BILL AND JJ'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURES

ON THE MOORISH TRAIL

MOROCCO AND SPAIN

MARCH 30-APRIL 15, 2017

(click or tap the thumbnails for a larger image)

On Friday, March 31 JJ and I arrived at the Madrid airport and met our 12 traveling companions for our connecting flight to Marrakesh, Morocco.  This was another of our trips organized by travel experts, Don and Kathy, and we were looking forward to two weeks of adventure.  We used the travel company, http://www.ramblersholidays.co.uk, to provide a guide, ground/sea transportation, hotels with breakfast and dinner included.

Our Ramblers Holidays trip, "The Moorish Trail", emphasized (sort of) the sites of the Moors in Morocco and in southern Spain. But who were the Moors anyway? Well, it seems that scholars do not entirely agree on the issue. For present purposes suffice it to say the Moors were those Muslims who lived in Spain and Morocco during the  centuries of Muslim/Arab empire  that dominated that part of the world.  Below is my one paragraph summary of over 1000 years of "Moorish" history.

The prophet, Mohammed, was born in about 570AD in Mecca.  When he died at about 70 years of age he had established a new religion (Islam), a form of government, an effective military and a large, devoted Arabic following.  Within less than 100 years of his death his followers had established an empire that spread from Asia across the Mediterranean and into Spain. Various forms of this empire lasted until the end of WW1 with the fall of the remnants of the Ottoman Empire of Turkey. The Moors left behind an incredible legacy of architecture, art, music, history and culture and it was this legacy that we would soon explore during our travels.

FRIDAY 31 MARCH 2017  KASBAH ANGOUR

We arrived at the Marrakesh airport at noon and after customs, baggage pick up and money exchanges (Moroccan currency is the dirham. One $=about 10 dirhams) we were on our way to our first destination, the Kasbah Angour, south of Marrakesh and in the foothills of the Atlas mountains. Our three nights stay at this Kasbah was not part of our Ramblers itinerary but was an add-on that Don and Kathy had discovered. The Kasbah Angour (KA) is a very nice resort which was developed and built over the past 10 years by its owner, Paul, who is a British citizen and semi-retired economist and entrepreneur.

Upon our arrival at KA we were given a tour of facilities, panoramic views and a briefing by a young man, Mouchine, who is a native of the area. After the briefings and prior to room check in we were treated to the popular Moroccan hot, sweet mint tea. Finally, after dinner and a very long day we were all settled and could hear the calls to prayer from multiple mosques in the nearby village. (The above photo shows Mouchine (with head dress) and Abdul our other guide.)

SATURDAY 1 APRIL 2017 KASBAH ANGOUR

After our breakfast of coffee, tea, fresh orange juice, Berber pancakes, jelly, Berber eggs with tomatoes, yogurt and bread we were well fortified for a 4 hour hike in the surrounding areas.  By 0930 we were on our way with Paul and Abdul as guides. Our route took us across open, green fields of wheat (thanks to heavy rains this year), past some Berber villages and into the Toubkal National  Forest with eucalyptus, oak, juniper and pine trees.  Paul explained that the wheat fields are run by small subsistence farmers and are harvested by hand but threshed with communally owned/rented machinery. In the evening we had a group dinner to celebrate our coming adventures as another of the San Diego WalkAbouts trips. This meal included chicken, lamb, rice, potatoes and vegetable "tagine ".  We had lots of tagine (the clay or ceramic cooking vessel) dishes  and soon learned that "tagine" is what you say when a group photo is taken (as opposed to our "cheese").

SUNDAY 2 APRIL 2017 KASBAH ANGOUR

On this day we had two hiking options-a long one led by Abdul  and a shorter one with Mouchine. Most of us chose the short hike and we learned a bit about the local life styles from Mouchine.  He lives with his parents in the nearby village which is typical in this Berber community. However, Mouchine is not typical in that he went to secular schools for 18 year earning a bachelor's degree. He speaks Berber, French, English, Arabic and perhaps others as well. Moroccan population is about 60% Berber which represents the indigenous people and includes the guides and other folks who work for Paul at the KA. The Arabian Muslims invaded the area in about the 7th century and today Arabs make up a significant part of the population.

