Agadir

After 4 weekends of trekking across Morocco, we decided to head down south to the relaxing town of Agadir.  Agadir is a beach town that sits on the Atlantic coast and is the gateway to southern Morocco.  The town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1960, so it lacks the charm of many other Moroccan cities.  Modern resorts have been built up along the beautiful board walk, and the beach is one of the nicest along the Atlantic coast.  This was our farthest road trip yet, but we were able to stay on the autoroute the entire time.  Time wise, it wasn't much longer than traveling northeast through the mountains to Chefchaouen (roughly 5 hours).  The one attraction that we were excited about, horse and camel rides along the beach, was nowhere to be found.  Regardless, we enjoyed walking up and down the board walk, relaxing on the beach, and eatting great food.  The best highlight was unexpectedly meeting up with our Olmsted friends, The Saunders!  We were even staying at the same hotel!

We've gotten into a nice groove of Jamil stopping for gas while I grab snacks and drinks inside and then met the boys at the playground behind the gas station.  I'm beginning to love these rest stops, Turkish potties and all...not really, but the playgrounds are just what the boys need!  Just don't confuse the men and women signs at the mosque for restrooms.  Yes, these rest stops have it all.

Abraham is attempting to prematurely graduate to the big-boy swing.  Baby swings are nowhere to be found, and he got his first face full of sand on this road trip.  I was even holding onto him...oops!  However, this tough guy wanted to get right back on the saddle.

We arrived in Agadir just in time for the sun set.  There is something so natural and mysterious about watching the sun set along the ocean.

We were a bit concerned about the overcast, which is unusual with Agadir's consistent mild climate and sunny skies, but it cleared up nicely the next day.  On the hill top to the right was Arabic writing beautifully lit at night.

Oh, what should I describe in this photo; wiping sand out of Gabriel's face after explaining countless times that sand stays down low, the beautiful Arabic writing on the hill top, or the tourist colorful attire (or lack thereof)?  Agadir is one of the top tourist destinations in Morocco (however beautiful, it would not be on the top my list), so my typical concern over wearing a tank top was no longer an issue (or a top at all if I chose).  I'm sure it's just a taste of what we'll see in Spain next weekend. ;)

Jamil attempting to read and relax...ha!

Flithy and Oh So Sweet!

I think Abraham has finally figured out that sand tastes pretty gross... maybe the incident above on the swing had something to do with that.  He did an awesome job playing appropriately and fairly independently!  Huge success!

Before we headed back to Rabat we met the Saunders downstairs for breakfast.  Over the weekend the guys enjoyed morning runs, and we all had a lovely dinner on the boardwalk together.  We look forward to many more adventures with our new friends!

Another sleeping in the car photo... I just can't help myself.  Next time I need to capture some car meltdown moments!  Maybe I'll save that for when I figure out how to add video.

Gabriel asked us to turn around and look.... they were giggling about holding hands and even continued to giggle and hold hands while I fumbled for the camera.  They'll be hitting each other with those hands in a matter of seconds, but does it get any cuter than that?  Well, we've got to get home, do some laundry and repack for our next adventure to Spain!  Ma Salama, friends!

Chefchaouen

Are you ready for picture overload?  There is a beautiful picture waiting around each corner of Chefchaouen!  This just might be our favorite city so far, and I am so happy that we dedicated the whole weekend to this white, periwinkle and turquoise town nuzzled in the Rif Mountains of northwest Morocco...just wait, you'll see!

We're off to a great start... when the kids are happy, we're happy!

There are bound to be a few bumps in the road, right?   As we waited for a train to cross, I was pretty impressed to see the safety precautions they implemented at the railroad crossing, but not so impressed when it broke in the down position right in front of us.  We had a hard enough time finding this turn, and there very likely is no other way to get to our destination.  The cars and trucks piled up, and several men finally decided to manually remove the barricade.  Everyone remained lighthearted as we laughed and passed each other with a friendly wave, but really?  Ridiculous.

We arrived at our hotel and found yet another hidden treasure.  Many of the riads/hotels are tucked away and sometimes impossible to find (we drove right past it several times before asking for help).  What we've found too is that there are many less expensive places to stay that still provide plenty of space and beautiful surroundings.  This is the entrance and a view from the bedroom into the living area.  

