Arrivals and First Impressions

We were able to make up some time in the air, but still none of us got much sleep on the flight.  Immigration was a painless affair, and we found ourselves in the sea of Hokie orange while in line.  Bags were already waiting for us after we cleared.  We were less successful, in finding our Gate1 agent as we exited.  We came across several other folks, arriving from a connecting flight through Madrid, also looking.  We ultimately found the agents outside, and about six of us loaded into a mini-bus for the 60-minute transfer from Casablanca to the capital city of Rabat, from where our tour would commence.

Upon Arrival in Casablanca

The airport in Casablanca is understandably on the outskirts of the city, so we never caught a glimpse of the urban metropolis we'd see in a week, when we returned.  Instead, the highway drive northeast to Rabat was through rolling green agricultural fields.  I was immediately struck by how different it looked than what I had expected.  In hindsight I should not have been surprised that the landscape is incredibly similar to Portugal and Spain, which are only a short distance north.  Still, the scenery was beautiful and seemed unexpected for most of the week.

I think I was the only passenger still awake as we reached the outskirts of Rabat, which were dotted by beautiful large villas and dozens of green park areas.  I had obviously not done enough reading before we left, as I had also been mistaken in thinking Rabat would be the largest city.  It is, in fact, the third largest in Morocco, with just over a million inhabitants, but it felt even smaller.  It was very tidy and was not chaotic, as so many middle eastern and north African countries can be.  It, too, had a distinctly European undertone to it.

Our hotel was located just inside the ancient city walls, and our tour manager -- Abdulrahman (or Abdou, for short) -- was waiting to meet us in the lobby.  Gate1 offers several "tiers" of tours, ranging from Value to Classic to Discovery to Signature.  All of our previous tours have been "Classic," whereas this one was Value.  Gate1 offers about four different trips to Morocco, one for each level.  The dates for this trip, and the fact that the non-stop flight from DC is not every day, meant that we booked the Value.  The only difference we saw initially was that you had multiple optional tours.  You could add various whole or half-day options, or evening excursions, during the trip, whereas those same activities were usually included in the Classic option.  We signed up for every possible option ahead of time, to maximize the trip, but we learned another difference with the Value level upon check-in, when we learned there would be 38 people on our tour.  Our previous tours had ranged from 14 to 22 people, so we didn't know what to expect with so many more people.  In the end, however, it did not matter.  The bus still had unused seats, and the three of us always had four seats designated for us.  Also, only about half the people signed up for the various add-on's, so most of the tours and activities where with far fewer people.  A downside, however, was that we had less opportunity to get to know many fellow travelers well.  Given the relative shortness of the trip, however, we agreed it was fine.  Having fewer meals included, too, meant that we had more freedom and selection at night.

We had booked triple rooms for the tour, but for three of the four hotels we'd utilize during the trip, we were assigned two separate rooms.  This gave us more room, of course, and a second bathroom, but it was kind of regrettable to not all be in the same room every night.  Rabat was one place where we had two rooms.

It was early afternoon when we got to the hotel and our rooms, so Anna and Katherine elected to power nap ahead of our welcome meeting and dinner, scheduled to kick-off at 7:00 pm.  I powered through, and after a short nap K was up and we elected to go exploring.  The hotel was right up the street from the central train station and city center, and only about a 10-minute walk from the medina -- which we would learn is the term used in Morocco for the usually fortified old city, which traditionally also houses the central souk, or shopping area.  The city center reminded us, again, of Spain and Portugal.  It was a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon, in the 60's, and locals were congregating all down the central square and park.  We encountered no other obvious foreigners as we made our way to the medina, and even there, we only saw a couple small groups of French tourists.  Even though we were so obviously out of place, I never felt as if people were paying us any attention.  The souk through which we walked, too, was without any tourist or souvenir shops, and it was refreshing that no one was paying us any attention or beckoning us to come into their shop.  It was a night-and-day difference from Egypt, and that contradiction would continue throughout the week.

Outer Wall Surrounding Rabat, Near to our Hotel 

Rabat

Main Boulevard in Rabat

Rabat

Inside the Medina in Rabat

Sausage, anyone?

Anna was showered and waiting for us when we returned, shortly before the welcome drink and meeting, following by dinner there at the hotel.  Another difference with this tour was that many of the other guests were first-time travelers with Gate1.  In all of the previous tours, we always felt like the "new guys," as we'd routinely encounter couples who had completed dozens of trips with Gate1.  On this one, we seemed to be the most seasoned.

Dinner was fine, and had our first of many-to-come meals with Moroccan tangine and couscous.  I was beyond exhausted when we wrapped up, and was more than ready for sleep, which came quickly.