about how beautiful it was, wish we could've been there to see it. Another tradition is a bonfire to burn an effigy of Judas the betrayer.

Guns - Crete has been invaded so many times, most recently by Germans during World War II, that pretty much everyone there owns a gun in case it happens again. We saw many stop signs riddled with bullet holes from target practice.

Widows dress in all black until they marry again. We saw a lot of widows, many of them sitting in the doorways of shops, embroidering lace.

Church memorials - Little church buildings are set on the side of the road where accidents occurred. Placed inside the memorial are items such as a photo of the victim, religious items, a candle. If there is a bottle of water or soda in the memorial, that means the victim died and the beverage is to refresh him on his journey to the next world.

Roadside Memorial

Is it any coincidence that there is an abundance of these memorials, black-clothed widows, and raki-drinking?

Zorba the Greek - The movie was filmed entirely on Crete but the name "Zorba" is totally made up and no one in Greece goes by that name, except for some restaurants that use the name.

Turntable business - This has absolutely nothing to do with Crete but I found it interesting that a guy from England that was on our tour works in a plant making turntables for playing records, remember those dinosaurs? He said they ship most of their products to America. I can't believe I got rid of mine when we moved to England.

Life is good in Crete

So I hope I didn't bore you too much with facts, I just find it interesting to learn about different cultures. We found Crete to be full of traditions, history, beauty, good healthy food, and people who are relaxed, friendly, and know how to enjoy life.

On Spinalonga Island

Ruins of the ancient city of Lato

Serenity for the Hiker's Mom

My 17-year old daughter is doing a three-day hike this weekend. What a great experience for her, but I have to admit it's a bit of a nerve-wracking experience for me.

She and three other girls had to plan their route and must carry everything they will need for the weekend. It is part of the Duke of Edinburgh program which was started by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh himself, also known as Queen Elizabeth's husband. It is similar to the scouting program in the States. There are three levels you can earn: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. This is her first year to do it and she decided to go straight for the Silver. Bronze seekers do a two-day hike while Silver and Gold do three-day hikes. There are other components to earning the award including service hours, learning a skill, and doing a physical activity. It's a fantastic program but requires quite a commitment. For the skill portion, she is hoping the driving lessons she is taking will count. Physical activity is no problem as she plays soccer almost year round. Still waiting to see what the volunteering will end up being. Then there is the "Expedition". This weekend is actually only the practice run. In three weeks time they will do it all over again for the Final Expedition.

Preparing for this hike has been a lesson in planning skills. The groups start months ahead of time, learning about map and navigation skills, first-aid, meal planning, equipment planning, etc. So why did it come down to practically the night before the hike to get everything ready? I think (and hope) the girls learned the importance of planning ahead. Apparently it didn't sink in to the girls to really pay attention when they were supposed to be learning about planning the route and what are good things to take along. Suddenly the time is upon them and... well, hopefully, lesson learned.

But I shouldn't be so hard on the girls, they did get all their "stuff" together. Imagine having to carry on your back your sleeping bag, tent, cookstove, clothes, water, and food to last for three days. It helps that they shared the load, each girl carrying either a tent, tent poles, or stove. They weren't even able to fit all the food they had bought in their backpacks. The girls showed up to the walk with extra food hoping someone had space left for it but every rucksack was full to the brim.

Lexi's backpack was heavy but somehow the weight gets distributed well so she didn't just topple over under the weight. Here she is looking confident the night before the big hike:

My hiker girl

I really don't know how many miles they will go but they hike all day Friday and Saturday and return Sunday afternoon. There are checkpoints along the way to make sure they are doing okay. They are expected to use maps to find their way to each checkpoint. No GPS allowed! They don't just walk along roads but rather through fields and paths. At night, the groups come together to all set up tents in one area.

Being a mom I can't help but worry about my baby girl. I can't imagine how hard it must be to figure out the right paths to go on while lugging all that weight on her back. If they don't make it to the campsite by nightfall, they still have to find their way there and set up camp in the dark. Another mom told me how her daughter did the walk last year and got lost. What was supposed to be a 5-hour hike turned into 8 hours. They had to set up their tent in the dark. But the daughter still managed to have a great time and is back this year for more!