After the morning hikes some of us chose to do a, thankfully short, camel ride.  We had a scenic car ride through rugged canyons and arrived at the camel station which is beside the Ghyghaya River and was occupied by about 1000 folks from Marrakesh who were  enjoying a weekend picnic outing. I had previously sworn never to ride a horse or mule again and now I can include camels in my forbidden 4 legged transportation list!

MONDAY 3 APRIL 2017 KASBAH ANGOUR--MARRAKESH

Today was our time to depart the Kasbah Angour but first we all did a 4X4 drive in 4 vehicles.  We departed the resort at 0945 and headed into the rugged Atlas mountain areas with some good views of Africa's second highest peak, Toubkal (4200 meters), a coffee stop at the town of Imlil and a break down to change a flat tire near a small Berber village.  During the tire changing routine we joined a bunch of young boys for soccer and Abdul treated a little boy who had a badly infected finger. The local people do not like to be photographed and if one does sneak a picture the kids demand payment. We had a nice picnic lunch beside a stream where the ladies were doing their wash and kids playing. We were among a lot of cherry, walnut, apple trees, goats and sheep-all part of the subsistence farming in these small Berber communities.

We returned to the  Kasbah Angour at about 4pm to pick up our luggage, to say farewell to Paul and the staff and for another mint tea treat. We continued on to Marrakesh with the same 4 vehicles (Brahim was our driver and I promised to send him the link to this web site). By 5:30pm we were in our hotel rooms and had met our Ramblers guide for the next 2 weeks, Jeanne Pierre (JP).    During the evening JP introduced himself as a volunteer guide for Ramblers. He does about 10 trips per year and has visited most of the 70-80 countries that Rambler offers to tourists. JP also reminded us that we are visiting a Muslim country and that alcoholic beverages are not always available.  Indeed, our Ryad Mogador Opera Hotel was one such place.  Not to worry-there is a full service bar next door!

TUESDAY 4 APRIL 2017 MARRAKESH

At 0930 we were off for a day of sightseeing in Marrakesh with our local guide, Jaouad, who was attired in the traditional "djellaba" robe which he called his "hoody".  In his introductory comments he pointed out that Morocco was a French colony from 1912 to 1956 and today about 50% of the people can speak French. The Moroccan cities generally have a "new" city outside the old walls of the "medina"-old city.  Inside the medina's walls there is another smaller, walled fortress/palace and this is called the kasbah (as in "take me to your kasbah").  Our first stop for the morning was to see the Saadian Tombs from the 16th century. These tombs are accessible only via a narrow passageway in the Kasbah Mosque and had been mostly forgotten until rediscovered in 1917. Here Jaouad told us about the current constitutional monarchy government of Morocco with King Mohammed 6 in charge. The Moroccans are proud to inform us that their country was the first to officially recognize the brand new United States of America in 1777. Our countries have had good relations for all those years!

Upon departing the tombs we were off to the Bahia Palace via the narrow streets and passed by the old Jewish quarters (all we saw was a wall). Highlights of the palace were the beautiful mosaics and the rooms for official wives and concubines.  This was a relatively new palace dating from 1860. We had lunch at an outdoor restaurant with good views and then went to the herbs and spices place (I did not get the name) where we could sample and purchase herbs that could cure all known human ailments including insomnia, impotence, digestion problems and even old age. Now rejuvenated we were off for a very long walk to the Ali Ben Yousself Medersa, a 16th century school for Koranic studies and was once an esteemed center of learning with 600+ students.

To reach the medersa (madrasa) we had to weave through a labrynth of shops in narrow alleys (the souqs) and we were glad to have a guide who knew his way around. Outside the souqs we strolled through the Djemaa el Fna square with snake charmers, merchants, story tellers, music, dancers and pick pockets. We came back to this spot at night after dinner.  Near the square we stopped at the Koutoubia Mosque which was closed to us infidels but the mosque has a tall tower which is convenient for finding ones' way around.

