Marrakech, Morocco
October 21, 2022
Breakfast at 8:30 am gave us a chance to get some sleep. The food was fantastic and we enjoyed the great variety.
9 am was out meeting time in the front lobby. We chatted with some other folks we have met on the ship and compared experiences. This morning we boarded horse drawn carriages to take a tour of the center of Marrakech. More than one person commented that they felt sorry for the horses. I didn’t really understand. The horses are obviously well taken care of and in very good shape. The only negative with horses are the flies they bring. As long as the carriage was moving they were fine.
Driving in Marrakech is an experience. Motorcycles and scooters are everywhere and they weave in and out of regular traffic.
We sat in the carriage with another couple. She grew up in Jackson and went to Albion College and they lived most of their lives near Cleveland. He commented on recognizing my Michigan accent. We shared stories about running, marathons, swimming, and skiing. Most folks on the ship are on the downward side of athletics and are just happy to be able to participate on tours such as this. One woman in this groups gets around on a segway. She brought it on the ship with her and takes it on these excursions to get around. Something happened to her legs and she can barely walk. This really beats a wheelchair.
After the carriage ride we went to a garden that was owned by Yves Saint Lauren.
After the visit to the garden it was time to make our way to a palace to admire the interior design. This place was used during the French occupation of of Morocco in the early 20th century as the addition of the fireplace proves.
Lunch was at a hotel nearby. Similar food and hospitality. Lunch was served in the courtyard.
We spent about 90 minutes enjoying lunch and the surroundings here and then headed to the bus for our trip to Casablanca. There clearly would not be time to visit Casablanca as all aboard is 8:30 pm and we would arrive about 8 pm. No Rick’s visit on this trip. I did hear that other folks, not on this tour, did get to visit and take some photos.
We arrived about 8 and we were the first off the bus and into customs. It was a one night trip and many folks took very large bags with them. We traveled very lightly. Shoulder bags only.
The ship was off on time and we experienced the biggest swells of the trip caused by the shallow water near Casablanca.
Casablanca is a very different city than Marrakech. Mainly working businessmen and families. Streets are vacant early in the evening. Not the party atmosphere like Marrakech.
We ended the evening up in the Lido where the restaurant remained open until 9. We chatted with some other folks that were on the tour with us. We all agreed that we enjoyed the experience.
I did some reading about another tour that left Casablanca this morning and ran into all kinds of trouble. This was a 3rd party tour, not back by HAL, and you have to expect for the fewer amount of dollars you spend, you have a higher risk factor. About half of our tours are not HAL tours. We chose these either because the price was right or the experience couldn’t be found on the HAL excursions. We have accepted the risk. What could happen?
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