We fly to Casablanca on a low cost flight. Fortunately, this Maghreb nation is well connected with all of Europe with numerous low-cost flights.
We change euros into dinars at the airport and buy a sim for our mobile phone (highly recommended), we head to the bus station and with the equivalent of 4 euros we arrive in the city center.
From there a taxi driver will take us to our riad (booked online from home).
We walk through the alleys of the bazaar of the Medina and after going to the bus station to buy the ticket for Meknes (buying the ticket for the next stop is something I recommend to do immediately every time you arrive in a new city), there we enjoy an excellent dinner in a local restaurant with outdoor tables (Moroccan soup with warm cheese bread: for the price of 1 euro).
The square was full of men drinking tea, no one bothered us, someone tried to sell us some local herb, but otherwise all very kind ... and that's just the beginning.
The next day is dedicated to visiting the Hassan II Mosque, it can hold more than 25,000 faithful and, thanks to Hamad, the guide who speaks excellent Italian, we explore it far and wide.
At 1 pm we leave for Meknes with the CTM bus company (the most used company in this trip, safe and always on time) and upon our arrival at 5 pm we immediately make the acquaintance of Aziz, a awake boy who will take us around the rest of the day with a tip of 10 euros ...
We see different areas, handicrafts and even textiles, Noemi will buy an orange carpet that looked wonderful, once home a little less ...
The next day, before a wellness afternoon, we tried to send the carpet… but we didn't succeed, partly because of the post which did not reassure and partly because a surcharge of 50 euros had to be paid.
Result? From now on we will have a new travel companion of 15 kg!
Around 5 pm departure for Fez, arrival at 6 pm and after the usual bargaining with the taxi we arrive in the city center.
The search for a place to sleep this time was not so easy ... we met some people who took us to other people to end up in the house of a third party ... in short, let's say it looked a bit like the house of horrors ... but the night passed quite peaceful!
In the evening, after eating a not well digested couscous, we immerse ourselves in local life and spend the evening in the main square listening to Berber music played by various artists ... few women around but there were no problems.
After spending an absurd night on a table disguised as a mattress and without a pillow, during breakfast, in a local bar, we meet Rachid, a 22-year-old boy who will accompany us throughout the day and take us to all corners of the Fez.
In the tanneries, markets, stables, madrassas, all concluded with dressing in local clothes and obviously a nice Berber whiskey (mint tea ... we would have drunk 1 liter a day each!).
In the evening we leave with the night bus to Merzouga ... apart from the stop in a small and dirty place with really stinking bathrooms, everything went well. Always the only women… always everything great!
At 6 in the morning we arrive in Rissani and Ibrahim is waiting for us, a contact I had made from Italy and which will prove to be simply perfect! In this village there are 200 inhabitants, 3 bars, a mechanic, an oven (used by families in turn) and a hairdresser.
At 5 pm we leave on the back of the camels. It's the three of us, Ibrahim and Barah, the cook.
After about half an hour we arrive in the desert but we continue for another two hours before camping. The night falls at an incredible speed… in the meantime we help Barah cut the vegetables and the meat and, after a candlelit dinner and a good chat, we look around and remain entranced. Our dromedaries dangling a few meters from us, the sound of the light wind, the light of a candle that illuminated everything around.
We had to sleep under the tents but the call of the sky was too strong, we decide to spend the night in a sleeping bag under a blanket of stars worthy of the best poetry. There are certain moments in life that you will carry forever in your heart, this, for me, is one of them.
At about 5 we wake up (submerged in the sand) to admire the sunrise from the dunes ... and, after seeing the sun rise, we withdraw everything and shortly after, on our dromedary, we return to the riad.
In the afternoon we went with a 4 × 4 to visit nomadic Berber families, a very touching experience and so far from our everyday life.
We agree with a driver who will take us to Ourzazate the next day and from there we will have to find a lift ... we'll see!
We spend the afternoon in the pool and the evening between djambè and bongos and a lot of fun… obviously with various cups of Berber tea! (always the three of us only women)!
Well, today we don't really know what will happen ... we find ourselves, as agreed, with the driver who will take us to Ouarzazate and, with various stages of extraordinary beauty such as the Todra gorges and the valley of the Roses.
Once in Merzouga we find a collective taxi and begin this adventure in the company of Aziz, the driver, Hamad, the school inspector and Mohamed, another passenger. After an initial silence of 20 minutes, a joke was enough to make the friendship explode.
The arrival in Marrakech was devastating to say the least ... let's remember that we were always in the company of the 15 kg carpet that passed from hand to hand in Jamaa el Fna Square, and among a crowd that stole the breath and three companions picked up on the street, I don't know how, we arrive at the riad.
We spend the evening in a restaurant where we enjoy a "platter" of rice and then relax on the roof of our riad to eat a nice slice of watermelon, while the sky seems to envelop us like a light sheet.
In Marrakech it is very likely that you will run into kids who want to accompany you somewhere at all costs to raise a few dinars, it is good to be clear from the start to avoid unpleasant inconveniences.
We go to a herbalist's shop where, in addition to buying soaps and spices, we drink a nice Berber tea ... never let a day go by without tea in Morocco!
The musts of this wonderful city are certainly: having breakfast with a nice orange juice in the many stalls of Jamaa el Fna Square, a cous cous in the hidden restaurants of the souk, bargaining, bargaining and bargaining always ... otherwise there is no taste, have a drink in one of the bars overlooking the square as the sun sets and everything comes alive with a magic that only here you can perceive.
We spend the last two days in Agadir from where our plane will depart… we will relax with massages, scrubs and swimming pool.
This journey was really intense, full of emotions and adventure… thank you girls for sharing this experience!
Ah Morocco, I can't wait to go back to you!
Stefy
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Etiopia Capitale: Addis Abeba Moneta: Birr Periodo migliore: Il clima
4 Responses
Sono stata diverse volte in Marocco. L’ultima,due anni fa,con un’amica. È un paese meraviglioso,tutto da scoprire. Abbiamo sempre viaggiato per quanto possibile con i bus di linea o con i taxi collettivi senza aver avuto alcun tipo di problema,anzi,abbiamo sempre trovato persone gentili e disponibili,pronte ad aiutarci!
Grazie mille Ornella, speriamo che questo dannato covid ci restituisca la possibilità di vivere nuovamente le esperienze di cui parli.
Si,speriamo presto. Grazie
Speriamo