book it

Prior to my departure for Morocco, I made a paper book with my staff at the hospital as part of our weekly wellness meetings. We were all supposed to complete a front and back binder for our books, I promised to do this while I was away since I would be across the ocean when the team met to share their creations. Honestly, when I packed it with a small box of art supplies, I thought that box would only see the light of day when I unpacked it back in the States. Imagine my surprise when we had a free afternoon in Ouarzazate and I found myself taking watercolors to the pool to paint in the book as I chatted with my friends and other travelers from our group.

Another night in Marrakesh, I had a sore throat. Not wishing to get really sick and wanting to be well enough to go to Essaouira the next morning, I missed seeing the Square at night, took some medicine, and thought I would doze off. Instead, I collaged on one page of the book and used a large postcard obtained in the medina in Fes to make the front and back binders. And then it hit me…this book was the size of a passport! I decided that I would turn it into a Moroccan memory; slept like a baby once that was settled.

In Casablanca, I glued clippings of the logos from each of the six hotels along with my boarding pass onto a page and thought about what else I’d include when I got home. Eventually local stamps and money, my favorite postcards, a picture of me and my three girlfriends, pictures that I took of two elders that I met who had deep wisdom etched on their faces, my badge from the Mosque, my name written in Arabic, a page dedicated to how I spent my birthday, and the business cards from restaurants completed the pages.

I tied the tiny Hand of Fatima I wore while there and a bead found in a small store in Casablanca to the outside as finishing touches and tucked in a photo of me on the camel on the Sahara dunes along with a picture of artwork seen in the most unexpected location.

The book became a place to put the trinkets that normally find their way to a box or somewhere else when I get back from a trip. It’s something I now hold dear and will continue to cherish each time I take it out of a special packet that I put it in along with small three dimensional objects, larger postcards that wouldn’t fit in the book and the orange “b. glaurieous” bracelet worn each day in memory of our friend Barbara who would have been with us on this trip had she not passed in February; she was there in spirit every step and marvel along the way.

Never would I have imagined that a plain book of paper, sewed together with ordinary yarn would come to be so extraordinary with meaning. By all means use this idea, I know I will again because speaking of booking it, I’ve already made a deposit on a trip for 2014, so stayed tuned and …

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le grand mosquée

On our last day in Morocco, we toured the Hassan II Mosque (مسجد الحسن الثاني) built directly on the Atlantic Ocean in Casablanca. This magnificent structure, finished in 1993, took over seven years to complete, is the largest mosque in the country and claims the largest minaret in the world towering 689 feet; its spotlight shines towards Mecca. I could actually see the Mosque from my hotel window the first day we arrived in the city. From a distance, I felt its impact wondering what it was, if we were going to visit. It took my breath away from afar and when I stood before it, my mouth gapped open as I craned my neck 1) to take a picture of the tower and 2) in absolute awe.

I marveled at the size of the space when I stepped past the giant front door and removed my shoes, wanted to run my hands over the beautifully carved woods that lined the staircases, did just that to the gorgeous mosaic walls and fountains, felt the cool marble floor and soft carpets beneath my bare feet (I decided not to put on the cotton booties we were given just as I had done when we visited the mosque in Egypt), wanted to be immersed in the pool of water, and gazed at the intricate windows and elaborate chandeliers high above -- it was hard to take it all in. The mosque even has a sliding roof!

Overwhelmed, I decided to look up...

This is decidedly my favorite picture...

Something divine is up no matter what the faith so...

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palette please

In an effort to keep the peace with my waste processing system, I don't go overboard with food when I travel abroad. I will try new things, just won't make it a full day of new introductions and will watch the amount of raw fruits and vegetables I intake. What I’m still not and may never get used to are the breakfast buffets with selections of pale, unappetizing cold cuts. Thank goodness, for petite croissants and in Morocco, fresh breads were also in abundance everywhere and quite filling.

The first thing I ate upon arrival in Morocco was pizza they way I like it, thin crust, browned cheese, a little marinara sauce. Throughout my travel, I had more than my share of poulet brochettes, enjoyed fresh local fish, even had delicious Chinese, Tai, and Italian meals. However, my favorite food hands-down was poulet pastilla, a crunchy sweet and savory chicken pie made with the local version of phyllo dough stuffed with chicken, almonds and spices dusted with a little powdered sugar…my palette did a dance that it will happily repeat any time!