I've been trying to keep myself busy to keep my mind off how the walk is going. At least my oven is now clean. I find it calming to work on my cross-stitching. I started this particular cross-stitch project 12 years ago but I only pick it up now and then. I think back to Lexi being in Kindergarten when I started it. I remember working on it when I was waiting for her while she tested to see if she could skip 2nd grade. She missed by one point. I remember working on it during many family ski trips. My goal when I moved to England was to finally finish it. I'm getting close. I enjoy the memories I have every time I pick it up. How appropriate it is that it calms me. You see it is the Serenity Prayer that I am stitching against a beautiful nature background.

My cross-stitching

How final product will look

God grant me the

Serenity to accept what I cannot change,

Courage to change the things that I can,

and Wisdom to know the difference.

Agadir, Morocco

Relaxation

The remaining 3 days of our visit to Morocco were spent in the beach resort town of Agadir, located on the shores of the Atlantic ocean. Checking in to the Hotel Sofitel, we were once again given the little glasses of customary Moroccan mint tea. What a nice tradition for welcoming guests.

Agadir is further south than Marrakech so the weather was warmer. It was nice to spend the whole first day relaxing by the pool and soaking in the sunshine. How wonderful to escape the dreariness of February winter in England and work on our suntans by the pool. And what a pool it was. Here is a panoramic shot of the hotel pool area (photo stolen shamelessly from Pam).

Sofitel Agadir

The guys soon discovered what they called the "bunkers" laid out between the pool area and the beach. They sit low in the ground to help block the wind. We all met there for lunch each day. Waiters brought food and drinks right to the table. When not dining, the benches were great for napping or reading. It was the guys' hideaway, the girls preferred the more comfortable tanning beds at the pool.

The "Bunkers"

Group lunch in the Bunker

How's that for a tanning bed?

Tour Time

The next day the grown-ups were ready to take a tour to explore and learn more about the city of Agadir. The teens were not interested in leaving the paradise of the hotel, so they had another day of lazy tranquility poolside.

The first place the tour guide took us was to the fishing port. Surprisingly, Agadir's main industry is fishing, not tourism. We were driven past several canning factories, mostly canning of sardines. We saw boats being refurbished. It was interesting to see a pile of split tree trunks being transformed into wooden fishing boats right in front of us.

Trees turned into boats

The Kasbah is on hilltop in background

Our next stop was to the top of a hill to see the Kasbah where a fortress from the 16th century used to stand but which was destroyed in a 1960 earthquake. The outer walls were rebuilt but it's quite disappointing to get to the top and nothing is inside the walls except for a huge cell phone tower. My first thought was of the song "Rockin' the Casbah" by the Clash. Similar, but I believe the song is about another kasbah somewhere else.

At the top, you can take a camel ride or just have your picture taken with a camel but it will cost you. We made good use of the Arabic phrase we learned, "La Shokran" which means "No thank you", as the camel owners can be quite pushy about it. Having already taken a camel ride in Egypt next to the pyramids, a ride in a parking lot was not enticing.

Here is a picture of one of the camels waiting for a tourist to take a ride. Our 15-passenger bus is in the background.

Care for a ride? I'll take the bus, thanks!

It was worth it to go up to the top of the hill, however, for the view:

View of Agadir from the Kasbah

This is a view of the Kasbah from the beach. The words on the side of the hill say "God King Country".

Kasbah in background

At night, the words on the side of the hill are lit up:

Kasbah at night

After we rocked the Kasbah, we drove through the old part of Agadir that was destroyed in the 1960 earthquake. Over one-third of the population of Agadir was killed in the earthquake that lasted less than 15 seconds.  It was eerie seeing nothing left but the remains of stair steps. The area is now used for driving tests and driving practice. The city of Agadir has been rebuilt 1 mile south of the earthquake's epicenter.

We made a quick stop to see the mosque where prayers were just finishing. Men were exiting from the men's entrance and putting their shoes back on.

After prayers

Argan Oil

Demo of argan oil production

Our guide then took us into a shop where we learned all about argan oil. Of course the shop had plenty of items made from argan oil available to buy. This was the first time I had even heard of the oil but apparently it's very popular now. The oil is produced from the fruit of the argan tree which grows right there in the Agadir area. We were shown how the oil is extracted from the nut found inside the fruit of the tree. The photo shows the various stages of extracting the oil and the traditional method of grinding the nuts. Today, mechanical presses are used instead of the manual grinding stones.