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WEDNESDAY 5 APRIL 2017 MARRAKESH

On this day most of our group went for an all day excursion with JP back to the Atlas Mountains and Ourika Valley. However, JJ and I decided that one must go shopping in Marrakesh so we stayed behind. At JP's suggestion we started the morning at the lovely, cool and quiet Jardin Margorelle which was once owned by Yves St Laurent and he gifted it to the city. Again following JP's suggestions we headed off to the Complex Artisanal which is a government operated shopping area with fixed prices (one need not hassle over prices).  However, our taxi driver pulled a scam and delivered us to a private shop-not the government place. This place did  have  a huge selection of items for sale including countless beautiful carpets for about $1700US.  The salesman was very intense and wanted JJ to make him a shocking offer!  He was shocked when we walked out without buying anything. We soon found the real Complexe Artisanal thanks to our map and the aforementioned tower at the Koutoubia Mosque. Here JJ purchased slippers and purses and our new best friend salesman treated us to the standard mint tea.  He insisted that the hot tea will make you feel cool even on a hot day! OK?

THURSDAY 6 APRIL 2017 CASABLANCA-RABAT

We had an early start on this day with luggage ready for the bus at 0730.  The plan was for the bus to meet us in Casablanca and we took the train with a 0910 departure.  The original Ramblers itinerary did not include the stop in Casablanca but we changed the plan for a brief stop there and then the bus would carry us the rest of the way to Rabat.

During the pleasant train journey we enjoyed a vista of mostly arid, rolling terrain with vast fields of wheat or barley.  A few of us shared a cabin with a young lady who was recently married and spoke some English.  She showed JJ how to properly wear her scarf in the Muslim manner and soon some of the other ladies in our group wanted their scarves adjusted as well!

We arrived at Casablanca at 1230 and learned that this is a relatively new city (since 1920s) with no large medina or kasbah, is a major sea port and has little of interest for tourists except for the romance associated with the famous movie of the same name.  However; our reason to stop was to visit the Hassan II mosque which was completed in 1993, is the third largest in the world, has the world's tallest minaret AND offers tours to infidels. Unfortunately, the tours are closed for prayers between noon and 3pm and we arrived at 1pm.  Oh well, we did enjoy walking around the immense structure and plaza which can accommodate nearly 100,000 worshippers!

At 3:20pm we reached Rabat which is the capital city of Morocco and we soon had a chance to visit the modern government "city" which is analogous to Moscow's Kremlin.  We were one day too late for a visit by King Mohammed VI but we did enjoy a delightful visit with our local guide whose enthusiasm compensated for the difficulty in understanding him. Some of us wondered if he was sampling the local hash hish but, if so, he did not offer to share.

At 4:30 we reached Le Tour Hassan and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. The current king's father and grandfather are interred here and non-Muslims are allowed inside. The tower construction was started in 1195 but was never completed.  The ancient walls and forest of pillars are all that is left of the grandiose plans for a huge mosque.

We completed the day with a walk along the river "Oued Bou Regreg" to the kasbah for tea and cookies at a windy overlook.

FRIDAY 7 APRIL 2017 RABAT-TANGIER

We had another early start and walk from the Hotel Helnan Chellah to the train station for our trip to Tangier. Again, the bus carried our luggage to the next destination.

The train departed Rabat at 0830 and by 2pm we had arrived at Tangier and transferred to our bus having passed miles and miles of rolling, green hills with lots of agriculture.  Along the way we encountered lots of construction on the railroad for a new high speed train line and, indeed, we did see about 5 of the high speed trains "parked" and waiting for the line to open. (Maybe some day we can have some like that in California!)

One of Tangier's many claims to fame, besides being the gateway to the Mediterranean, is that in 711 the Arabs departed here to invade Spain and established their Moorish empire which lasted until 1492! Our first stop was at the port so JP could purchase our tickets for tomorrow's ferry to Spain.  However, he discovered the high speed catamaran ferry was closed due to very high winds.  So we would have to shorten our visit to Tangier and depart via the larger ferry from a nearby port.

