Casablanca

We have a mostly uneventful flight to Morocco. Flight one is on time and as planned but I slept maybe fifteen minutes the whole time due to a fidgety neighbor that would change positions every couple minutes and startle me out of any sleep I managed. Our second flight was delayed but we were getting to Casablanca so late in the day that it wasn’t going to be a productive sightseeing day anyway.

We have a driver arranged from our tour company so it’s and easy ide to our hotel except he doesn’t have bills to break our larger bills acquired at the airport ATM so he gets a very good tip. We’ve heard it’s often difficult for people to make change for the larger bills (equivalent of a little over $20 USD) so we make it a mission to use grocery stores and such to pawn off big bills as much as possible during our travels.

We checked into our hotel but soon take the elevator to take a quick look at the loud dance club happening on the hotel rooftop. Thinking we’d have a nice view of the city and a nightcap before bed we instead have the elevator open to cigarette smoke, a bouncer, and very loud thumping. We take one look at the crowd and decide sleep is a better option tonight.

Both of us sleep completely through that first night, in fact we could have kept sleeping if we didn’t have a tour scheduled in the morning. That almost never happens. Everything is great about the room except the semi-opaque bathroom walls. I mean there is some privacy but when you are sharing a room with a friend there are bathroom walls that can give you more privacy.

Breakfast at the hotel is satisfying and a great way to start the day. Turns out it is the best breakfast spread of our travels.

We arrive a day early before our scheduled tour in Casablanca because we are so used to having flights delayed or worse that we wanted to make sure we make our official tour that starts in two days. In the morning we book a day tour since our upcoming tour does not include any sightseeing in Casablanca. Casablanca like every city in Morocco started as a nomad city along the trade route that has been governed by many different peoples but became the unique city it is because of the French occupation in the 1900’s. They set out Casablanca to be its crown jewel with all its ornate art deco architecture. It was also a key port city due to its location near the oceans.

Our first stop is at the Hassan II Mosque, a large mosque dedicated to the Moroccan King Hassan II. It is the second largest Mosque in Africa and was completed in 1993. So much detail is given to the interior including the painted parts using natural colorings and cedar wood from the Atlas Mountains. It is built over water as a floating island over the Atlantic Ocean. You can only tour this with a guide and we were luckily because it is quite empty when we toured.

After the tour we drive to Corniche, the waterfront region that usually is happening with poolside fun and outdoor cafes. It is off season so there is not much going on besides families walking along the water. We also stop to get a foggy view of the mosque and watch some fishermen during low tide.

We stop briefly at the Sacred Heart Cathedral which now serves as a function hall and is no longer open to the public.

We stop at the Arab League Park but I realize later we only see a small part of the park. This large oasis in the middle of town was inaugurated in 1919 while the French were still in power.

The we go to the Square of Mohammed V, the place also known as pigeon fountain. The square is surrounded by the opera house, and many French inspired buildings. It is here that I see the art deco post office which I will briefly visit the next day.

We stop at the Church of Notre Dame of Lourdes. There is a service going on so we only look inside quickly and decide to come back tomorrow during our self tour.

We visit the old Medina but we don’t actually shop today but just look around the area. We visit the surrounding neighborhood. Many of the buildings here are run down.

We view the large port under construction. The current king, Mohammed VI, is making an effort to expand the port for tourism and cruise ships and yachts.

Last on our tour we visit a spice place where we learn about spices and some of their other oils and natural remedies. I end up buying a thing or two there. It is before I learn the art of bargaining so I am sure I am getting ripped off.

Our tour is over and our guide recommends a restaurant near our hotel. It isn’t the most amazing meal but at least we are trying some new things. My friend who is mostly vegetarian is finding the vegetarian versions of dishes not as full of flavor as she likes. My chicken dish is bland as well. I am discovering that Moroccan dishes don’t add much salt and leave it to the individual to salt to taste. I am so used to everything everywhere being too salty for me so its definitely a change.

After lunch we visit the old souq. We walk down to the old Medina. We enter in a section that looks like it caters more to locals. Turns out there are very few tourists at all in the market, perhaps because there are no cruise ships in town today. We meet lots of cats along the way.

We stop briefly in an old riad converted into a nice restaurant in the heart of the Medina. It’s where we want to eat later but we never find our way back here on this trip.

We walk down a passage way that is decorated with random items. We watch some kids kick a ball around. It appears to be a pop up art installation in the middle of a residential street.

After our visit to the old Medina we walk under the United Nations Square and do an Art Deco tour of our own. When the French occupied Morocco they wanted to have Casablanca to be its showpiece. There are many cool Art Deco buildings that unfortunately are not all well maintained.

Street snails. I regret not trying them.

We finish the evening with dinner and a visit to a couple of rooftop bars near our hotel where we have nice views of part of the city.

The next morning we only plan to be out for a little while to visit a couple places we missed the day before but we end up spending the entire day out before meeting our tour in the evening. More on that next.

Afternoon on the water Dubrovnik

I wake up early and take a short walk and get a coffee. Finally I am able to find coffee to-go, rare in the Balkans. It’s not great coffee, but at least I am not required to sit at a cafe. I also get a cheese and spinach burek and make kitty friends as I sit on the steps to eat.

M wakes up and we decide to walk and get some snacks while we wait for our kayaking tour to start.

It’s finally time for our kayaking tour so we head out. We are both are experienced kayakers but I’ve only been ocean kayaking a little. We decide its for the best that she’s in the back of our tandem kayak since she the more experienced out of the two of us. Initially the tour is nice and easy. The guides decide to split the group into two: one for a shorter route and one for a longer route of about 8km. We decide on the longer route that takes us around the island of Lokrum. As we paddle toward the island we look back to admire the walls of the city.

