Exterior of a mosque in Casablanca.
First day in Casablanca!
Merguez (sausages), fries, rice, salad, and bread for 35 dirhams (about $4).
In front of the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca. The highest minaret in the world and a truly impressive building: space for 25,000 people inside and an additional 80,000 outside.
Enjoying my first Moroccan mint tea and semolina bread with amlou (a mixture of argan oil, almond paste, and honey). This is in a market in Casablanca with Zineb, a young woman I met who insisted on giving me a tour of her city.
Every city has its fountain with pigeons - this is Casablanca's.
With Zineb, the kind woman who became my impromptu tour guide.
With Zineb and pigeons.
Those pigeons know the tourists...
A pigeon in each hand....
Lighthouse through the columns of the Hassan II mosque, in Casablanca.
In front of the Hassan II mosque, with its enormous minaret.
The 210m minaret of the Hassan II mosque. A laser at the top points toward Mecca.
One of Morocco's many cats.
Exterior walkway of the Hassan II mosque.
Interior window of the mosque, facing the ocean (half the building extends over the sea).
Metal lamp in the mosque.
Wonderfully detailed plaster and metal work.
The ablution room of the mosque, with incredible zellij (mosaic work).
The Turkish toilet. Squatting required.
Massive hinge of a gate in the capital city of Rabat.
The hand of Fatima (daughter of Prophet Mohammed), popular for adorning doors to ward off evil spirits.
Overlooking Rabat, the capital city.
A stunning painted door in Rabat.
One of the many, many, intricate zellij (tile work) fountains throughout the country.
The Roman ruins of Volubilis. We saw these at sunset and they were magnificent. The nests at the tops of the pillars belong the storks.
Sheep crossing in Volubilis.
Roman archways in Volubilis.
Admiring a door in Volubilis.
Sitting down to a feast in Fes (chicken with preserved lemons, chicken pastilla, kebabs, salads, fresh veggies, tangerines, macaroons).
Chicken tagine with preserved lemon slices and olives. Tasted as good as it looked.
Chicken pastilla, made from pasty dough and coated with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Tasted like a meaty dessert (really good).
Incredible bronze doors. The detailed work is amazing; all done by hand. Each door knocker is about 1 foot long.
Bronze doors surrounded by zellij in Fes.
Overlooking Fes.
Pottery artisans at work in Fes. The finished products are typically glazed and painted blue and white.
The hand work of cutting the tiny tile pieces used in mosaics.
A typical street in the medina (old city) of Fes: metal work in progress and chickens for sale.
An intricate wall of the 13th century Bou Innia Medersa (theological school) in Fes.
Detailed wood and plaster work at the medersa.
Tile, wood, and plaster, all intricately carved.
The tanneries of Fes, as seen from above. The pits contain all sorts of smelly materials used to cure and dye leather (pigeon poo, cow urine, etc.); the delicate tourists are given spigs of fresh mint to hold to their noses.
Large tassels for sale at a shop in Fes.
Bedspreads for sale in Fes.
A typical passageway in the Fes medina (old city): barely wide enough for a few people across, and often traversed by donkeys with large loads. The medina is reputed to have over 9000 roads; I stuck closely to my guide.
Seffa, sweet couscous with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Moroccans like their sweets.
A vegetable tagine (where tagine is both the name of the food and also the earthenware dish in which the food is cooked).
I was able to tour several restaurants in Fes; this one served me fresh veggies and two soups (all excellent, with wonderfully fresh ingredients).
Decorative bowls on the wall of the inn in Merzouga. We drove off-road to reach this tiny place, which is located at the foot of the Sahara.
A gorgeous face, yes?
On my trusty steed, in the Sahara.
Preparing to enter the sand dunes (the dwellings in the background are Berber tents).
Shadows in the desert.
Look at those eyelashes!
Our group, heading into the dunes.
Sitting on a dune, watching the sunset.
Reposing camels - they fold their legs under themselves very neatly.
Tangine with kefta (sausage) and peas and eggs.
Interior walkway of the inn in the desert. A magical place.
Sunset in the desert.
Sunrise over the Sahara.
Incredible ripples in the sand caused by the wind.
Footsteps, soon to be erased by the wind.
Decorative iron work on my room's window in Merzouga.
Rooftop seating at the inn, with views directly on the desert. The night was eerily silent, with only the sound of the wind going through the trees and over the dunes.
Signs advertising the various inns at the foot of the desert. And that's the road to reach the inns, just to the left of the yellow sign.
A street sign in Rissani, the first town after leaving the desert.
Fantastic olives, everywhere.
Chicken tagine with preserved lemon (top; one of my favorite dishes) and couscous with veggies and meat (bottom).
Overlooking an oasis of date palms, with a city in the background.
Another view of a lush oasis in anotherwise barren landscape.
Agricultural area in the bottom of a gorge.
Looking up, from the agricultural area.
Silk from a cactus plant, dyed and made into thread for weaving rugs.
The cermony of offering mint tea to guests (in a carpet shop).
