Morocco - Day 4 - Essouria

I started the day in the restaurant at La Ostrea looking over the lagoon. Coffee, orange juice, and something that looked like a thick pancake covered with honey, followed by toast and jam.



I drove away wishing I could have stayed longer.



But...I was heading for Essouaria, with a planned stop in Safi on route. The stretch of road is well know for it's spectacular scenery with dramatic cliffs, small towns, and incredible views of the Atlantic.



While the driving isn't as tough in the country as it is in the cities – it's not without it's dangers. The main roads are one lane either side – with just enough room for a car or truck to overtake. At the side of the road is usually a car width of gravel, and then fields or dangerous drop offs, and it's not uncommon for people to overtake on blind bends. On a number of occasions I had to slam all on to avoid the cars, and pull onto the gravel – not pleasant at 80 kilometers an hour.

The rental car:



A sign post by the side of the road:



I pulled into Safi and parked up, paying the attendant on my way into town. This is a working fishing port, and the largest town in the area, which is famous for it's potteries. The town is also home to a massive port, with dust, dirt, noise, and large ocean going boats. On the land side, is the medina, with its winding streets and pottery works. The pottery here is exceptional – all brightly colored – and painted by hand.

Safi:







After wandering through the Medina, and pottery works, I head over the road to the Qasr al-Bahr – the “Castle on the Sea”. Built by the Portuguese in the 17th Century. The fortress still has guns from Holland dating back to 1691.





I had been planning to stick to the coast road. But with no map, I ended up on the main inland road – which wasn't a problem, because my objective was to get to Essouria as quickly as possible.

I'm actually rather glad that I went the “wrong” way – because the inland road leads over a high mountain pass with incredible views, interesting driving, and even more interesting small towns.



At about three I was really hungry, but just wanted to get on, and so stopped and bought some bread and a bottle of coke from a small shop in a little unfriendly village. The bread was still warm (unlike the locals), and tasted incredible. It was so good that I ate the whole thing - something I regretted for the rest of the afternoon.

Essouria is popular with tourists – although it's not lost its day to day Moroccan town charm. The new part of the town sprawls along the sandy beach and has nothing to recommend it. While the old part of town - with it's city walls, town gates, and port call to be explored. It's idyllic - and I knew I was going to enjoy it here – particular as Richard from work had given me a really useful overview of the place.

The beach:



I found an incredible place to stay – built right into the city walls overlooking the sea. The room was large, with an even larger sitting area, and a glass roof that let in the sunlight. The views were incredible: sea, landscape, and city.

My own personal sitting room:



After settling in - I head to the port, and with perfect timing arrived as the fishermen were bringing in their catch. Small boats jostled alongside larger trawlers, and a quick trip into the market showed an array of fish. Perhaps the most incredible sight were the spider crabs - which are easily the biggest crabs I've ever seen – long spindly legs, with large bodies that are about a foot long and oval shaped.











I wandered back into town walking deep into the Medina. Everyone it seems is out for a stroll, and I find one particularly busy street which is jam packed with Moroccans and market stalls. This is, it seems, where everyone comes at night. People greet each other, stop for a chat, buy something from the market, and then wander on until they meet someone else they know. There's nothing hurried about the pace – everything moves in incredible slow motion, and I couldn't help but slow down to the pace of it.

Street scene:



There's something magical about the atmosphere, about the way people have time to stop and talk, and the wonderful social element of everything that's going on.

After several hours exploring I headed for Le Patio for a meal. The food was excellent: olives with bread, poached calamari with fresh salad, and vegetable tagine served with Cous Cous - all top notch - and cheap.

And then it was back to the place for some sleep.