Casablanca was closed up tight for the end of Ramadan, and as we sat exhausted on a step (we failed to find a restaurant recommended by friends), a man passing by with a tajine (stew pot)
and fresh yoghurt spied us, came toward us and handed us one of the yoghurt containers. "Salam." This encapsulates our experiences in this welcoming and fascinating country that has, I think, surprised a lot of our students who expected it to be less generous and less open than it is. We headed off for the ancient city of Fez, to a zillion-star hotel
on the walls of the labyrinthine medina, the core of the city that is completely impenetrable without a guide.
Our guide Achmed took us first to the local bakery, then to the tannery (the stench is overwhelming but the process both biblical and engrossing)
to the rugmakers
to the brassmakers
and to the weavers (that's Carrie Douglass buying a throw for her bed).
We dined twice in "riads," old palaces that now serve as a kind of bed and breakfast/country inn (they are all over the country).
The colors and designs remind one rightfully of southern Spain, which was colonized by Arabs in 711.
We toured the ceramic/mosaic production facility before returning to Casablanca and touring the monumental (3rd. largest in the Muslim world) mosque.
This has been a moving and delightful experience, the students are "amazed" (this, along with "amazing," is the obligatory Semester at Sea word -- it just pops out of your mouth because of the richness of what we're doing and seeing), and we are learning extraordinary things about new cultures as we try to connect the dots on our voyage around the world.
Casablanca was closed up tight for the end of Ramadan, and as we sat exhausted on a step (we failed to find a restaurant recommended by friends), a man passing by with a tajine (stew pot)
and fresh yoghurt spied us, came toward us and handed us one of the yoghurt containers. "Salam." This encapsulates our experiences in this welcoming and fascinating country that has, I think, surprised a lot of our students who expected it to be less generous and less open than it is. We headed off for the ancient city of Fez, to a zillion-star hotel
on the walls of the labyrinthine medina, the core of the city that is completely impenetrable without a guide.
Our guide Achmed took us first to the local bakery, then to the tannery (the stench is overwhelming but the process both biblical and engrossing)
to the rugmakers
to the brassmakers
and to the weavers (that's Carrie Douglass buying a throw for her bed).
We dined twice in "riads," old palaces that now serve as a kind of bed and breakfast/country inn (they are all over the country).
The colors and designs remind one rightfully of southern Spain, which was colonized by Arabs in 711.
We toured the ceramic/mosaic production facility before returning to Casablanca and touring the monumental (3rd. largest in the Muslim world) mosque.
This has been a moving and delightful experience, the students are "amazed" (this, along with "amazing," is the obligatory Semester at Sea word -- it just pops out of your mouth because of the richness of what we're doing and seeing), and we are learning extraordinary things about new cultures as we try to connect the dots on our voyage around the world.
Love the pictures, David. Glad everyone (thinking about the students here) had such a positive experience in a Muslim country, especially so close on the heels of 9/11. Can't wait until we can go ourselves.
ReplyDelete¡Qué fotos tan bonitas, David! ¡Cuántos sitios diferentes! Me alegro de que todo vaya según lo previsto.
ReplyDeleteBesos a los dos
(S@S faculty, summer 2009):
ReplyDeleteThe combination of photos and commentary evoke so many rich ideas and memories! Although we skipped the zillion star hotel, your photos (absent Ramadan, which started the day after we left, are SO reminiscent of our fabulous experiences with people and places in Fez. Actually the riad where we stayed for several nights looks remarkably similar to the one you ate in! I will follow this rich blog with pleasure as you move around the world on your Explorer-ation!
(previous comment was by Jim Danziger...)
ReplyDeleteOh how fascinating to see your pictures and read your commentary. Love experiencing all along with you. Thanks, Kristin
ReplyDeleteFabulous pictures! Thanks very much, Julian
ReplyDelete