Ouarzazate to Casablanca

April 28 Ouarzazate to Casablanca. 

We are picked up at the hotel and transfered to the airport for a short plane ride back to Casablanca. While check in is ok, we have the strange experience of having 2 of our 4 bags torn apart for inspection for no reason. We arrive at Casablanca and have quite a bit of confusion in meeting our layover tour of the city.

Downtown Casablanca

Our tour guide turns out to be strange with many quirky opinions, the driver does not put on the air conditioning and its hot and there is lots of traffic. After our lunch along the ocean which was quite nice, we cut our losses and ask to go to the hotel. The Atlas hotel is quite nice and we decompress and have a nice dinner, ready to go home.

Merzouga, Todre Gorge and Ouarzazate

April 27 Merzouga, Todre Gorge and Ouarzazate. 

We meet another family today

This is our last day with our tour friends and we leave the dunes to pick up the bus in Efound. We are headed to the Todra Gorge, one of Morocco's most spectacular sights. It is a vast fault in the plateau separating the High Atlas from the Jbel Sarhro, two sheer cliffs over 95 ft high separated by a narrow corridor only 70 ft wide.

Todra Gorge

Later we cross the southern slopes of the High Atlas before arriving at the captivating city of Ouarzazate. We stop en route in the heart of the Dades Valley at the oasis of Kelaa Mjouna. We stay at the hotel Al Baraka which resembles and upscale truck stop. We decide we are too tired to back to town for dinner so hang out and have dinner at the hotel and prepare for the trip home.

Rissani and the Merzouga Dunes

April 26 Rissani and the Merzouga Dunes

Tafilalt Oasis

This morning we journey to the historic 8th century caravan town of Rissani to visit the Tafilalt Oasis. The first capital of the Tafilalt and the last stop on the caravan routes south, Rissani has a special place in Moroccan lore. The ruling Alaouite dynasty (from whom Morocco's current ruler, Mohammed VI, is a descendant) launched its bid for power here before triumphing finally in Fes and Marrakech. Today, a quarter of Rissani's population still inhabits a large 17th-century ksar in the center of town.

Our guide takes us through the mossoleum for the founder and then through the town, including a stop at a family’s home and lastly a school. We take a little time for shopping including a rug shop.

The family's tent

We have lunch at a local pizzeria which has a local specialty much like a calzone. Then in the afternoon we drive by 4WD vehicle to Merzouga to witness sunset over the dunes.

Bedouin Father

On the way to the dunes we stop by a family that lives in the desert and have tea under their tent. The children are very curious of us, as I am sure we looked very strange to them. The family is Bedouin, a group of nomadic Arab people who have inhabited the desert regions in North Africa, the name Bedouin means "desert dweller." After our stop we are on our way through the desert.

Sama, our tour leader and one of the girls we met

We have time to explore the dunes on foot or by camel. We opt for some rest and watch night begin over the desert dunes. This is a magical landscape, with huge drifting expanses of sand dunes reaching heights of more than 150 ft. Their color shifts from pink to gold to red to white depending on the time of day. We have dinner at the hotel and retire for the evening.

Camels in the Sahara desert

April 25 Fes to Erfoud

Traveling through the Middle Atlas mountains

Today we leave for the Middle Atlas mountains, a region of folded mountains and high, windswept plateaux, vast forests of cork oak and cedar, and lakes and streams full of trout. This is Berber country and sheep and goat-rearing is the main occupation. We drive through the Berber villages of Imouzzer du Kandar; Ifrane, a fairy-tale town unlike any other in Morocco with white-walled French-style villas with steep red roofs and gables. As the altitude increases, we come to a bare, arid, sandy plateau with another range of mountains in the distance. We arrive in  Arfoud, a city known as "the Door to the Desert."

Mint tea at the hotel

We stay in the Kasbah Hotel Xaluca which was built with adobes, the traditional Moroccan building bricks, and it is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the moment. It combines tradition with modern amenities and is a fantastic place, situated among the dunes and palms. After dinner at the hotel we sit by the pool and enjoy some local music before retiring for the night.

Our room at Kasbah Hotel Xaluca

Fes

April 24 Fes. 

Walking in the narrow alleys in Fes El Bali

Today we did a walking tour of Fes El Bali, the extraordinary medieval walled city. Once inside the gates of this great spectacle, we saw an entirely different view of life in Morocco. In contrast to the well-planned Ville Nouvelle of Fes, the old city is a labyrinth of alleys and lanes lined with shops, mosques, homes and schools. In 1980 UNESCO designated the medina a World Heritage Site.

