Saturday, October 19th Day 14 -- Our final day in Essaouira – the perfect weather here had been a wonderful gift which we had taken for granted. Regrettably, this day we will have little or no time to breathe in the fresh sea breezes or walk the charming, narrow lanes of its colorful medina. While I could easily have enjoyed more time in Essaouira, I also enjoy the anticipation that each day brings us more new discoveries and today to a much different city -- the city wed only garnered a fleeting glimpse of before beginning our journey in Morocco 2 weeks earlier. We were full circle in the city of Casablanca.
With our luggage packed and readied for pick up, we made our way down to the restaurant, The Fondouk, for our final breakfast at the lovely Riad Dar LOuissa. I later realized I had taken no photos of the restaurant which was disappointing as I like to take photos for my photographic journal as well as the fact that it had some interesting features: several enormous, portraits of older Moroccan men with faces full of character, and an interesting traditional ceiling with beams made
Leaving Essaouira we headed north for Casablanca. It wasnt an extremely long drive between towns as the distance to be covered was approximately 250 miles (this distance varies depending on taking a coastal or inland route). The geographical terrain on this route was not particularly interesting or memorable. We sometimes passed through dry, arid stretches punctuated by several small and obviously very poor towns. These towns usually consisted of a few clustered buildings and shops along the main road. Some shops and vendors displayed their goods, including food, just next to the road which was curious because in each of these towns everything from sidewalks, to sun awnings, to tarps, and cars seemed to be covered in a fairly thick layer of grit and dirt.
Since it was Saturday, I assumed it must have been a main market day because each of these towns market was crowded with both buyers and sellers. I must be honest and say that while I usually find markets selling fruits and vegetables, textiles, clothing, furniture, local art or the like interesting to see, I
despise live animal markets. Most of what I saw from the bus windows seemed to be just that on this particular day – animal markets – much too raw for me.
Still, sometimes I would catch a fleeting glimpse of an interesting site -- a young shepherd boy watching over a flock of grazing sheep, children going into school, a beautiful horse, men socializing with friends and a cup of mint tea, or women shopping. Often lying just beyond the markets there would be dusty, mostly empty lots with a few trees or parched grass where horses, and donkeys would graze or be left standing to wait while the owners were visiting the markets or to town to socialize.
Soon it was time for a technical stop at Caf Ezzahrae where you could buy refreshments and small souvenirs, but most importantly the restrooms were clean. I dont remember what town this particular caf was situated in, but somehow these places tend to reflect something about the towns around them, each cafe or restaurant being quite different in style and offerings.
began playing and the TV monitors which had so far not been used during this trip began to flicker vintage movie images in black and white -- a map of Africa, and street scenes. The classic movie, Casablanca, opens with narration and images of the seductive Casablanca and its streets teaming with European refugees trying to escape the horrors of World War II. Meanwhile the Vichy French Army makes a show of rounding up the usual suspects. The most desperate souls surreptitiously attempt to arrange for exit visas by any means possible for quick passage out of Casablanca to Lisbon and beyond. But, exit visas are few and worth a fortune, so the desperate must stay in Casablanca and wait and wait and wait.
