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Discovering
Rabat Our final stop
was at the Sofitel Diwan Hotel Rabat, a 5-star
hotel in the heart of the city, adjacent to most
embassies and government ministry offices. We were
greeted by the Sofitel management, whom we later
interviewed on tape. That evening we
enjoyed a delicious dinner in the hotel's elegant
Brasserie International restaurant, with a choice
of French cuisine and Moroccan favorites
accompanied by a selection of quality wines from
Meknes. I would like to comment on the caliber of
service as provided by our waiter. His friendly
attitude and attention to detail was an example of
the high standards maintained in virtually every
hotel, restaurant or inn we visited in the entire
month period of our stay. The next morning,
well rested and eager to continue our cultural
education and exploration, we began a visit of this
ancient city, stopping first at the most logical
place, the King's Mausoleum, which is surrounded by
a large wall. Near the main entrance, a pair of
color guards on white horses caught our immediate
attention. The "king's men" were dressed in
flame-red tunics and trousers, bright green caps
and highly polished, jet black boots. Two more
guards stood by the steps leading to the mausoleum
and were gracious enough to pose with us. Also
nearby were the traditional Moroccan buskers or
"water sellers" in bright red costumes adorned
(like the song) in "Baubles, Bangles and Beads."
Speaking of baubles and bangles, not once did we
spot any of Moroccans younger generation with
pierced body parts, spiked hair or tattoos. The
only skin adornment appeared on the backs of the
hand, in which ornate designs were applied by
attractive young ladies, several of whom wandered
around the grounds waiting hopefully for tourists
to arrive. On first sight, their artistry resembled
regular needled-applied tattoos, but the good news
is that the fancy looking application is pure
decoration, wearing off and disappearing in a few
days. or
two.
Traveling in the
Morocco National Tourist Office van, we were able
to see many of the city's most outstanding tourist
attractions quite conveniently with a series of
short visits and photo opportunities. In the final
analysis, I vowed to spend a week or longer on our
next trip and will definitely visit the government
archives and places of learning. Much more to come
in this article about Rabat and the Great Cities of
Morocco. NOTES:
About Morocco by Rail E-mail
Africa
Travel Magazine
with your own travel experiences in Morocco or any
destination in Africa. CANADA:
Moroccan National Tourist Office: Suite 1460, 2001
rue Université, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A
2A6. Tel: +1 514 842 8111/2. Fax: +1 514 842 5316.
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One
of the many pleasant surprises I was to encounter
during our month-long stay in the Kingdom of
Morocco, was the fact that it is easy and
relatively inexpensive to travel from one great
historic city to another. Check the map and see for
yourself. This convenient, low cost, low stress,
ease of transport will certainly please the many
tour operators and travel agents who read our
magazine and website. Other than the direct flight
from JFK New York, the rest of the journey was
entirely overland and the distances were short
enough to allow time for rest stops, meals, impulse
shopping and photo opportunities. The first leg of
our official media tour, hosted by the Morocco
National Tourist Office, was from the imperial city
of Fès to capital city of Rabat, north of
Casablanca. Like most of Morocco's intercity
highways system, the surface on this stretch was
smooth and well maintained. Before long, signs of
Rabat began appearing, and on the city's outskirts
our driver Mohamed Laframe offered an invitation to
stop for afternoon tea at his family's new
apartment. If you haven't experienced Moroccan mint
tea, you are in for a special treat. The aroma is
tantalizing and the drink is a great picker upper.
I always ask for "sans sucre" ... otherwise I find
it a little too sweet. Gleaming silver tea sets are
a popular gift item in many shops. |
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