mysterious Morocco

The Moroccan sun is strong and steady in September, heating a dusty, dry landscape.

One sees a few Moroccan women who are open, with western attire and friendly smiles, and some who seem closed, with averted eyes and full traditional Islamic covering, sometimes including the entire face. The men of Morocco are active and public in their practice of Islam – and are otherwise busy with marketing goods and services including haggling for prices as well as philosophizing.

The bustling coastal cities of Casablanca and Rabat are white, while the inland cities range from a soft cream color to Moroccan red, depending on the soils and clays of the region.

Morocco is a country of walls, walled gardens, hidden residences, and ancient city walls around the old medinas. Public and private buildings have central courtyards with geared glass ceilings that are open to the sky except during the winter rains.

Palaces from the 12^th century and later are ornately patterned, painted, and stuccoed– similar to the Moorish ornamentation in southern Spain due to the 7+ centuries when Arabs occupied that region. Very beautiful to behold, especially for an artist who has used patterns and geometry in art for so many years!

Said, our driver made everything work! Not only did he fetch Melvin from the Casablanca airport, but he got him through the customs and port authority, which was no easy piece. We drove 4 hours to Fes for 2 days, 10 hours to Marrakech for 2 more days, and completed the triangle with a 3 hour drive back to Casablanca where we visited the huge and lovely Hassan II mosque before returning to the port for another go-round with the port officials.