Spain & Morocco

Madrid

Spain is one of my favorite places in the world. Few drinks are as refreshing as a tinto de verano and few countries have food quite as delicious. I’ve spent a few weeks exploring Spain over the years, but Carey had never been. It was lovely to explore Madrid, my favorite city in Spain, together and to meet up with John and Cindy, Carey’s parents.

Casablanca

Casablanca is home to the main airport of Morocco, but the city itself is more industrial and less touristy. We arrived the day our tour started with just enough time to check out Rick’s Cafe – my movie-loving self’s number one goal for the city. Is the cafe overpriced? Yes. Is it a bit ridiculous? Yep. Is it worth checking out if you love movies? Of course. We grabbed a drink in the bar area that plays the film 24/7 and had a great time. It is incredibly well-decorated and its menu includes solid cocktails and mocktails. 

Before leaving Casablanca, we took a tour of the Hassan II Mosque. It is one of the few mosques in the world that allows non-muslims to tour and it is absolutely beautiful. It is also the largest mosque in Africa. 

Rabat

Rabat is the current capital of Morocco and we got to tour their walled city, with a view of the ocean. We also got to visit one of the famous mausoleums. One of our favorite things about Morocco was the intricate tile work. It is found in all historic and religiously-significant buildings. As you get closer to the heart of the building, the tile work gets more and more elaborate. 

Roman Ruins

The land of present-day Morocco was part of the Roman Empire and is home to many Roman ruins. The site we visited had beautifully preserved tile work. It was interesting to see how the Roman style of housing lives on in Morocco. Riads (classic Moroccan homes) are set up incredibly similarly to wealthy Roman homes – courtyard with tile work in the middle, fountain, couches in a u-shape, etc. 

Chefchaouen

Possibly the most famous city on social media, Chefchaouen is known as “The Blue City”. Community members are required to repaint their homes a shade of blue at least twice a year. It is up in the mountains and lovely to wander. We woke up early one morning to escape the selfie sticks, which was perfect. 

This region is also known for its goat cheese and pomegranates. The goats cheese was heaven and the pomegranates grown in Morocco are even better than the standard pomegranates we get in the States. They are pink, sweeter, and not quite as dry when turned into juice. You can grab pomegranate juice for about $1 anywhere in Morocco and it is delicious. 

Fez

I’m honestly not sure words can do Fez justice. It is one of the coolest places we have ever visited. Fez has been around since the 700s and the Fez Medina (basically “the old city”) is one of the longest continually occupied places in the world. There are about 9400 alleys, no cars are allowed (so everyone uses donkeys to transport heavy goods), and if it weren’t for the occasional cell phone, you would think you had gone back in time a couple of centuries. And if it weren’t for our very skilled guide, there is no way we would have found our way around. 

While there, we visited multiple artisan shops. Fez is known for having the best craftsmen in Morocco. One of the most interesting was the tannery. It is one of the oldest tanneries in the world (in operation since the 1200s) and we looked out to see the individuals working on dying the leather. The weavers were also interesting. For fabric, they use silk made from cactus. 

A few members of our tour group also got to experience a hammam while in Fez. Almost all Moroccans visit a hammam on a weekly basis. Hammams are public baths, similar to Turkish baths, and seem like another tradition that has held on since Roman times. The bath houses are separated by gender and are quite the experience. If you enjoy going to the spa, you will love it. If you’re like Carey and think spas are forms of punishment, a hammam is not going to be your jam.

All over Morocco, we saw legit local hammams and obviously touristy hammams. Our guide helped us get time in a local hammam (no one working there spoke English and no one in our group spoke Arabic so it would have been difficult on our own). I went to a touristy hammam as well after our tour ended in Marrakech. It was nice, but the local hammam was definitely better.

Sahara

Camel riding to see the sunset on the Sahara is just as fantastic and fun as it sounds. We got to spend a night glamping, complete with local music, delicious food, and, of course, some mint tea (the signature drink of Morocco). Our tents even had electricity and running water. It certainly didn’t feel like any kind of “camping” I had ever done. 

