Day 1: Heat waves and traffic marathons - Welcome to Morocco!
We were really looking forward to our trip to Morocco when we finally landed in Marrakech. But the heat hit us like a hot hairdryer, with temperatures in excess of 40 degrees. Our first tasks: Getting a SIM card and collecting our rental car. There seemed to be more road works and detours than roads in Marrakech, but we battled through and arrived in Casablanca after three hours. Outside the hotel, our car was parked by the staff and after a quick dinner in town, we spent our first night in Casablanca.
Day 2: Casablanca in a morning coat
The next morning we enjoyed our breakfast at the hotel, and even though it was still pretty quiet outside and many souks were closed, we made our way to the Hassan II Mosque. Unfortunately, it was very foggy and we could hardly see the top of the mosque. Therefore, we rather chose to explore the Habous quarter, also known as the New Medina, and tried delicious pastries at the Dennis Habous patisserie. After a longer walk, we reached Mohammed V Square and enjoyed the colourful hustle and bustle in the now lively medina. Our dinner at La Sqala restaurant was an absolute highlight, with our first tajine and a delicious salad, accompanied by live music.
We are absolutely thrilled! It was a perfect day to really get to know Morocco! The medina is incredibly interesting and ending the evening in La Sqala was the best decision!
Day 3: Of mosques and sea breezes
On the third day in Morocco, we visited the Hassan II Mosque again and admired this beautiful building, which is now one of Anna’s favourites, also from the inside. By taxi, which of course again had no seatbelts, we drove to the Corniche and Ain Diab, where we had coffee and enjoyed the view. In the evening we visited the Sacred Heart Cathedral before heading for dinner at Blend Gourmet Burger. Our evening walk took us back to the hotel where we ended the day.
Day 4: Casablanca to Taghazout
Our journey along the Moroccan coast took us through the scorching heat of central Morocco, but a more pleasant climate awaited us along the coast. We finally reached Taghazout and our hostel, Golven Surf. We were sceptical at first, but it turned out to be a great and charming hostel with a beautiful roof terrace. In the evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Windy Bay Restaurant, where we were kept company by many curious cats. The beach was crowded as there was a festival going on in Taghazout and we finished the day on the roof terrace before booking a surf lesson for the next day.
Day 5: Catching Waves!
This day was dedicated to our first surf! We were lucky enough to get a private lesson spontaneously and surfed together with two locals named Jamal and Imad. They were incredibly nice and teached us how to surf. For the surfers among us: Anna surfs “goofy”, Carlo “regular”. We were thrilled when we managed to stand on the waves. During a short break, our new friends surprised us with Moroccan yoghurt and a snack. Our wetsuits caused our faces, hands and feet to be brown, while the rest of our bodies still looked pale. In the evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the World of Waves restaurant and took a walk along the coast before briefly visiting the festival on the beach, where Carlo was asked to take photos.
It was one of the best days in Morocco so far! Our first surf lesson went super well and we totally had fun with Jamal and Imad! The festival in the evening was really fun, even though we only stayed for a short time because the surfing wore us out!
Day 6: The Tifnit odyssey!
In the morning, we enjoyed our breakfast on the coast before heading to the Tifnit Dunes. These were really impressive, but we also noticed the many stray dogs in the area, which is always a bit sad. The coast offered us breathtaking views and the opportunity to experience local life. The people, although rather poor materially, seemed happy and open-minded. The children played football exuberantly and we felt truly welcome.
The people here are so friendly and happy!
Day 7: The longest wave in Africa
Surfing was on the agenda today, but the waves ruined it for us, so we went to Imsouane instead. After brunch at Happy Bay Cafe, we watched the surfers and explored the cute fishing village. Imsouane is famous for the longest wave in Africa and attracts surfers from all over the world. In the evening we returned to our hostel in Taghazout, enjoyed dinner at World of Waves and relaxed on the roof terrace with billiards, football and of course typical for Morocco: mint tea.
Day 8: Swiss friends
On this day we went surfing again – this time with Elena and Lukas, a nice couple from Switzerland. Lukas was already an experienced surfer and didn’t need any lessons. This time we were guided by Mohammed, the owner of our hostel, who turned out to be a real one-off. The waves were strong and Anna struggled bravely against the masses of water. Carlo took the opportunity during the break to take lots of photos of the surfers. After surfing, we ate at Le Spot, a restaurant that was not our favourite, but still satisfying. Afterwards, we played games and drank beer on the roof terrace with Elena and Lukas. The Casablanca beer turned out to be a real treat!
