Travel Pictures - Frank Dutton

Day 2 - Rabat 5/12/22	Morocco	Frank's Trip
CLICK on any image to enlarge - use mouse cursor to move enlargement it if doesn't fit area
Home Rabat 1 Rabat 2 Salé 3 Marrakech 4 Marrakech 5 Marrakech 6 Casablanca 7 Casablanca 8 Casablanca 9 Tangier 10 Tangier 11 Tangier 12 Tangier 13 Casablanca 14
Rabat... I had to force myself to get it in gear a little after 10 AM this morning. I was pretty well whipped from the trip yesterday. By the time I got my stuff together it was a lot later than I wanted it to be. Happily the weather was great all day. It was overcast and sometimes looked as though rain was only moments away... at the end of my day, in the cab on the way back to the hotel it did finally rain. I counted about a dozen drops on the windshield... that was it - rain over.
Rabat Train Station - Rabat Ville

Tramway Today I learned to take the Tramway. Very cool! Fast, super cheap, frequent, clean, safe, modern equipment.. in other words, probably the sort of public transport America should have a lot more of. All Trams have Wi-Fi! It was difficult for me to keep up with which station I was at and how many more until my stop - especially because the list of stations was in Arabic & French... But with Google Maps on my smartphone, I could see exactly where I was in real time along the route and watch what the next station coming up would be.
At the Ancient Kasbah des Oudaias The kasbah is a very old walled city - the city that was long ago. Many of the old building in the Kasbah are painted blue. Why? It represents the blue of the Mediterranean. The blue came about with the influx of Jews who used blue to represent the skies. It was done in blue to ward off mosquitoes. Take your pick. It is said that many old buildings in Louisiana were painted blue to ward off insects. Ornate gates mark to entry to the Kasbah.


	The kasbah is a maze of alleyways, mostly very narrow but some wide enough for a vehicle to move through. Some are pretty steep and for an old guy like me there is a need to take them slowly. Both sides of each pathway is usually filled with doors... to residences, apartments, storage places, shops.
Henna Tattoo The girls below seem to do a great business with henna tattoos. They stop people and are so very charming. Soon they have some henna on your arm and are explaining about it and that they want to put it on you and if you like it, pay whatever you wish. As they apply the gel they have a good story going along about each design being applied and what it means. They take turns applying parts of the gel. They are so pleasant and enjoyable... I'd guess they make excellent income this way... When they finished I asked what people usually pay - 250 Dirhams ($25) - 200 from me. It takes about 1/2 hour for the gel to dry and then you can wipe it off - don't smear it or get it on clothes. It should last about a week they said... mine was pretty much gone when I wiped off the gel - no actual design could be made out. Still, an enjoyable time with charming ladies and a great story about the images being drawn.

	At one edge of the Kasbah is a large square with many people coming there for pictures, the view, or just to relax. At the edge of the square this little place with tables along the wall and a little building where one can get a beverage and various food items.

	LEFT: Parts of this area at the edge of the Kasbah were defensive positions at one time. RIGHT: Surfing seems to be popular here and there is a surfing school.
	There are a few shops and people selling things in the Kasbah, but not many.

People here are so very nice and friendly. The languages are primarily French and a somewhat localized dialect of Arabic - what with the French influence - one from Louisiana could almost call it Coonass Arabic :-) I had one young Muslim lady get up an offer me her seat on the tramway. My guess would be a respect for elders... I've had others help me in English with which car to use on the train for 1st Class, which stop to exit at, and any other small kindnesses. It's my impression they see very few Americans here because they usually speculate British and then give a big smile and say "Welcome!" when I say "American".

	Old Medina / Rabat Old Market

	Before the French arrived in 1912, the Medina was all there was of the city. Medinas are typically walled in areas (to stop invading armies) that are the old city center with market places and mosques with narrow streets and alleyways. Above and left are the current "borders" and walls of the Medina. Entering from one side takes one through a Flea Market with all sorts of stuff,,, all sorts, just like flea markets anywhere else.

Further into the Medina are more specialized merchants such as dress shops, rug merchants, jewelers, etc. Some areas have been "upgraded" and modernized an are especially nice looking and even include sheltering roofs.



	Along the streets, these interesting buildings
Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V

By the main entrance a beautiful park - quite long but rather narrow, stretches along the walls

Construction of the Hassan Tower started in the 12th century. It was intended to become the minaret for the largest mosque in the entire world but the Moroccan ruler Yacoub al-Mansour who had begun the project died before it could be completed. Near the front of the unfinished minaret lies the beautiful Mausoleum of King Mohammad V and his two sons.



	Mausoleum of Mohammed V



	Each of the entrances has these horseback guards in full regalia. Surely an honor to have this job, but nothing easy about sitting on that horse all day - especially as it get hot in the summer.

	St Peter’s Cathedral St Peter’s Cathedral was visited in March 2019 by Pope Francis. It is Art Deco style with Moorish accents. it was inaugurated in 1921. The two towers came later, in 1931.

Hausversicherung, Autoversicherung, Krankenversicherung und CO

Day 2 - Rabat 5/12/22

Morocco

Frank's Trip