Lemons and olives

Our guide took us to the medina to view the market shops, or suks. Everything from food to clothing and handicrafts of all types are for sale and bargaining. We see the famous fabric dying area with the brightly coloured cloth hanging to dry and the leather tanning.

Leather Dying

We visit the Royal Palace, several mosques, theological schools, and shops where we can see craftsmen tailoring their work. We also walk through the jewish neighborhood. It is an amazing look into the life of the Moroccan city dweller where little has changed over the centuries.

Donkeys still bring in goods to Fes El Bali

Fes, Voli and Meknes

April 23 Fes, Voli and Meknes.

This morning we visit the impressive site of Volubilis, the best preserved Roman site in Morocco. Situated on the ledge of a long plateau, the dramatic site was once one of the Roman Empire's most remote outposts. Unfortunately it’s raining and cold, but the local guide gives us a very good tour of this impressive site. We do a photo stop due to the rain at the town of Moulay Idriss it is a dramatic sight, houses and mosques piled up around two rock outcrops.

Volubilis

We continue to Meknes, Morocco's youngest Imperial City first stopping at the Bab El Mansour gate dating from 1752, complete with its Corinthian columns. The city was built by a massive army of slaves, both Moroccan and Christian, and the Sultan was in particular famed for his barbaric treatment of these people, supposedly interring them in the walls. The city contained within it's walls all that was necessary for such a large population and military machine, with store houses, stables, armouries, exercise areas, gardens and ponds.

Bab El Mansour in Meknes

We are all cold and wet as we return to Fes. We stop at the equivalent of Walmart and stock up for the rest of our journey. We have a nice dinner at a local restaurant before returning to our riad and collapsing.

Heri es-Souani granaries in Meknes

Casablanca, Rabat and Fez.

April 22 Casablanca, Rabat and Fez. 

This morning we visit the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, a glorious structure believed to be only second in size to Islam's most important site, Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The mosque was inaugurated in August 1993, the culmination of five years of intensive labor by over 30,000 workers. We may only enter only as part of a guided tour.

Hassan II Mosque

From Casablanca we travel to Rabat, Morocco's third oldest Imperial City and modern capital. We visit the the Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum. Before leaving Rabat we have lunch at the Art Cafeteria which proves to be quite entertaining with all the confusion that our group generates.

Fes

We then travel to Fes arriving just in time for dinner. The historic city of Fes lies in the Oued Sebou basin, on the traditional trade route from the Sahara to the Mediterranean and the path.from Algeria and the Islamic heartland beyond. For centuries the dominant axis within Morocco was of Fes and Marrakech, two cities linked by their immense power and rivalry. Fes is still seen as the spiritual and cultural capital and holds an enduring fascination for visitors with one of the largest historic medinas full of monuments reflecting the different periods of Morocco's imperial past.

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Our riad is nestled at the end of a quiet street, near the heart of the ancient labyrinth of the medina of Fez, the Algilà Fès is comprised of three inter-connected 18th century residences, each an architectural gem in its own right, offering modern comforts in a traditional setting. It has 15 guest rooms around three separate courtyards fitted with fountains, palm trees and sitting areas. We have dinner in our riad which is quite good with a local flavor. Each riad has its own character as if you were visitings people’s homes. Some of our group would like more modern conveniences but we like the uniqueness.

Sitting area in Algilà Fès 

Marrakech to Casablanca

April 21 Marrakech to Casablanca. 

Today we take the train from Marrakech to Casablanca to meet our group to tour the rest of Morocco. We are very tired from yesterday so hang out in the riad. We have a lovely lunch in the riad, then off to the train station for our 2.5 hr ride to Casablanca. In our 6 person compartment there is a couple from Ireland backpacking through Morocco, 2 local women and us. The 2 women talk nonstop the whole ride as the rest of us sleep, read and watch the scenery.

Le Gare Train Station in Marrakech

Getting off in Casablanca it is an easy uneventful taxi to the hotel. We meet our group of 18 and head off to a local restuarant. We have some tangine lamb as we get to know our traveling companions. Our easy day ends with a glass of wine at the hotel and off to bed.

Marrakech

April 20 Marrakech. 

Palais el Bahia

Marrakech is one of the world's most enchanting cities, a former imperial city in western Morocco. It is a major economic center and home to mosques, palaces and gardens. The medina is a densely packed, walled medieval city dating to the Berber Empire, with maze like alleys where thriving marketplaces. Our morning tour takes us to the Koutoubia Mosque from the 12th century, its minaret nearly 230 feet high and emulating the classic Moroccan design. We go through the Mellah, or Jewish quarter. Mellah means salt in Arabic and the Jewish community in Morocco were known for their trade in salt and meat preservation. We then proceed to the Palais el Bahia where we see grand halls, gardens and the harem quarter. We also visit to the Saadian Tombs where we see the graves of the regime that made this city so important.

