Morocco - Marrakech to Agadir

 Last nights group dinner was at a restaurant just off the main square. We sat at one long table and ordered what we wanted from 2 sections of the menu. Some of the meals are included in the tour and this was one of them.

Olives were set on the table. The green ones were spicy but I ate more than my share of the black ones.

 

Baskets of bread too. This is Khobz, and has been served at every meal.

I ordered a mixed salad, forgot to take a picture so this is more than half eaten! I also had an omelette that was basically 2 mixed eggs done on the grill. I was very happy with this as the vegetarian options have been limited to couscous and

soggy vegetables. This is Heather's vegetarian Tagine. Surprisingly bland. Recipes I have found on the internet indicate that it should have a lot of spices, olives, dates or apricots. It has been a bit disappointing.

Abdellah demonstrating how the tea should be poured. 

The Ultimate Gesture of Welcome: Offering tea is a primary rule of Moroccan etiquette. When guests arrive at a home, shop, or office, hot mint tea is brewed and served immediately to show respect and honor. Declining a cup can be viewed as a social rebuff. [
A Symbol of Community and Pace: A famous Maghrebi proverb states: "To make good tea, you need time, coals, and friends." Drinking tea encourages people to slow down, converse, and connect, serving as the social glue for family gatherings, business deals, weddings, births, and even funerals. 
An Artistic Performance: Traditionally prepared by the head of the household in front of guests, the service involves a graceful, high-altitude pour from a metal teapot into small glass cups to aerate the liquid and create a light foam (turban).  from the AI summary.
• We were given tea as soon as we arrived at the Riad and again at the hotel we arrived at today.
•  After dinner we walked back into the square and had some ice cream before returning to the Riad to pack.

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  Greeted by the hotel cat this morning.

  
   

  

  The handle to my door in the Riad. It had a padlock that my key fit. After breakfast we, and our luggage, were in the same van as yesterday, at 10:30.

It is Friday and Friday is a significant day for Muslims. Morocco practices a liberal Muslim faith but many engage in the ritual bathing before attending the Mosque for a special 2 hour sermon. It is a family day, "couscous day", where a meal of couscous and meat is shared by the family. It is a day to be generous. Abdellah explained that since 9/11 the topic of the sermon is decided for each Friday and all the Imams will conduct a sermon on the same topic on that day.

He also talked about the Royal family, the role they play, and how they inherit. But I missed most of that as I was sitting at the back of the van and couldn't hear that well. The one thing I did hear is that, although the current king has a son and a daughter, the daughter cannot become queen only the oldest male in the family. Of note, recently Morocco elected its first female Prime Minister. 

After leaving Marrakech we were onto a major highway

 

and heading for the Atlas Mountains

on our way to Agadir.

Our CEO is a Berber and explained that many in the mountains still lead a simple, semi nomadic life. Their homes are adobe and they spend time wandering with their sheep and goats to keep them fed. He explained that the last big earthquake, in 2023, was in the mountains, at night and there was such a high death toll (about 3,000 people) because of the materials used to build their homes. The Berbers are the indigenous, preArab inhabitants of Morocco and make up about half of the population.

We stopped for a bathroom and sustenance break

and fed a very cute and polite little dog.

Back in the van, through a pass and down, down, down the South slope of the mountains where Argon trees grow. I understand we will learn more about Argon in the days to come.

We arrived in Agadir and went straight to the huge indoor market. This town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1960 and has been totally rebuilt since then. 

The market is organized into specialty sections

Mark compared it to Giant Tiger, as the quality of clothing and household goods was not high but the produce is all grown in the valley close to the town so, very good.

It has been made to look old. It was not that busy as it is Friday and we did see about 8 shop keepers seated around a huge dish of couscous with a cooked chicken in the middle, sharing from that communal dish.

So many tomatoes are grown here that they are also exported.

We wandered a little but really it could not compare to the hustle and bustle and colour and variety of the Souks we had seen in Marrakech.

Mosque located beside one of the gates.

A short drive took us to our hotel. I can see this minaret from my window, smell the sea and hear sea gulls.  

Most went straight down to the sea and then found a place to eat. Joe and I waited for Abdellah and ended up eating at this restaurant which is a chain.

We sat up on the rooftop and would have had a great view of the sea if this damp fog had not rolled in (reminded me of Vancouver Island!)

I had a Buratta salad and a side of houmous. The cheese was gooey in the middle and the houmous had a drizzle of oil infused with chilli. Hit the spot.

It was an exciting menu ...this is Tagine pizza (inside was cheese and meat cooked first in a tagine)

Joe had meat and cheese rolled, served on skewers over a bed of charcoal.

 Too full for dessert we walked back to the hotel. Scheduled to be back in the van by 8am tomorrow for a drive up the coast. Hopefully the fog has lifted.