Saturday

Visited the local museum here in Oudaya, not huge but in a splendid building. And you can get a lightning tour of the upstairs with live commentary.  Then walked right round the ocean road and back to the town centre.  The sea is just like Scotland at one point, crashing and foaming all over the rocks.

Went back to Dar Naji for lunch, doing that tourist thing where you go somewhere that you know, and snapped a couple of photos which give some idea but don’t really capture the atmosphere of the place.

Dar Naji entrance

Dar Naji entrance

Oudaya Museum

Dar Naji wash basin

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Home and Away

Have been getting out and about seeing stuff.  Found a pottery shop for women’s work from different parts of Morocco, where Prince Charlie & his missus bought 6 things.  I know that because there’s a photo of them on the wall beside the list of items they bought, with the price of each item. Now that’s what I call marketing.

Also wandered into a carpet factory and was made to sit – I do mean made to sit – with three of the women who were having lunch.  I was then given a hunk of bread and taught how to eat with 2 fingers and a thumb, right hand only.  It’s way more difficult that you would think, mostly because you have to get your fingers in the food, and that’s what we’ve been brought up not to do. Then I had a cup of Moroccan tea, never use a spoon, pour one glass, from a great height to oxygenate the tea, pour the tea back in the pot, repeat, then serve.  After that one of them took me to sit beside her at the loom while she started back to work.

Walked across town to visit Hassan II Tower and Mausoleum, quite spectacular buildings and there’s a guard at each of the four doorways, and inside at each corner.  Where they get them I don’t know, but each one is more handsome than the last. I suppose it’s good for the tourist image of Moroccans.

Had a bar-b-cue at night, yes, on our tiny terrace.  I stayed out of the way completely as this really is man’s work, isn’t it?  We had about 15 people at one point, I was beginning to wonder if the terrace would hold up.  But only 5 women (including me), and only 2 Moroccan women.  You really don’t see a lot of women around in the evening, lots and lots of men of all ages but only a few women, and they’re mainly older and not out just to have fun.  I suppose that will change in time.

Hassan II Mausoleum

 

Terrace Party Antics

Terrace Party Antics

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Nearly lost

Well I would be, as it’s Oudaya I stay in, not Boudaya, just as well I haven’t needed to ask how to get home.  The streets are so tiny and they do all look pretty similar, so you have to look out for the landmarks like the phone, the big brown door with the rivets, and so on.

Enjoyed shopping for domestic stuff yesterday in the medina, my only hope of getting out was to keep going either forward or right, as it’s bounded by a rectangular wall, so you have to come out eventually.  And what is the French for brush and dust pan anyway?  I find miming is a good communicator but obviously I’m not very good at it as I was offered a toilet brush first.

We have a tiny, tiny shop just about 50 yds from our door, and then there are lots of wee shops about 100 yds further on – that’s local shopping indeed, and it’s great.  You just go for what you need right now – bread fresh for breakfast, and a big jug of freshly squeezed orange juice, all for £1.30.

View from terrace, Rabat

Our white door and blue shutters

One entrance to Oudaya

 

 

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Boudaya visitors

Callum has met lots of interesting people here, so we had 6 visitors on the terrace this afternoon. And the terrace isn’t very big, but I managed to serve tea in our 3 cups and 6 glasses, so that made me feel like I was more at home than a visitor myself.  We had 2 Moroccans, 1 Russian, 1 Lithuanian and two Koreans – not what you’d expect, is it?

Today was a bit of domestic day, washing, cleaning, so just hoping the washing’s still on the line tomorrow morning, as it’s not dry yet, and I didn’t bring many clothes pegs.  Ah well, if it’s all gone, we’ll just have to go shopping…

The internet’s not fast enough at the moment to upload photos, but hopefully soon I will be able to share one of two little gems.

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Rabat arrival

Arrived Thursday evening in the oldest part of Rabat, where tiny, narrow houses huddle together around passsageways of uneven cobbles, twisting and twining – I manages to go out on my own today and find my way back, which is quite a feat I think.  The view is stunning, particularly at sunrise and sunset.

My first impressions are of colourful tiles, rich red-brown walls with beautiful arches, square mosque towers and friendly people.

 

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Margaret’s 100th

Two centenarians

 

Two centenarians

Had a wee problem there with the size of the photo – more practice is needed I think.  Anyway, it was great party with bagpipes, a singer, the provost, and about 100 people in all.  There was food, dancing, drinking and lots of presents.  I think everyone had a good time.

 

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