We paddle around the island and reach a cave. Right outside the cave there is a ledge where we are to attempt a cliff dive. I plan on skipping the cliff dive but it seems the rest of the group is doing it so I guess I must too. The only problem is climbing up on the rock initially; between the sharp edges and the slippery parts I am a mess but with help I get up. There are two jumps to do, the high jump and the lower jump. The lower jump is high enough for me. I eventually do my jump into the very cold water and hang around on the lower rocks while I wait for everyone to finish their jumps – there is no way I am going to attempt to climb back up. The girls with wetsuits have it much better since they easily climb the rocks. I could have shimmied my way up if I had something protecting my body from the sharpness of the rocks.

The guide loads us back into our kayaks 2 by two and we head out a bit to wait and a quick look to the left gives us the vision of at least 3 naked men sunning on the rocks. Yes we were warned about this but it is no less jolting than seeing it for yourself. We giggle and make jokes about wieners and balls because we have the sense of humor of ten year old boys. Now it is time to paddle to the next cave for a little rest and swim.

Our views of the city from here are a little obscured from here due to the haze and the lowered sun. The cave is nice and cold. We do a quick swim and head back towards the starting point.

Our arms and shoulders are already pretty tired at this point but the paddle back uses all our energy reserves. We curse the kayak and waves a little bit but in time we make it to the calmer cove to exit our kayak. Despite the workout, it is a lovely tour. We will most likely be in pain tomorrow.

Our day isn’t over yet since we still plan to walk the city walls this afternoon. At close to 40 euros the cost is pricey but the money is used to maintain the walls that are pretty impressive. We have two hours to get around before they close. We make it all the way around and even stop at two of the bars up top for a drink along the way.

We stop for dinner to end the evening. My stomach gets upset from dinner or the physical effort or the alcohol so that night and the next day are a little rough for me.

We take the ferry to Lokrum island mid-day the next day. The island is nice and calm and big enough to escape the crowds. We see the place on the island where game of thrones is filmed and the associated throne. We also see some peacocks that are residents on the island. And we take a hike uphill to get a nice view of the city.

We try Buza bar once again. It is open this time but the Buza bar we find is the one that does not have full view of the sunset. It is nice regardless.

Our final morning in Dubrovnik we do some store browsing, visit an old pharmacy, eat ice cream, and seek out a naughty looking statue. We are catching a ferry to Hvar this afternoon but we do a visit to Cave Bar More and Love Bar. Both are lovely bars to stop at for a drink but I suggested not ordering food at the Cave Bar since it is disappointing. Come to think about it, most of the food in Dubrovnik has been disappointing. Hopefully things will get better in other parts of Croatia.

One of the few non disappointing meals I had Taj Mahal (Eastern European)

Kotor, Montenegro

My driver drops me off outside the old city gates. We have driven through beautiful fjord looking mountains surrounding a bay. As we get closer to Kotor the traffic gets worse and I see a large cruise ship ahead.

I grab my bags and go in the old city to meet the owner of the apartment I am renting. I am starting to second guess my visit to this town. Crowds are thick with groups doing day tours of the town. I’ve been communicating with the apartment owner by WhatsApp who tells me to wait in front of a church. A boy appears with an older photo of me on his phone “Is this you?” Yes and so I follow him. I am following a little boy to my apartment apparently. I meet his mom. She says he is 7 and she is teaching him English and often sends him on task; a point that is reinforced when he comes to collect my payment later.

I settle in and decide to eat and walk the city walls. The lady at the apartment tells me I am visiting on a holiday time. Many businesses will be closed the next two days, including grocery stores. She tells me that most of the restaurants in the old city are rip offs and not really good but then tells me most things outside the old city will be closed so I really have no choice, do I?

I eat at a lackluster place and then wander around. I start to notice all the cats. I think I read about the cats in my research but perhaps I forgot? Anyway this town is a holiday getaway for many including cruisers, people from nearby Balkan countries and until lately Russians. Despite the slow down it is still pretty busy here, luckily it does ease up a bit during the week.

This town is almost at the coast, actually a bay. The country once was part of Yugoslavia. It held onto the membership more than some but is now independent like all the other former Yugoslavia nations. It is facing some of the same problems politics wise as its neighbor, Bosnia and Herzgovina.

I end up going a wine tasting at a little bar. I had wanted to buy a bottle to take back to my apartment but all the wine shops are closed for the next couple days. Luckily I get a discount on a local bottle of wine. I sip this bottle for the next couple days. I also try a chardonnay that I can handle since it usually is not my favorite. I am also introduced to grapes I know nothing about.

The next morning I let myself sleep in so its too late to start and ascent up to the fort up the mountain. The heat gets unbearable to do the climb if you attempt it too late. I decide to take the day off today because tomorrow I have a very long day tour scheduled. I do go out to eat meals and walk along the city walls late in the morning but I am not doing any planned sightseeing today. In fact I use this time to pay bills and follow up on future travel arrangements. I forgot to schedule days off to do these things so days off have to be forced.

I do have a good sea bass for dinner. More cats are all around me.

Enough for today. Tomorrow I have a day trip to see other parts of Montenegro.

Final Harvest

Today’s harvest will probably be the last until we get early summer tomatoes ( if any). It was probably the best year yet. I wish I know what I did different this year; but I don’t. The great weather and mild winter probably had something to do with it.