SATURDAY 8 APRIL 2017 TANGIER-RONDA SPAIN

Once again we had a very early start because we had to ride the bus to the large ferry port and go through customs before departing Morocco. After a pleasant bus ride to the ferry terminal we said goodbye to our driver, Omar, and his assistant, exchanged some dirhams for euros, went through passport control and by noon were boarding the ferry. We had to adjust our times to 1pm Spanish time, at 3pm we were passing the Rock of Gibraltar and at 4:30 we were in our 4 taxis having completed the European Union passport control.

The two hour taxi ride from the port at Algeciras to our destination, Ronda, was very pleasant with lovely views of the rugged mountains and famous white walled towns of Andalucía. Our Hotel Don Miguel was beside Ronda's well known bridge, Puente Nuevo (new bridge built around 1760s) , and the restaurant had views into the El Tajo gorge which divides Ronda into the old Moorish town and the newer town.

SUNDAY 9 APRIL 2017 RONDA

In the morning JP led a tour of the original Ronda which was part of the Moorish kingdom between about 720 and 1400s.  After the Arabs invaded Spain in 711 they pushed north into France but were defeated at a battle of Portier and eventually their Spanish kingdom was south of the Pyrenees Mountains. 

After lunch JP led a hike down through the Tajo valley but some of us decided to do more Ronda sightseeing and shopping.  I decided to revisit the Plaza de Toros (I was here briefly in 2009).  This is Spain's oldest bull ring dating from 1785 and Ronda was the home town of Pedro Romero who is credited with establishing the modern methods used in the "bull fight". The plaza has several museums and good displays of firearms, bull fight history, equestrian stuff and is  the home for the Royal Maestranza horse riding school.

We happened to be here during Holy week with lots of religious processions and drums and marching bands.  Initially, some of us were surprised thinking we had encountered a Ku Klux Klan gathering and maybe we had missed the lynching! However, we soon learned the processional costumes have been used for centuries and symbolize something to do with penitence and a desire to remain anonymous.

MONDAY 10 APRIL 2017 GRANADA

Sadly, we  had to leave Ronda early for an 0800 train departure to Granada in order to make our 3pm  visit to the Alhambra. The train did not go all the way to Granada due to rail road construction.  Instead we changed to a bus at Antequerra, arrived at the train/bus station at 11am and were in our new hotel Guadalupe by noon. The hotel was a short walk from the entrance to La Alhambra and at 3pm had met our local Alhambra guide, Churro(?)- a comedian who greatly enjoyed his own jokes.

The Alhambra is justifiably Spain's most popular tourist attraction and its romance and beauty have inspired artists, architects, musicians, authors and visitors for generations. This palace/fortress dates from the 1300s and was the home for the Moorish royal families until the last Moors were driven out of Spain in 1492. The last Muslim ruler, Boabdil or Muhammad XII of Granada, surrendered to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabellas' forces here; it became the royal residences for Ferdinand and Isabella and Christopher Columbus received endorsements for his explorations here. The famous American author, Washington Irving, actually lived here for awhile in the palaces and wrote his delightful travel book, "Tales of the Alhambra" in 1829. We only had a few hours to visit before closing time at about 5pm and this is a place that deserves several days to really get a good look.  Unfortunately, the number of visitors is limited and one must make reservations well in advance.

TUESDAY 11 APRIL 2017 GRANADA

JP led a walking tour of the old Muslim and Jewish centers descending to the river Duero and then meandering through the homes with their "carmens"(gardens). There were 12th century homes along the river level and one has views looking up to the Alhambra. At about 1030 we reached the Mirador San Nicolas which is a popular spot for photos of the Alhambra where one can see all three of the major components-the Generalife (gardens), Nasrid Royal Palace and Alcázaba (old fortress). Also the snow covered Sierra Nevada peaks (11,000 feet high) are visible. After this walking tour JJ and I took the hop-on-hop-off "train" for a quick loop of the scenic old town areas.

Later we had lunch down by the Plaza Nueva.  While munching our pizzas we observed an interesting (to us) cultural happening. Three ladies were also having lunch with their young children. Two of the ladies were attired in the traditional Muslim scarves but the third one was wearing short-shorts and a tank top!  After lunch we visited the Royal Chapel (Capilla Real) in which are interred King Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.  A short flight of stairs took us down to the tomb level in which we could see their actual lead coffins.  I was very pleased with this visit having learned in grade school so many years ago about the king and queen who championed Christopher Columbus. Of course, they also are credited with ending the final Moorish rule and uniting  the Spanish people under one monarch.

