I'd been planning to go on holiday with a friend for a while, and we were 'going to the sun', as they say here; going someplace with nicer weather than our own. A relaxing beach holiday was out of the question as we both go completely crazy when forced to sit still and do nothing, so a more adventurous plan was quickly hatched; the four imperial cities of Morocco (the other option was Israel, but I really want to take more time for that). After some careful comparisons, there was really only one holiday that could fit both of our schedules and visited all the places we wanted to see. We were a very small group of only six, the other four being ladies of between 55 and 65. Our tour guide was 28. In effect, the three of us were on holiday with four mothers. It was great. We got along surprisingly well, there were no major fights or discussions, and I think everybody had a good time.
And the country itself was great. We visited Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Fez, and Marrakesh, and although we did so in only 6 days, I didn't feel rushed or overwhelmed once. This may be because of the carefully balanced trip, but I think it is mainly because we had some great local guides, apart from the one that stayed with us the entire trip.
We saw mosques, mausoleums, mellahs, royal palaces, gates, medinas, souks, tanneries, potteries, and every kind of shop under the sun. We saw high mountains and beautiful valleys, waterfalls and oceans, goat herds and pampered cats, and everything in between. We saw old men in long djellabas on donkey carts, young women at the wheel of a modern car, iPhone clasped to their ears, and everything in between. We had fabulous food, great views, and warm welcomes everywhere. I try to make a point of not visiting countries twice if I still have others on the list, but Morocco is definitely a place I want to return to. It's a small, warm, colourful universe in its own.