Beautiful handmade carpets. Vibrant colors and intricate designs.
A mosque's minaret, outside Todra Gorge.
Marion's basket, anyone? (At a hotel in Ouarzazate).
It's definitely the basket from Indiana Jones.
The view from the hotel in Ouarzazate; this city is known as the "Hollywood of Morocco" as many film studios are based there.
A classically Moroccan snack: mint tea and tangerines. The latter were sold all over the place; 4 dirhams (about 50 cents) per kilo was the best price I saw.
Our driver, Bujamar, who kept us safe over all of Morocco's roads.
In the Taourit Kasbah of Ouarzazate.
One of the many intricate iron window decorations found in kasbahs (fortresses).
A typical lunch: kefta (lamb sausage), chips (fries), and rice.
We stopped for dates along the way - fantastic!
A veritable treasure trove of metal ware, in a shop in Ouarzazate.
The kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, outside of Ouarzazate. A stunning fortified city, with the highest building on the hill previously serving as the bank in which all valuables would be deposited in case of attack. This kasbah has been featured in many films, notably "Gladiator" and "Prince of Persia".
Looking from the top of Ait Benhaddou. The detail of the mud and straw buildings is fantastic.
From the top of the kasbah, looking toward the main gate.
A friendly cat near the entrance to Ait Benhaddou.
An amazing tender beef tagine.
Dessert of fresh oranges with cinnamon.
From the hotel terrace, overlooking Ait Benhaddou.
Ait Benhaddou, in the morning sunrise. One can see why this site has been used in many films.
Snow in the High Atlas mountains, seen during the drive from Ouarzazate to Marrakech.
A break to stretch the legs during our drive through the High Atlas mountains.
Jewelry selection at a roadside stop. Mostly cosmetic pieces, but beautiful nonetheless.
One of the many orange trees dotting Morocco.
The Koutoubia mosque in Marrakech. The wooden triangle indicates the direction to Mecca.
A food stand in Djemma El-Fna, the huge open square in Marrakech that comes alive with food vendors, snake charmers, and fortune tellers at night.
Part of a dinner from a food stand in Djemma El-Fna: merguez (lamb sausages), veggie couscous, Moroccan salad, olives, and chicken tagine.
Stand in Djemma El-Fnu dispensing hunja, a spiced cinnamon tea, and tkaout, a dessert akin to gingerbread.
Window in the pavilion of the Menara Gardens, in Marrakech.
Dates and dried fruits for sale in Djemma El-Fna square.
Olives, preserved veggies, and preserved lemons for sale in the souks (markets) of Marrakech.
The grounds of La Mamounia, a glorious hotel in Marrakech(watch Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much").
The manicured grounds of La Mamounia hotel.
A quiet fountain on the La Mamounia grounds.
Essential ingredients in Moroccan cooking: onion, tomato, parsley, garlic, and preserved lemon (at a home cooking lesson in Marrakech).
Lamb stew, seasoned with paprika, saffron, and turmeric.
The same lamb stew, with the essential onion, tomato, parsley, garlic, and preserved lemon added.
The chicken in its tagine, with spices.
The finished lamb stew, with small potatoes. Absolutely delicious.
Our meal, after I watched it being prepared at the home of our guide's brother.
Ritter Sport chocolate at a Marrakech grocery store; 19 dirhams is about $2.30.
In the central courtyard of the Dar Si Said museum in Marrakech; there was a fantastic exhibit of jewelry from both the Middle and High Atlas regions.
In the Dar Si Said museum, in front of the jewelry room.
Ornate plaster work.
Detail in the Ali ben Youssef medersa in Marrakech.
Windows within windows within windows in Marrakech.
In the Ali ben Youssef medersa.
The medersa, hard to find amongst the twisted roads of Marrakech's souks (market places).
The interior courtyard of the Museum of Marrakech.
Impressive antique recepticles for tea.
A snoozing cat in front of the sanctuary adjoining the medersa.
The gleaming green ceramic roofs popular in Islamic architecture.
The central square of Djemma El-Fna in Marrakech, domain of snake charmers, orange juice vendors, fortune tellers, and endless activity.
Fresh bread served with honey or peanut butter (5 dirham = 65 cents); I went here 3 days in a row.
Dannon yogurt, in Arabic.
View of Djemma El-Fna; walkers, mopeds, horse-drawn carriages, and donkeys were all common modes of transportation.
Carpet sellers in the souks of Marrakech, behind Djemma El-Fna square.
A spice vendor in the souks of Marrakech.
Djemma El-Fna at night, from a restaurant balcony. The square is filled with people, noise, and animals and is justifiably under UNESCO protection; it's a spectacle.
Nesting stork above the Palace of El-Badi.
Satellite dishes are everywhere in Morocco, even in seemingly remote villages.
Cat napping on a wall of the El-Badi palace.
Roosting pigeons in the walls of the El-Badi palace; the holes were originally intended for ventilation.
Moroccan salad: tomato, onion, parsley, and copious cumin.
Placard in my hotel room in Casablanca.
