(no subject)
Woke up to good news this morning (wednesday) - several of the people staying here walked up to say congratulations and ask what I thought of the vote. There is certainly no disappointment here from what I've seen.
Khalid came and picked me up at 10 again. This time we walked through a different part of the medina and souk, specifically to look at carpets. I need to stop doing that. My AmEx card really needs to stop doing that. $3500 later I am the proud owner of four handmade Berber/Touarag carpets. No regrets. No more carpets though. Between the two I picked up in India this year, and these I will have plenty to use on the floor and hang on my walls and, I don't know what else. They are gorgeous though. These aren't plush, they are lightweight, woven in tribal designs which are geometric and in some cases very similar to Navajo. I had them shipped home, they should be there by Christmas.
We also went through another museum of berber art and pottery, and then a drive out to the new city for lunch. We passed a McDonald's which I found a museum - it is Halal, which you certainly won't find in the states, has the french wording (Royale with Cheese!), and they have apple and pear milkshakes on their seasonal menu. I got a turkey panini at the cafe across the street. After lunch we drove around the suburban area a bit, and then toured another palace.
This morning (thursday) we took a drive out into the countryside - the Ourika valley. It was raining but still gorgeous. Lots of greenery, locally owned pottery shops and kilns, small towns. We stopped at a really nice place for lunch and then headed to the medina. He dropped me off at the riad around 4:00. I've been catching up on email since then and will go down for dinner in a bit.
I hadn't realized that the last few weeks were a major holiday break here for the hajj - it's like christmas break in the U.S. - all the kids went back to school yesterday and the riad emptied out as well. I think there are only two guests here tonight. So the wifi is much faster. :)
Tomorrow morning I catch the 11 am train back to Rabat, check back in at the Sofitel, and meet my friend Faissal for dinner. It'll be an early night - I have to be out the door by 5am Saturday morning to catch a 6:40 flight to Paris, and then I have to figure out the Paris subway system to meet my train at Gare du Nord. Two hours from there to Antwerp. At least now Antwerp is a little familiar and I know my hotel is on the first block from the train station.
Khalid came and picked me up at 10 again. This time we walked through a different part of the medina and souk, specifically to look at carpets. I need to stop doing that. My AmEx card really needs to stop doing that. $3500 later I am the proud owner of four handmade Berber/Touarag carpets. No regrets. No more carpets though. Between the two I picked up in India this year, and these I will have plenty to use on the floor and hang on my walls and, I don't know what else. They are gorgeous though. These aren't plush, they are lightweight, woven in tribal designs which are geometric and in some cases very similar to Navajo. I had them shipped home, they should be there by Christmas.
We also went through another museum of berber art and pottery, and then a drive out to the new city for lunch. We passed a McDonald's which I found a museum - it is Halal, which you certainly won't find in the states, has the french wording (Royale with Cheese!), and they have apple and pear milkshakes on their seasonal menu. I got a turkey panini at the cafe across the street. After lunch we drove around the suburban area a bit, and then toured another palace.
This morning (thursday) we took a drive out into the countryside - the Ourika valley. It was raining but still gorgeous. Lots of greenery, locally owned pottery shops and kilns, small towns. We stopped at a really nice place for lunch and then headed to the medina. He dropped me off at the riad around 4:00. I've been catching up on email since then and will go down for dinner in a bit.
I hadn't realized that the last few weeks were a major holiday break here for the hajj - it's like christmas break in the U.S. - all the kids went back to school yesterday and the riad emptied out as well. I think there are only two guests here tonight. So the wifi is much faster. :)
Tomorrow morning I catch the 11 am train back to Rabat, check back in at the Sofitel, and meet my friend Faissal for dinner. It'll be an early night - I have to be out the door by 5am Saturday morning to catch a 6:40 flight to Paris, and then I have to figure out the Paris subway system to meet my train at Gare du Nord. Two hours from there to Antwerp. At least now Antwerp is a little familiar and I know my hotel is on the first block from the train station.