Morocco

The outer breakwater at Sale'. The apparent calm is deceiving. When storms build up in the North Atlantic a huge surf is present here. This renders entry or exit impossible. Indeed, one of the main advantages Sale' had as a pirate lair was that it could not be attacked by larger warships as they could not get close enough. The city you see here is actually Rabat, which is on the south side of the river Bouregreg.

The entrance on a livelier day, as seen from the inside. Many ships have been wrecked here and even yachts (and their crew) have been lost recently trying to enter or leave. As this is the mouth of a river, a very shallow bar is present and 3m+ (10') ocean waves become huge. We saw many locals surfing this harbor entrance. In order to enter the harbor one has to call for a pilot boat and wait for high tide.

The imposing kasbah (fort) on the Rabat side of the entrance.

This pirate lair was attacked many times by European powers seeking to deter or eliminate the pirate slave raids, which ranged as far as Iceland and Sweden. Thousands upon thousands of Europeans faced the horror of captivity, torture and an early death at he hands of the Muslims.

Like most buildings in Morocco, it's made from mud brick and either finished with stucco and/or stone.

The Hubster strolls past the wares in the Rabat medina (market). By the time this was taken we'd become thoroughly sick of haggling and getting ripped off. While they are not as bad dealing with Arabs, it is nonetheless exhausting having to argue about the price of literally everything.

Speaking of haggling, nothing and nobody beats a rug merchant. While we would have loved to obtain a few of these bright Berber beauties, we had no place to stow them and lacked the stamina to deal with expert negotiators. With the influx of Pakistani and Afgan immigrants to Austin, its easy to pick up a great rug at your local second hand shop. Saves the haggling in the bazaar.

Like any market worth its salt there was a profusion of herbs and spices, enough to please any gourmet.

Date season. Too bad we find them way too sweet.

Marinas we have known. This one is Marina Bouregreg. The dock on the lower left is the Customs dock, where we had to raft up to 2 other boats in a strong current. This is the only place we've been where they ran a sniffer dog through the boat - not even Australia did that. What's more, they also run the dog through when you leave. This black lab decided to take a leak on the fenders. We guess he was vexed because he didn't find what he wanted. The marina is small but very expensive. We had intended to stay here a week but the boat was here 3 months. In the Good Old Days this area was the pirates' harbor, which ran all the way up to the kasbah, which you can barely see to the upper right.

The clogged potty proved to be a major challenge. While diving on the problem (how glamorous!) Capt Hub developed a shortness of breath, which was later diagnosed as a serious coronary condition, hence the detour back to the US. Our adventures can take many forms.

One of the gates of the Sale' kasbah. We imagine it was all built with European slave labor.

Fez

Nice tile. The famous "Blue Gate" entrance to the Fez medina.

We stayed at Riad Louna. The most romantic boutique getaway in the whole world. Someone's home which had been artistically turned into a silvery habitat destined to make anyone fall in love. Again and Again!

Like many fine urban houses in the Islamic world, this one is hidden down a narrow street and its charms are inside, built around a central coutyard.

This is just the courtyard. our love nest is in front of the rather large looming palm.

Look at the entry! This is to our room i.e suite -. incredible!

Talk about primo chicken, can't get any more farm fresh.

Death row.

The conical ceramics are for the national dish "tajine", a savoury mix of steamed veggies and meat served on couscous.

Meknes

We wanted to visit Meknes as it was the monument to the great and terrible psycho-sultan Moulay Ismail, who employed (and murdered) tens of thousands of European slaves building what was probably the largest palace complex ever built anywhere in history.

If the columns in the picture appear Roman, it's because they were looted from the city you will see below.

The courtyard of another fine residence.

You weren't supposed to touch anything inside, but the security guard invited us past the ropes to pose in Moroccan splendour. He expected bakshish, and naturally got it.

The Moors/Berbers had a sense of style largely unknown in the Arab parts of the Islamic world. The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul has nothing on this merchant's house.

Volubilis

If you've never heard of Volubilis, neither had we. It was a Roman city that flourished in the 5th C AD. No telling how big it was before Moulay Ismail started carting it off. Most of the green stuff you see are olive trees, but in Roman times the crop was wheat to feed the Empire.

Note the stork nest atop the column near the center.

Main Street. The stone path is actually a covering for the storm sewer that runs down the center in standard Roman fashion. We would have loved to explore the tunnel running underneath but lacked the equipment.

Most of what survives are the houses of the rich with their fine mosaic floors.

This floor depicts a leering Bacchus beholding a luscious Ariadne. Unfortunately, she and her pal Cupid were a bit too racy for an Islamic censor who chisled them out of history.

This floor shows the owners along with myriad hunting scenes.

These floors would really shine if only someone kept them clean.

A Roman hot tub.

In January, when we returned from spending 2 months in Austin being surgerized and recovering, we returned to a very cold and wet Morocco. We wanted to see more, especially Marrakech, but it was just too darn cold. So, after a week or so replacing food and a little nautical refurb, we departed Sale' for what we hoped would be warmer climes. So, please join us as we take off for the Canaries!

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