Day 9: In the sickbed
On this day we planned to surf again, this time with another family who had three children, and Elena. However, the kids were a bit wilder and less aware of their surroundings, which limited our surfing opportunities. Surfing turned out to be an extreme sport, and we became more than aware of that on this day. After a short break, Anna noticed that she was unusually exhausted. The waves were again high and wild, yet doable. Dizziness and nausea, however, became noticeable. Back at the hostel, it got worse and worse. Carlo helped her put on cooling towels and freeze ice to cool her down. Her fever was rising, accompanied by severe chills. Carlo brought a dinner of Sunset Burger to the room, but Anna could barely get a bite down. Carlo spent the evening on the roof terrace while Anna lay in bed recovering.
Phew, the sun really got me on that one! The surfing was totally cool again, but I think we underestimated the heat a bit…. Luckily I was very well looked after by Carlo – even though I couldn’t eat and could only sleep! Thanks Buddy!
Day 10: A return to adventures
The next morning Anna was feeling better, but totally sore – not just from surfing, but especially from the shivers. A quiet morning began and our friends had unfortunately already left. We had breakfast on the coast and then headed to Agadir to explore the city. At the bottom of the Oufella hill, we parked our car and took the bus up, even though the taxi drivers charged us a lot of money for the ride. At the top, we enjoyed the view and were sorry to see so many ponies available for riding, although there was little shade or water. In the evening we ate at Dar Josephine, a wonderful restaurant right in Taghazout.
Day 11: The City of 1001 Nights
We said goodbye to our hostel and made our way to Marrakech. Our first stop was the Menara Gardens – luckily it wasn’t as hot as when we arrived in Morocco! We also visited the Jardin Majorelle with its signature blue building before stopping at our riad. The drive through the medina was a real challenge, with many people offering to help us (for a fee, of course). At the riad, we were warmly welcomed again and after an evening stroll through the medina, we enjoyed our dinner at the beautiful Le Jardin Secret.
Day 12: Shop 'til you drop
An eventful day awaited us in Marrakech. We were immediately surrounded by people who wanted to take us to the “leather market”, which later turned out to be a leather tannery. We were greeted with mint to hold under our noses in case of need – amazingly important, as it turns out! It was an interesting experience, but not for Anna. However, we did visit a family business afterwards and purchased our first pouf of our own! Finally, we were ready to shop for souvenirs! We then visited the Ben Yousef Medersa, a beautiful school with impressive tiles and fascinating rooms. Lunch was spent at Nomad before we made our way through the medina to Djemaa el-Fna square. During the day, this square was really not that nice, with snake charmers, turtles and lizards in cramped cages, monkeys on short leashes and birds that could no longer fly. We were not very enthusiastic. Instead, we visited the Koutoubia Mosque, which we admired from the outside. The day was far from over, however, and we continued to the El Badi Palace, where we discovered interesting ruins and a mysterious underground with a lot of history. In the evening, we had dinner at Atay Cafe.
It’s always super interesting to learn about other people’s culture and lives! Even though the tannery was very interesting, the smell was really unbearable! Surprised by the mint before, it really saved us!
Day 13: Marrakech after dark
After a hearty breakfast at the riad, we began a quiet day of shopping. Coffee at Café des Epices, followed by a relaxing stroll through the medina, were on the agenda. We even bought two beautiful fabric poufs! For lunch, we stopped at La Famille, a family-run vegetarian restaurant that turned out to be a real highlight. We continued to stroll and hunt for souvenirs and spent the evening at Café de France for dinner. The restaurant was not particularly spectacular, but the view was breathtaking. We were lucky and sat right on the railing overlooking the entire Djemaa el-Fna square. The evening was really exciting and we watched the people down in the square. In the evening, the square came to life and presented a much better picture than during the day. The sunset was beautiful and we wandered around the square while being offered tempting deals from every food stall.
Day 14: A last look at palaces and souks
After breakfast at the riad, we made our way to the Bahia Palace while the medina was still quiet. This palace showed its sweet side, with different riads and beautiful tiles and gardens. Lunch was at the Café des Epices before we made our way back to the riad. We checked that the car was well parked so we could leave smoothly the next morning, collected our car keys which we had to hand in and started packing. In the evening, we enjoyed the delicious food at Jardin Secret for the last time and took a last walk through the medina to pick up the last souvenirs from Morocco.
Day 15: Return to reality - Morocco, we will be back!
On the last day of our trip, we set off early. The medina was still very quiet and we could easily find the exit by car. We dropped the car off at the airport, passed the first security check right at the entrance (mainly due to illegal drones, as Morocco is very cautious about this), had coffee at Starbucks and started our journey home.
A few days after our return to Düsseldorf, we were shocked by the news about a major earthquake in Morocco. Many of the places we had visited were shown in the media and were affected by the disaster. Our thoughts are with all the people affected by the earthquake who have lost their loved ones and are grieving. It is heartbreaking to see what has happened and we are deeply touched.