The floor-to-ceiling decoration at Palais el Bahia were begun by
Grand Vizier Si Moussa in the 1860's and finished in 1900.

We are then off to shop and we end up purchasing spices, Moroccan slippers and a Berber rug. Susan turns out to be the master barginer and gets the rug she wanted and has it shipped home. Tired from our adventures we stop by a cross cultural cafe near our riad for a lunch of camel burger and beef burger. We rest up because we have a special night.

Morrocan slippers or Babouches

Our Berber salesman

We go on an urban adventures food tour of the medina. We meet our guide Omar and it ends up we are the only 2 on the tour due to cancellations. In the 3 hours we stroll the market place we have Moroccan donuts and pancakes, a local soup called harias, olive tasting and tangina beef, topped off with sweets Omar picked up a from a local bakery. The owner of the restaurant was the former chef to the president. We conclude with a very flavorful spice infused tea. We walk home to our riad very full and tired.

Making donuts

View of Medina from restaurant

Spiced tea to help digestion

Lisbon to Marrakech

April 19 Lisbon to Marrakech. 

This morning we depart on a half day tour of Lisbon. Lisbon is an enticing tangle of past and present -- funky and old-fashioned, unpretentious and quirky, restored and revitalized, booming with new confidence. With cultural diversity combined with a laid-back ambiance and an architectural time-warp, this is one of Europe's most enjoyable cities. We are picked up for a driving tour of the city sites as our plane is to leave early afternoon.

Old town Lisbon

Our tour takes us along the banks of the River Tagus and the Belem Tower guarding the mouth of the river. We see Jeronimo's Monastery which contains the tomb of Vasco da Gama. We continue on to see Alcantara, Praca do Comercio, and the House of Pointed Stones. We also drive along the Avenida da Liberdade, a fashionable tree-lined street through the center of town. We drive through the oldest quarter Alfama, Baixa, Rossio, and Restauradores. After our tour we drive to the airport for our flight to Marrakech in Morocco which unfortunately is late and further delayed by a thunderstorm.

Riad Daria

On arrival in Marrakech, we are get taken to accommodation the Riad Daria, which is restored according to the ancestral traditions of Marrakech. It presents an architecture and a decoration of old Marrakech. A riad is traditional house in Morocco characterized by an inner courtyard or a garden as the central element of the building. The name comes from the Arab word ryad garden. Given we get here late, we can have our dinner in the riad. A wonderful but simple salad, chicken and vegetables, and a flan type desert. We settle into a peaceful night.

Courtyard

Leiria to Lisbon

Thursday April 18 Leiria to Lisbon. 

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima

Our first stop is  where we visit the Basilica and the Chapel of Apparitions that marks the spot where the three shepherd children had visions of the Virgin Mary in 1917 CE. Fatima has been one of the biggest Catholic shrines in the world since 1937 CE, when it is believed the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children as they were tending their family's sheep. They had the same vision on the 13th of every month from May to October of that year. We then visit the village where the children lived to see their homes.

Nazare

Then to Nazare, the most famous fishing town in Portugal. Among the brightly colored rowing-boats moored on the beach bathed by the Atlantic Ocean a superb view from the "Sitio", where we seewomen still wearing the traditional seven-skirted costumes. We then drive to Obidos, a medieval walled town of narrow streets known for its typical white houses with blue trim, flowered windows and steps paved with beautiful stone. We pass through the 18th century entry arch covered in glazed tiles (azulejos). Small bright white house’s line the narrow cobblestone streets, flower pots on window-sills, Gothic and Renaissance churches.

Obidos

We continue to Lisbon and we check Hotel Portugal a trendy hotel in the heart of the city. After being in the country for a number of days it seems a bit intense. After walking around and being a bit confused about restaurants we settle on a lovely local place that has people waiting when we are finished. We have a glass of wine at the rooftop bar in the sister hotel to ours and head off to bed.

Hotel Portugal

Lamego to Leiria.

Wednesday April 17

Lamego to Leiria. Today we leave the Douro valley and begin our two day journey to Lisbon. Our first stop Bussaco Forest and on the way it starts raining. The forest was a part of a carmelite nunnery and was demolished to build the Bussaco Palace between 1888 and 1907. The palace, commissioned by King Charles I of Portugal as a royal retreat, embodies the contemporaneous architectural fashion known as castle romanticism. It is now a hotel.