I’m still wondering if they could freeze, package and ship a dozen or more to my front door!

Since I’ve been home, I've tried to prepare a dish of mashed squash spiced with cinnamon, sweetened with honey that was quite tasty; I’m still trying to get it right, so I'll keep at it while you...

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back

Two Sunday’s ago, we boarded the bus for Casablanca in Marrakesh. I remember feeling a bit sad knowing that our trip would be over in just a couple of days, thought back to all the cities we had slept in, passed through, seen…

Rabat

Condo in Meknes where we stopped for lunch in route to Fes from Rabat

Old Town Medina Fes

Morning routine Erfoud

Family shopping in Ouarzazate

Marrakesh

and a familiar site

Day visit out to Essaouira on the Atlantic

Casablanca

It’s hard to pick a few photographs when I took thousands. For me, any one of them brings me right back to the location where it was taken, right back to all that I felt as I stood with the view in front of me. I realize that what I saw and captured are people, places and things that though different to my eye upon first glance, are the norm where I was. Makes me wonder what visitors to our country find interesting enough to take pictures of...

As I rode the shuttle to work on my first day back, I looked out the window at the many people waiting for the bus and immediately felt transported back to Morocco looking at a bus stop; we truly are one so...

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time out

In Morocco, no matter where, there before me was a photo op! My entire trip was full of exhilarating sights, sounds, tastes and though we were on the constant move, I found moments to quiet the busy and images to reflect such…

Rest stop at the Ifrane Ski Resort…

Sahara Dunes…

Karam Palace hotel property in Ouarzazate…

Amanjena Spa and Resort, Marrakesh…

Morning drink poolside, Kenzi Farah Hotel in Marrakesh…

It was always nice to rest each evening and because of the schedule, I slept in six different beds and cities; the moments above were a much needed respite and kept me ready for the next. Sunday’s blog will give you a peek from each city, so…

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ps…fun(ny) stuff and tip…1) never leave the country without a wash cloth, only one hotel had them; 2) drank a lot of Coke NORMAL…meaning not diet; 3) lots of men spend lots of time “shoofing”, i.e., loafing and watching the day go by, there are chairs specifically set in position to do so and shoofing is done in EVERY town I visited or passed through even if the town consisted on one short row of shops or was high up in the High Atlas Mountains; 4) don’t ask me what this was about because I asked and was not given an answer but two little boys maybe 4 or 5 years young in two different cities pinched me on the underside of my butt…I was shocked and startled both times and when I turned to see who had been so bold, each little one looked at me with innocent mischief…had to chuckle.

mosaic maroc

I became interested in Morocco when I came across a book filled with page after page of various textiles and vibrant colors over 25 years ago. I was fascinated with what I saw solidifying within a desire to visit some day in the future. Now that I have been there, I can say that Morocco is much more than ceramic tiles and fabrics; it is a country that is one huge mosaic of both colorful and muted textures, landscapes, climates (they do have snow in some regions), people, clothing, architecture, cultures, and foods. Often, I didn’t know which way to look, sometimes just taking it all in rather than taking photographs. That said, I was enthralled with and not disappointed by the many stone/ceramic/enamel mosaics and patterns throughout each city we visited be they on buildings, floors, ceilings, tables, pottery, or furniture. Here are just a few…

I also love the way lettering is worked into the patterns…

Came across this fossil that seemed to be the top of a heart…

It was wonderful to live a dream and though I can now cross Morocco off of my list of places to go, I do believe I will return some day to spend some relaxed concentrated time in a couple of cities. Touring is a great way to cover lots of territory and we did have time off (spent hours on this outdoor bed by the pool talking with my girlfriends until dark),

plus my little group hired a private guide one day as well as split away from the group to do and go to some of the places that were not included in our package. However, the itinerary can be a bit grueling -- two consecutive days we were on the bus for 8 hours, goes by faster than you think and we stopped every 1 ½ hours -- with early wake-up calls. That said the only way to see all of Morocco is to fly to a specific city then drive or be driven, something I came to understand once I understood the lay of the land. Speaking of which, I am still adjusting to being back in my own land, going to try to catch a nap before dawn. I’ll leave the light on…

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