A Picture Perfect Morocco

This was by far one of my favorite ports, in part becuase of the the amazingly sweet and generous people I met but also becuase of the culture and vibes! Morocco is like the perfect mizture of old and new. It was colorful and vibrant just as it was traditional and reserved.

I spent my five days in Morocco traveling with my best gal Myla.

We spent our first morning exploring Casablanca, getting a sim card so we had service in case of an emergency (we were told it was safest since we were two young girls traveling Morocco by ourselves), and eventually making our way to the bus station. The bus was small but cozy for our eight hour drive north to Chefchaouen, otherwise known as the Blue City. On the drive we met these two women who were from Wisconsin, one was a tour leader in Morocco, India, and Indonesia; she had her own tour company and shop called SUTRA Global! We were so lucky to run into them becuase we talked for about an hour and ending up running into them multiple times over the next few days. They were even on our bus leaving Chefchaouen!!

While in Chefchaouen we stayed in a hostel in the Medina, Casa Amina. The hostel was like its own little ryad and had a rooftop terrace with a little turtle! I will say it was a bit hard to find in the dark and we ended up enlisting the guidance of some local store owners to find it.

Day 2 we woke up, apparently early although it was almost 10am, and wandered towards a coffee shop where we learned most menus are in french or spanish while everyone speaks Arabic verbally. Luckly we were able to get by, although Myla did order hot milk instead of a latte! After, we wandered through the Medina - the city center with only walkways and no cars - where we met a multitude of kind, talkative shopkeepers. Most notably we met a man who owned and sold his own paintings which were stunning as well as a father son duo who invited us to tea in his home and a man who we engaged in a deep conversation with about tradition, books, and education. As kind as these people were, they were great at trying to convince you to buy something from them as well. From plates and glasswear to rugs and clothing we saw it all. Before running into our friends from the bus and booking hammams for the next day (more on that later though)! Eventually we made ourway to a rooftop terrace we had passed earlier and stopped for tea with a view before continuing our exploration, grabbing dinner, and heading to the hostel for the night.

Day 3 we woke up nice and “early” to head over to a ryad, Lina Ryad & Spa, nearby for our hammams. A hammah is a traditional bath, typically a large room where everyone goes to bathe. Its an itneresting concept and we thought we had to check it out - when in Morocco am I right?! We found the riad, and booked a private hammam for the two of us not really having any idea what to expect. Essentially we were brought into a spa room (think steam room at a spa) where there was two benches and a fountain against the far wall. Then someone came in and to put it simply bathed and exfoliated us. The first minute was a bit awkwards but after that it was super relaxing. If you are thinking about visiting Morocco you should definitely try a hammam, although nice private ones can get a bit expensive. We were given tea before and after the hammam as well as led up to the rooftop to sip in the tea while enjoying the breeze and the view. It was the perfect start to a day filled with discovering Moroccan soaps and oils! We spent the afternoon hiking to the famous Spanish Mosque which overlooks the city. It was up at the Mosque as we stared mesmerized at the view where we meet two guys at university in Fez. Both guys spoke little english so we comminicated in a blur of English, Spanish, and the little French we had picked up from our travels. It was super cool to hear about university life in Morocco and to learn about what they were studying and doing. Every conversation in Morocco felt like this and I think thats why I absolutely loved the country. The people made it perfect!

Any who, the next morning it was time to leave and as we treked the mile to the bus station at 6 in the morning we ran into our good friends from the ride up to Chefchaouen and joked about making it full circle. After the long bus ride filled with Myla forcing me to watch Brooklyn 99 (great show by the way) we made it back to Casablanca and to a hotel we would be staying in for the night. Just before dinner we decided to check out Rick’s Cafe, a restaurant and bar created after the movie Casablanca. Sadly it was full so we made a reservation for the next day - our last meal - and wandered the streets until we found a restaurant with a view of the Hasan Mosque.

Our last day, day 5, we woke up and headed to the ship to drop off our stuff and grab breakfast before heading to the Hasan II Mosque. On our way we ran into Lauren and her friend Mason who joined us on our visit of the mosque. The Mosque was absolutely stunning and I fell in love with the intricate tiles and design. I guess you could say I really was a Middle East Islanic Studies minor! Either way, it was heaven and I took pictures of literally everything. There were so many fountains and large doors. Everything was symetrical. Sadly, we had to leave both the Mosque and our friends before we made our way to lunch at Rick’s Cafe. Let me tell you, it was delicious!! But then, in Morocco I expected nothing less.

See ya next time! If you need me I’ll be packing!! :(