We're gong to the zoo, zoo, zoo.....

On a recent Sunday we visited the Rabat zoo.  It's off in the suburbs, so we took a petit taxi, but on the way back, walked to the end of the only tram line I had not been too, so we've now covered all the tram routes in the city.

The zoo has some Moroccan animals (Barbary lion, extinct in the wild, and Barbary macques) which did not photograph well, some typical African wildlife, some farm animals, and animals and birds from around the world.

Playful lemur, hard to contain, reminded us of Christmas in the Amsterdam zoon.

Zoo had many varieties of African ungulates.

Our trips on the Morocco train network

This map shows our travels in Morocco, in red on the train network, and in yellow on a tour van.

The thin black lines show the segments we have missed:

1. To the coast in the south, to Safi, which does not have enough to warrant a long ride.
2. To the east to Wad Zam, but there might not be passenger service.  (It turns out there is one train a day, and the map of the rail route used a different scheme for turning Arabic into the Latin alphabet, and you need to search the train schedules for Oued Zem, and then you have to take a train that departs at 6 AM, when it runs at all....)
3. To the far east at Oujda, on the Algerian border (which is closed).  It is a very long haul, and not a lot to see.

We will also get the line to the Casablanca airport, but that's so short you barely see it at this scale.

The area we never got to is the far south, the Anti-Atlas and beyond.  It's a long way, and beyond the reach of the rails.

75th anniversary Anfa/Casablanca Conference

Yesterday we went to a conference at the National Library to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the conference in Morocco where Churchill and FDR met to plan the next stages of the World War II.  It was sponsored by the American and British Ambassadors, but due to the US government shutdown, the British ambassador ran the entire show very competently, including speaking in both Arabic and French.  There were 4 speakers: American historian Meredith Hindley who has a recent book; director Allen Packwood of the archives of former British Prime Minister Churchill, FDR's granddaughter Laura Roosevelt, and an Moroccan professor who spoke in Arabic and we had not realized we should pick up headphones for simultaneous translation.


In the questions afterward, it was clear than Moroccans trace their independence to the meeting between Churchill and FDR in Morocco, and that the future King Hassan II was inspired by the invitation he wrangled to attend one of the banquets.  There were also several questions asking in the US intended to maintain its role as an inspiration to the other nations of the work; Laura Roosevelt spoke of the tradition in her family of tolerance, diversity, and the international responsibilities of the US.


Anfa was the classical name of Casablanca, and is a neighborhood today.  Moroccan historians prefer it as the name of the World War II conference.

National Library of Morocco.  This is a short walk from out apartment.

1943 Conference, the leaders and their military staffs.

1943 Conference, with the young teenager and future King Hassan II in the back row.

Asilah in the rain

Over the weekend, we took the train to Asilah.  It was cloudy and rainy most of the weekend, but it held off enough to walk from the train station into town, and then the see the old media and castle, and go out for a seafood dinner.  The next morning it held off long enough to to walk to the train station (19 minutes according to google maps).  On the train, there was standing water everywhere, but the countryside is starting to look very green.

View of the bean in Asilah, which is just south of Tangier.

Maybe only because it's the off season, there was wildlife in the town.

The clouds and sunlight made for a pretty landscape, and quite pleasant because it was not raining.

View south at sunset.

Palm trees and castle walls.

The walk back to the train station.  A number of Moroccan cities have the train station well outside of town.  Asilah is one of the only town north of Rabat where you can actually see the ocean from the station.  It rained while we were having breakfast, leaving all the water on the bridge, and then started again just as the train was leaving the station.

Rain, a lot, but really nice days in between

It's the rainy season, which my students inform me is two months late this year.  They arrive for class all bundled up--gloves, scarves, furry hoods, sweaters, and coats, while I wear just a light sweater.  They think I'm used to really cold weather, but Maryland is probably just a little colder than Rabat.

But in between to rain, we have some beautiful days.  We have walked along the beach (more precisely the top of the coastal cliffs, and visited the botanical gardens which are about 20 minutes from out apartment.

The beach, with the ubiquitous cat.

The waves below the cliffs.

The birds on the top of the cliffs.

The fish restaurant.  No grilled fish on a weekday noon, but the fried fish plate had squid, shrimp, and two types of whole fish.  We got there early, but it filled up rapidly.

The botanical gardens.  The cactus section is our favorite, but the entire garden is being cleaned out, ready for spring.

The view from the restaurant

Many of the restaurants in Morocco offer open air dining, either along the street or on the roof or terraces.  On my recent trip, we enjoyed many fine means, with the views contributing to the ambiance.   These are all in December.

Fes balcony by the famous gate.

Todra Gorge, south side of the High Atlas.

Skoura.  For check in, the traditional mint tea and cookies on the room.

Skoura.  For breakfast, still on the roof but in a protected room, since the fountains all had ice from the night before.

Taddert Pass, south side of the High Atlas.  We were inside for lunch; some braver souls were on the terrace in the background.

Marakech.

Breakfast in Marakech, brisk but pleasant.