 Bussaco Palace Hotel

We are then off to the university town of Coimbra, known for its twisting streets and terraced
houses. We visit the 12th century CE Se Velho Cathedral, and the 13th-century CE Coimbra
University with its magnificent library, Manueline doors and chapel. We also visit the charming
and elegant 16th century CE Museu Nacional Machado de Castro, formerly the Bishop's palace
and now the depository of some of Portugal's finest sculpture. The sense of history both at the university and in the items from the 17th century in the museum is incredible.

The Johannine Library at Coimbra University

We are then off to the city of Leiria for an overnight in the Eurosol a tourist hotel in a city of 125,000. We wander around trying to find a restaurant and happen upon a small family pizzeria. We have a wonderful pizza dinner with salad served by a delightful waitress. Back at the hotel we encounter a very loud German tour group, seems like they are following us.

Porto to Lamego

Tuesday April 16. Porto to Lamego. 

Today is the end of our cruise and the beginning of our private tour through Portugal. We meet our driver guide George right on time and it’s off to see the Douro from a different perspective. George asks what we have seen and quickly adjust the events to minimize seeing things twice. We go the Amarante a charming medieval town on the Tamega River. The bridge front of the Church São Gonçalo is amazing and there has been a crossing at this very location since the Romans, but the current design is from a Baroque and Neoclassical rebuild at the end of the 18th century.

Amarante 

After our walk around the town we head to Lamega to revisit the Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies without the many people that were there on the weekend. We see many more aspects of the church and area. We then visit the museum of Douro in Regua which focuses on the history of the river valley and the making of port wine. We have a nice lunch in the museum restaurant followed a glass of port.

Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies 

We are then off to the Quinta de Tedo where the Bouchard’s have restored and modernized the estate from the 18th century that produces internationally praised Douro and Port Wines, as well as high quality olive oil. We have a guided visit to the estate, including the wine making facilities and ageing cellars, followed by Port Wine and olive oil tasting. Their facilities are available for lodging and meals. The vista with the confluence of the Tedo and Douro river is amazing.

View from Quinta de Tedo

We the head off to the Six Senses hotel set in the hills touched with the romance of 19th century architecture wedded to contemporary interiors reflecting the inimitable Six Senses style. The resort’s estate covers 19 acres with 57 guest accommodations, the Vale de Abraao restaurant with three different atmospheres: Open Kitchen, Terrace and Dining Room; a Wine Library featuring vintages from the valley and a stunning spa. We have a great dinner and local wine.

Six Senses hotel

Porto

Monday April 15 Porto. 

This morning we has a trip to Guimaraes the first capital of Portugal as a nation. We stop at a most interesting winery first, A 18th century crested manor house with an interesting history going back generations and told to us by the current owner. The house splendid with its complex wallpapers depicting imagery linked to the Portuguese Empire, European history and America. We have some lovely green wine with local cheese and sausage. This is a special place and currently also has rooms for rent.

Casa de Sezim

Good fortune isn’t with us as the rain begins as we get to Guimaraes. It’s known for well-preserved medieval buildings like the hilltop, 10th-century Castle, with its sweeping city views. The restored Dukes of Bragança Palace is amazing and between the palace and the castle is the Romanesque São Miguel do Castelo Church, built in the 13th century.

Guimarães

We head back to our ship as it’s our last night aboard, with the usual Captain’s dinner. We have a special experience as the ship takes an after dinner cruise up and down the Douro in the moonlight. We get to see the city lights and the bridges,very nice ending to a good time.

Porto at night

Entre de Rios to Porto

Sunday April 14 Entre de Rios to Porto. 

Porto

Today we head to the big city of Porto by sailing through the last lock which drops us down 43 feet and arrives at Vila Nova de Gaia across the river from Porto. It's where the ship moor and the port warehouses are for the port to age. We take a cable car to walk across the Dom Luis bridge designed by Eiffel, one of a number of bridges that span the Douro River in Porto.

Dom Luis bridge

Porto is the second-largest city in Portugal after Lisbon and has a population of 287,591 with the metropolitan area of Porto, it has a population of 2.3 million It the only Portuguese city besides Lisbon to be recognised as a global city. It’s history goes back to 300 bc. It was a roman city, occupied by the moors and then by christians. Port wine dates back to the 13th century. The city has a magical feel. We also visit the cathedral and the train station which has wonderful tiles displaying Porto history. We end the afternoon with a port tasting at Calem the oldest port cellar in Porto.

Calem

We finish our day with a wine paired dinner from West Wines, the last dry creek winery dinner for this trip. Tired from our day we skip a special tradition called the tuna show. A tuna is a group of students in traditional university dress who play traditional instruments and sing serenades. It originated in Spain and Portugal in the 13th century as a means of students to earn money or food. Nowadays students don't belong to a "tuna" for money nor food, but seeking to keep a tradition alive. Oh well next time.