The oil can be cooked and used as a dip for food, similar to using olive oil. It is supposed to be healthier than olive oil and good for reducing cholesterol. We were told swallowing a teaspoon a day is good for your health. I tried some on a salad but I wasn't sold on the flavor. When the oil is used in cosmetic products it is not cooked.

The shop had 3 entire walls of products displayed for sale. Each product was touted as a cure for some ailment, anything from age spots, dry skin, dry hair, to snoring and wrinkles, depending on what was added to the argan oil. I'm told by others in our group that the snoring has not been cured! I did buy some oil for dry skin and it does make my skin very soft and is easily absorbed.

What is nice about the argan oil industry is that it is produced solely by a women's cooperative that shares the profits among the local women of the Berber tribe. We were told that the shop we were in only employs divorced women who otherwise wouldn't be able to support themselves.

We discovered that the shop also offered massage therapy using what else, argan oil, at prices cheaper than the hotel. The girls had been wanting to get massages. For a little more than the hour-long massage at the hotel, the girls could get a two-hour massage here. As the parents would be bringing the girls anyway we decided we would all get massages. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Full Body 2-Hour Massage

Two hours is a long time for a massage. In fact, the ladies doing the massaging had to take a break halfway through. We joked about letting divorced women inflict their pain on the men. Those women were strong, especially when they used their elbows. They were generous with the argan oil all over our bodies, even on our heads. We came out feeling greasy and with wild hair, but relaxed. We were also feeling like another 2-hour full body massage would not be needed ever again.

Time to Leave

We were sad to have our week in Morocco come to an end. I purchased a cute little silver teapot and two little tea glasses to remember the comforting Moroccan mint tea we drank. We also chose a miniature tagine pot like the clay ones that the Moroccan stews are slow-cooked in.

Our souvenirs

At the airport, there were separate lines for men and women when going through security, which I've never seen. Then again I was leaving a country where donkey-pulled carts in the streets exist alongside the wealthy Saudi Arabian King's palace.

More on Morocco (no, not Moron in Morocco!)

On Day 3 of our week in Morocco, we had a guide take us on a cultural tour of Marrakech. He took us through the Bahia Palace with very ornate tile, carvings, and ceilings. It is a sprawling maze put together in piecemeal fashion as land was gradually made available. It was good we had a guide so we didn't get lost going through it!

One room in Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace courtyard

The guide told us that the current king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, was enthroned in 1999 and is 48 years old. He is attempting to reform the country. For example, he outlawed polygamy, gave women more rights, allowed public alcohol consumption, and provided more freedom in general. Muslim citizens are not required to drop everything and pray when called to prayer 5 times a day. The King shares power with a prime minister. I got the feeling the King is trying to make his people happy. Both this guide and one we had later in the week made it a point to tell us about the King's reforms so I guess they are trying to get the word out, or maybe they are just happy with the King. We were told, though, that some of the older generation are not fond of the modern reforms. Can't please everyone!

Our guide keeping an eye on us shopping in the souk

Our guide then took us through the souk which is the market with stalls of handicrafts that go on and on. Negotiation is expected. Chris's friend, Mustapha, was along and he helped make sure we were getting a fair price. He was in fact told that the price for an item for him would be lower than for us, the obvious tourists. Chris got in the bargaining game and purchased a beautiful wooden storage box made from the root of some tree. We also purchased pistachios and sesame seed-covered peanuts.

Dads/Daughters Quad biking

Day 4 was Valentine's Day. We spent the morning splitting up and indulging ourselves. The dads and daughters did a quad bike excursion through dirt fields while the women opted for time at the spa. I have photos of the dads/daughters but thankfully no pictures have emerged of the moms' activities.

A little dirty after the quad biking

The hotel spa offered massage and Hammam which is a traditional Moroccan steaming, scrub, and soak in a bathhouse. It originated when homes lacked indoor plumbing. It is still popular as an exfoliation cleansing. I personally didn't want to be scrubbed clean by someone else, so I went with the massage. My friend Pam wanted to experience the local Hammam tradition and what an experience it was. I will leave it to her to describe in her own blog but I like how she summed it up as an "intimate power-washing".