WEDNESDAY 12 APRIL 2017 CÓRDOBA

At 0930 we departed our pleasant Hotel Guadalupe via bus for the trip to Córdoba. Along the way we were treated to endless vistas of olive trees.  A quick Google search informed us that Spain is, indeed, the world's number one producer of olives. We stopped at an old railroad station that is now a shop for coffee and an opportunity to buy olive oil and various tourist's stuff. Our bus dropped us off on the banks of the Guadalquivar River, a vehicle picked up our luggage and we walked across the bridge and to our Hotel Omeya which is in the heart of the old town area. The hotel is named Omeya after the first Muslim dynasty of Andalucía.

About 2:20 we were off for our tour of the famous "mesquita" (mosque). This structure was built between the 8th and 10th centuries and is a great example of the Spanish Muslim architecture.  The mosque originally replaced a Visigoth Christian church but by about 1230 the Muslims were  driven out of Córdoba and it became a cathedral.  Today there is one area (Mithrab) that retains the original Muslim prayer area and there is a functioning Catholic cathedral right in the heart of the mosque. Jeanne Pierre says there is now a movement to resume Muslim worship in the Mithrab areas. We finished up the day with a quick tour of the Hospital of the Cardinal Salazar which is now a school and then we had a quick peak inside an ancient synagogue dating from 1315. Outside the old Jewish area is the Moorish gate, Almodóvar, opposite a statue of Seneca who was prominent in Nero's Rome.  (Seneca is visible in the photo below along with members of a marching band getting ready for the days processions.)

THURSDAY 13 APRIL 2017 CÓRDOBA-MADRID

We had time in the morning for more walking tours since our train to Madrid did not leave until 3pm. Our first tour was of the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (fort of Christian Kings). There are lovely, peaceful gardens here and an incredible display of Roman mosaics.  Perhaps, not so lovely, this was for 300 years served as the Inquisition's base; the last Muslim ruler, Boabdil, was imprisoned here.

  Our next stop was for a peek at the Museum Julio Romero de Torres with some of his erotic art and to a church with a very large "float" ready for Friday's procession. We had noticed in Ronda that some floats require 35 men to carry them! Finally, we checked out of our Hotel Omeya, walked back across the river to our waiting bus and by 3:15pm were on the RENFE high speed train for Madrid.

At 4:50pm we arrived at the Atocha train station in Madrid having traveled at speeds up to 180mph and were soon settled into our rooms at the Hotel Catalonia Gran Via.

FRIDAY 14 APRIL 2017 MADRID

Wow, this was the last day of our adventure!  JP led another walking tour down to the Puerta del Sol (center of Madrid), past the Plaza of the Incarnation, to the Plaza de España with statues of the characters, don Quixote and his pal Sancho, from Cervante's book, and to the Royal Palace.  King Felipe VI was not in on this day.  His reign started recently in 2014 following the abdication of his father, King Juan Carlos.  Today the Spanish monarchy is mostly a symbolic office, I think, but this monarchy descends from a long line going back to pre-Moorish days.  Fittingly, we wrapped up our Moorish Trail adventures with a photo visit to the "Arab Wall" which is all that remains from a 9th century "medina" and the beginnings of a future city of Madrid.

Most of our group spent this last afternoon at the Prado art museum.  I was not in a museum mood so I did a quick metro ride to the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas which is, arguably, the "bull fight" world's most important plaza.  In this relatively new plaza (1929) the Moorish influence on the architecture is striking.

Finally, we ended our adventures with a very good dinner at the Museo del Vino.  We were in the company of a large groups of youngsters from schools in Brooklyn and with much music, singing and dancing.  Such a fine time!

SATURDAY 15 APRIL 2017 RETURN TO USA

Most of us departed the hotel at 8am for our flights back to the USA.  A few of our travelers remained in Europe for still  more adventure.  Jeanne Pierre was also flying back home to London for a few days before his next guiding job. Anyway, we all said our fond farewells and this excellent adventure was over!

THE END

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