Capital City, Rabat

Rabat is the political capital of Morocco. It’s not usually a very popular destination for tourists but I find it’s palm lined streets and European flare are worth a stop. 

The Mohammed V avenue is lined with majestic palm trees leading up to the city’s Grand Mosque. 

Part of the city is nested within the walls of the Royal Palace. Crisp and redish-brown, this high wall is quite impressive.  

Chellah is a site of ancient ruins which is now covered in vegetation and hold different monuments and gardens. Unfortunately a rain storm didn’t permit us to explore what is considered to be Rabat’s most quiet and romantic spot.  

In cafés, memories of an important French presence can still be tasted!

In Islam, Friday is the most important day of prayer. The mosques are so full that people are backed up right into the streets. 

After a huge rain-storm, the old medina is calm  and almost deserted … how very rare!

Like in every city, the doors are always a showstopper for me. 

A mosaic maker exposes his work in the narrow entrance of his workshop. 

A few doors down, raw wool can be bought.

Any small space can be turned into a shop!

An old abandoned fountain still sits in one of the narrow streets of the medina. 

Ukrainian Eggs

Pysanky is the traditional Ukrainian art of dying eggs for Easter. 

You have to pick what colors you want to use for your eggs. Virtually every color is available from fuchsia to turquoise to lime green to black!

You draw patterns on the eggs using a kistka, a tool that uses melted bee's wax.

You start with the lightest color, usually white. Everything that you want to remain white, you cover with wax, using the kistka. 

Once the design is done, you dye the egg in the next lightest color. In this case yellow. Wherever there is wax, the yellow dye will not be able to stain the egg. This preserves the white part of the design, whatever is under the first wax drawing.

On your yellow egg, you draw in wax all the parts of the design that you want to remain yellow. You then dye your egg in the next darker color, in this case turquoise. You continue like this until you obtain the designs you want in the colors that you want. 

When you are done all of the dying steps, you will end up with an egg that has a large amount of wax on it. Using the flame of a candle, you carefully melt away the wax, revealing the different layers of colors that were protected underneath.

The result is quite stunning!

This is a great relaxing crafty activity to do around Easter time. I defiantly count on making it a tradition in my family!

Tanger

At the very north of Morocco sits Tanger. It being so close to Spain (14 km of ocean at it closest point), the city has a real European flair to it. 

I see Paris! I see France! I see Lizzy’s under…. Oh no, I see Spain! From a belvedere you can see the southern shores of Spain.

There’s nothing like a deserted beach on an almost rainy day.

After the rain, pink skies ahead!

Me and my market exploration. I just simply don’t think I can get enough of it!

“I’ll take that one, right there… No, one over to the left… Yes!!! That one!”

Ad-Dar Al-Baïda, second time around

Ad-Dar Al-Baïda means Casablanca in Arabic.

From the very top of an abandoned Catholic church, we get a bird’s eye-view of the white city by the sea.

There’s always time to sit on a terrasse to have a coffee.

A stroll through the old medina reveals treasures to be found.

Painters wait around for a job, their ladders well on hand. 

Bananas and oranges are in season! They can be found on every street corner.

Tajine anyone?

You can even chose which chicken will end up on your plate for dinner.