I have had quite a few massages and this one was not my favorite. I assumed a woman would do the massaging as Morocco is a Muslim country and surely a man wasn't allowed to massage me. What a surprise when a man led me to the massage room and told me to disrobe. Apparently there is a strong French influence in this part of Morocco. Normally, the massage therapist leaves the room while I remove my clothes and scurry under the sheet. Not in this country. The guy just stood there. My friend Beth had the same experience, but at least she had a woman. Luckily I was only having a 45-minute back and neck massage so my jeans were left on. The guy was strong and really worked me over. Beth and I were both sore in our upper backs later that day.

Atlas Mountains

The families all merged back together and we boarded our bus for a trip to the Atlas Mountains. It was a different view of the country as we got out of the city scene and drove through beautiful countryside and through small villages. Within an hour or so we could see snow-topped mountains in the distance. The road followed alongside a small stream, probably melted snow flowing from the mountains. It reminded me of driving in the mountains of Colorado.

Numerous wooden footbridges were suspended above the stream. All along the road there were riverside restaurants that had outdoor seating along the far bank. The only way to cross the stream were these footbridges. We saw a waiter carrying food across a rickety bridge to tables on the other side.

Village in the Atlas Mountains

Riverside restaurant

Yikes, is this safe?

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant with a lovely view from a terrace and thankfully, no bridge to be crossed.

We started with a nice soup flavored with saffron, widely grown in Morocco. Mike was disappointed that they were out of the rabbit he saw on the menu. Later, he learned our driver had a dish of the rabbit, guess he beat Mike to it. We had to settle for beef and chicken. Dessert was again the typical platter of oranges with mint tea.

After our late lunch, we headed for our next destination, the beach resort of Agadir. Along the way, we stopped for a break at a gas station with convenience store. We each picked out a treat for ourselves as it was Valentine's Day after all. We were excited to see American candy and cookies and even Cheetos, hard to find in England.

We finished out our week in Agadir and now I will finish out this posting and save Agadir for another entry.

Getting Some Culture in Casablanca

Day 2 in Morocco, we head to Casablanca for the day. Casablanca is more of a commercial city than a touristy spot. I always assumed the movie Casablanca was filmed there but it wasn't. We did go by Rick's Cafe, which was designed to recreate Rick's Bar from the movie. Unfortunately the cafe was closed for the afternoon break when we stopped by so we couldn't go in. Of all the gin joints in all the world, this one had to be closed!

The highlight of the Casablanca visit for me was a tour of the Hassan II Mosque, completed in 1993 after only 6 years of construction. King Hassan II commissioned it to be built to provide a landmark monument for Casablanca. It is one of the largest mosques in the world and has the highest religious minaret in the world. The minaret is the tower from which Muslims are called to prayer. The mosque is partly built over the waters of the Atlantic ocean.

Our group in front of Hassan II Mosque

Top of the minaret

Mosques are not typically open to non-Muslim visitors but this mosque seems to encourage visits by offering guided tours. It is a truly spectacular work of art and engineering. It is built from local materials such as marble, granite, and cedar from Morocco. Copper, titanium, and ornate mosaic tile are also used. It is a mixture of traditional and modern. The only imported materials are white marble for the columns and glass for the beautiful chandeliers from Venice, Italy. 10,000 artisans and craftsmen labored to produce the intricate embellishments of the building.

The mosque can accommodate 25,000 worshippers but it has never been completely filled. I am reminded of the saying: "If you build it they will come". But is "they" the worshippers or the tourists??

Interior of mosque

Detail of the beautiful tile

We watched the huge electronically-controlled doors silently close for prayer while we were there.

Large doors

The automated retractable roof slides open in 2 to 3 minutes when the weather is nice. The elaborate ceiling is made of cedar to withstand the damp salty air from the ocean.

Looking up at sliding ceiling

There are separate entrances and prayer areas for men and women. Muslims are called to prayer 5 times a day. Before praying, they must wash themselves. Abundant fountains are provided both outside and inside below the ground floor with water for cleansing.

Fountains for washing before prayer

I learned from our guide why shoes must be removed before entering a mosque. It is simply to keep the carpets clean, that's it. We were provided plastic bags to carry our shoes with us on the tour. If you ever go, wear socks as our bare feet were quite cold on the marble floor.

Proving that it is indeed a small world, the girls reunited with a local Moroccan boy that Monica had met when he was a foreign exchange student in her American high school two years ago. They had kept up through Facebook and it was one of those "if you're ever in Casablanca, look me up...." promises that actually got fulfilled. We also had lunch with Mustapha, Chris's Moroccan former work buddy who now lives in Casablanca. We all enjoyed hearing his insights into the local culture and customs.