Atlas Mountains

On our way into the Atlas Mountains, we stopped at the home of one of our tour guide’s friends for lunch. This individual used to be a tour guide and a chef at a hotel but has since changed courses to make home-cooked meals for tourists in his own home. It was one of the best meals we’ve ever had and was by far the best meal we had in Morocco. 

• First course – local bread, 4 types of olives (olives are served with almost every meal in Morocco), and harissa. 
• Second course – delicious salad of local veggies (avocados and beets were in season and heaven).
• Third course – Berber pizza (basically better versions of calzones), rfissa (chicken and lentils over a bed of noodles), and a tray of meat skewers (lamb and chicken). We rarely eat meat, but those chicken skewers were so good I had three pieces. 
• Fourth course – local fruit (some of the best mango I’ve ever had), fresh figs and nuts, and Moroccan cookies served with mint tea. Mint tea is a staple of Morocco and absolutely delicious. You can also tell how welcome you are in someone’s home by how high they pour the tea – the higher the pour, the more welcome you are in their home. If they barely lift the teapot to pour your tea, best to drink your tea and head out.

After our delicious meal, we finished the drive to the Rose Valley. The Rose Valley is a hub for a lot of the sports that take place in the Atlas Mountains. While there, we got to stay in a gite (similar to a homestay) and went on a beautiful hike. 

While eating dinner one night, we heard a lot of noise on the main road. We found out it was a wedding and were invited to join in on some of the festivities. It was definitely an experience! 

After leaving the Rose Valley, we got to explore the Road of the 1000 Kasbahs. A kasbah is similar to a castle and many in Morocco date back hundreds of years (some as old as the 10th century). One of the most famous has been used as a film set for “Game of Thrones” and “Gladiator”. 

Morocco is also home to quite a few famous film sets and the main film studio is open for tours. We got to tour Atlas Studios and saw sets “The Mummy”, “Ben Hur”, “Gladiator”, “Game of Thrones”, and “Wheel of Time” to name a few. 

Marrakech

Marrakech is arguably the most famous city in Morocco. Few places I’ve been feel as alive as this chaotic, loud, beautiful city. Everywhere you turn something is going on and if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone, it is an amazing place to be. 

The Marrakech Medina is full of gorgeous riads. Some are museums, some are gardens, some are restaurants, shops, etc. We spent about a week in Marrakech and were able to take the time to really explore. We found so many hidden places and I’m sure we would have found more if we had been there longer. The main streets feel chaotic – there are motorbikes everywhere, people are trying to make a sale, and the air quality can be rough. Once you escape into the tranquil Secret Garden, a delicious restaurant, or a relaxing hammam, you see why people love this city, and country, so much. 

It is also a shopper’s haven if they are willing to look and bargain. In our shopping, we found if the shop owner wasn’t bothering us to buy, we had probably found a good product. My favorite two stores in Marrakech – 

• Zen Kesh – adorable shop owned by 2 brothers. They make beautiful pottery and leather products that incorporate the Berber language Amazigh. 
• Bloc the Kasbah – a vegan restaurant and shop. They upcycle fabric from local factories to make unique clothing items. And, their vegan food is delicious and nearly impossible to find in Morocco. 

Our favorite restaurants we found – 

• Naranj – Lebanese food so good our riad owner stated her Lebanese friend said it was like eating at home.
• Corne de Gazelle – best Moroccan pastries you’ll find and the owner is incredibly kind. 
• N30 juice bar in the main square – fresh juice bar that did not give us food poisoning any of the 6 times we went (and juice is usually a pretty big culprit for food poisoning). Fruit in Morocco is delicious and so fresh. 

Over the years I had heard a lot about Morocco, but I still wasn’t sure what to expect. It far exceeded anything I could have imagined. And, I’ll be craving Moroccan mint tea until we make our way back to this gorgeous country.