Our hotel was located higher on the mountain and provided an excellent view of the city.  You can vaguely see all of the white buildings cascading down the hill.

We spent a lot of the time at the pool taking in the view

There were sheep and rosters (good thing we're up early with the boys anyway) right on the other side of the hotel wall.  The boys enjoyed peeking over to say good morning, and Abraham learned how to say Baa!

Hotel Garden

The outside of the city was full of whitewashed walls...

...but the inside was an intoxicating mix of periwinkle and turquoise.  Who would have thought!?!

Almost every single door was blue!  I'm ready to go home and paint my door blue too! :)

After walking through the city, we opted for a cab ride back to the hotel.  Gabriel is always a fan...no carseats and a seatbelt only if you're lucky!

There is a natural spring running through the city with small waterfalls and even places where the locals swim and wash their clothes.

We thought it would be a good idea to join them until we realized that we were stepping into ice cold water!

Check out this all natural laundry mat!  They have built washboards into the mountain! 

Below the washboards is an open area where Gabriel ran a played with the other children; don't mind the huge drop off behind us.  You can also see the top of one of the waterfalls.

Before the iftar on Saturday, Jamil played soccer with the locals right down the hill from the hotel.  Gabriel played in this cement mixture (or something) and was a dusty shade of grey when we left.  Thanks to the spring water, we didn't have to enter the hotel with a pasty child.

Wheww... what a weekend!  Now the trick is to make sure whoever wakes up first doesn't wake up the other!  I haven't quite figured that one out yet.

Remember last weekend's temperature?  Well, it's not getting any cooler.  See you next weekend, inshallah!

El Jadida and Essaouira

This weekend we hit the roads south down the Atlantic coast.  Our first stop, El Jadida.  El Jadida is a small town, with the biggest attraction being the Citerne Portugaise.  It was built in 1514 by the Portuguese as an underground arsenal but is now used as a cistern only.  The columns, vaulted ceilings and well letting in daylight make it a mysterious sight.

          The old town (originally named Mazagan) was built by the Portuguese, who settled here in 1502.  In 1769, the sultan Sidi Mohammed expelled the Portuguese and renamed the city El Jadida (The New One).   The high walls around the old city provide a beautiful panoramic view of the old town.                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Take it for what it's worth...

We took a walk along the beach and found soccer games set up for miles!  Jamil was itching to get out and join one of the games!

On the rooftop of the riad, the boys made a mad dash for these sunhats.  They were nicely placed on the patio lounge chairs for guests... adult guests, I'm sure.  The mosque was right outside the riad, so we heard the beautiful call to prayer many times a day.  When we first arrived, we saw the men overflowing from the mosque doors trying to find a place to kneel and pray collectively.

We ate dinner here in the riad courtyard where the friendly owner cooked a fabulous fish meal.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.  In an attempt to keep ourselves and the other riad guests sane, we have found two things that help keep our children quiet and content for somewhat long stretches; the dvd player and the shower... obviously not together.  We've managed to keep the dvd player tucked away during car rides, but I'm sure that desperate day will make its way into our future.  We'll see... :) 

The drive along the Atlantic coast from El Jadida to Essaouira was quite lovely.  I often thought of how remarkable it was that we spent the last 6 years living right on the other side of that same ocean.

This narrow road led to our riad in the medina.  It was the least expensive place that we'd stayed at so far, and you can see that it was still as charming as can be. 

The streets were more crowded than any city we had visited.  Taking the stoller down some of these streets was not ideal, but it was nice to have once the streets opened up to the wide ocean view.  Also, finding a highchair at a restaurant is impossible, so the stroller comes in extra handy when attempting to feed a wiggly little one and yourself.  I should take a picture of how filthy it has gotten since we've been here!  I'll be amazed if it's in one piece after the next two years.

We ate breakfast on the rooftop before our early departure for home.   Again, it was not disappointing, and look... they even had a highchair!  All it takes is a nice pac- n-play and a highchair these days for my 5 star rating!

There are tolls on the highways, which keep the highways nice.  They even provide a few stops that actually have toilets, instead of holes in the ground, and maybe even a playground if the boys are lucky!

Thank God our car has air conditioning!  See you next weekend!  Inshallah (God willing)!