Our day trip ended happily with a pleasant drive back to Marrakech. It wasn't the "Marrakesh Express" but our driver did a good job getting us back safely. Always pleasant when you leave the driving to someone else!

Morocco - Day 1, Arrival in Marrakech

February in England is cold and dark with short days. But the schools give a week off for what they call half-term. Time to head somewhere reasonably warm for the break. We looked at Sicily, Turkey, Greek islands, and Morocco and were told that Morocco in northeast Africa would be the warmest of those destinations in February. We didn't want to fly further than a few hours after just traveling eleven hours over Christmas to South Africa. The flight to Marrakech, Morocco was only 4 hours long.

Chris has a Moroccan friend he used to work with, Mustapha, who was eager to have us visit his country. Mustapha recommended an English-speaking guide to make things easier for us. We joined up with two other families from Lexi's school who also have 11th-grade daughters. The kids were happy to have buddies and the grown-ups were happy too. Our party of nine did not fit into a normal-size vehicle, however, and we did not want to split up into two cars. A 15-passenger bus with driver, Ahmed, was provided for us. He was on duty for us the entire time, from the pick-up at the airport, throughout the week, and then back to the airport. It was comforting to have a local contact to watch out for us and who spoke Arabic. With the "Arab Spring" uprisings going on in African countries such as Egypt and Libya, we wanted to feel safe and not be on our own. Another benefit was that the guide got us really good discounts on the hotels.

Upon arrival at our hotel, the Palmeraie Golf Palace, we were seated and given the traditional welcome of Moroccan mint tea. The tea was sweet and refreshing with fresh mint in the little glasses.

Our group arriving at hotel

 There was a photo-op area set up in the lobby which of course I couldn't resist:

Enjoying my Moroccan mint tea welcome

After getting settled in our luxurious rooms, we lunched poolside in the warm sun and marveled at how we had left 16 F degree weather at the airport that morning.

We made the obligatory trip to the square and market place in the old city portion of Marrakech. It is popular with both the locals and the tourists. There were snake charmers and men with monkeys available for photos. Even if you don't ask for a monkey on your head, the men will just plop one on you and of course photos must be taken and then the men expect money. We were told to pay 20 Dirhams, (about $2) no more. The monkey men weren't having any of that and started demanding 200 Dirhams! Unfortunately, Chris had pulled all his cash from his pocket and the men could see what he had. Here is Chris enjoying the up-close encounter with the monkeys while I am not so thrilled to have the creature thrust upon my head!

At Chez Ali, warming up at a fire pit. Got cold when sun went down.

Dinner and a show that night was at Chez Ali, a touristy place, but well worth the visit to experience the traditional vibes of Morocco. Chez Ali is a huge compound with tents and buildings set around an open air arena. Our bus dropped us off in the parking lot which was dominated by other tour buses. That set the tourist tone right away. Oh well. As you walk in, you are taken past various groups in traditional garb representing the different tribes of the area. Many were playing music. We were seated in a large tent and typical Moroccan food was brought out, no need to try to figure out what to order from a menu! The soup was good, next was a huge platter of couscous with vegetables for the table to share. Then a roasted lamb on a platter with body parts still attached was presented. That raised some eyebrows from us Westerners. The table next to us was digging in with their hands, which we were told is common. We did the best we could to find the meat with our knives and forks. Dessert was a platter of fresh fruit. The tangerines were delicious!

What remained of our lamb on a platter

Dessert

During dinner, various musical groups rotated past our table to perform their chant or dance or whatever their tribe does best. In an effort to get us to participate (I suppose) one woman leaned right in Chris's ear and made a tongue-clicking noise. I guess we didn't look interested enough because after a while the groups just barely stopped at our table then quickly moved on along. Fine with us!

After dinner, we sat outside on stands around the arena for the show. Riders on Arabian horses performed tricks. A lone belly dancer performed on a stage in the center so far away we could hardly see her. We kept imagining how cold she must have been in her skimpy outfit. Once the sun went down, it got cold. It was February after all. In a sort of war ceremony, riders on horses charged out and shot off their rifles, several times. All the tribal performers processed out in a final parade. The finale was fireworks and a "floating" magic carpet pulled across a cable between two buildings. All in all, fun stuff.

At the end of the day we marveled at how much we did in just our first day in Morocco.