Escape to Casablanca
Casablanca, Morocco
The desert near Merzouga proved to be a life-altering experience, but not a relaxing one. I was in need of some serious relaxation, so I headed to the hippie town made famous by Jimmy Hendrix and Cat Stevens–who maybe liked it so much he converted to Islam,–of Essaouira, on the coast. The town is very cute and laid-back, but so small I ran into everyone from my desert tour, and ended up having another United Nations caucus over the fancy Moroccan specialty, pastilla, or pigeon in pastry. It was actually pretty good, though rich, and contrary to public opinion, tasted nothing like chicken. Pastilla, should you be interested, needs to be ordered a day in advance.
The Roman Ruins of Volubilis Volubulis—I hired a car to take me to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss for the morning. There are Roman ruins very well preserved here. I highly recommend springing for the guide as the Lonely Planet book is difficult to follow. Though set in a beautiful valley, the enclosing mountains made it feel like 150 degrees celsius…my shoes seemed to be melting. Worth going to either first thing in the morning or earlier in the year. Bring a hat and a ton of sunscreen.
Moulay Idriss—holy pilgrimage site for Muslims….holy crap it feels like 180 degrees celsius…I’m beginning to look like Humphrey’s cousin.
Rabat–skipped it, too hot.
Casablanca—A once-sparkling city that now needs a power-washing. The architecture is still straight out of the movie, and there are great examples of art deco architecture here. I mostly spent my time at the beach, though.
