Agadir, Morocco

We were finally able to dock around midnight. The Marrakech group got underway early this morning. I’m so glad we opted not to go. They will meet the ship tomorrow in Casablanca.

Our tour was at 9:00 AM. We went through a very short immigration. A uniformed man looked at our passports as we came off the gangway of the ship. Then we went to the bus. First we went to the cable car ride up a steep hill to the wall of the old fort. It had great views of the city. The interior of the fort used to be the ancient walled city. Now it’s rubble. There were camels for riding. We decided against it. It was a very long way up just to get on, then much higher when the camel stood up. Barbara, the 93 year old woman who’s no bigger than a 2nd grader took a ride. She’s a real trooper. We went back down the cable car over a barren area that had young trees planted in it. Our guide later told us it was a memorial garden for the 16,000 people who died in the 1966 earthquake that destroyed the city. Everything we saw today was built after 1966, except for the walls of the fort.

We rode through the city a bit, then got off at the main mosque of the city. It is the biggest mosque in Morocco. The minaret was really tall. We walked to a square that had a bath house on it. Many apartments in the city are small and don’t have showers. So the people go to bath houses. Women go from 8 AM to 6 PM and the men get the rest of the time. We also walked through a covered market. There was a butcher who said no photos. Then several fruit and vegetable stalls. They looked very clean . We turned a corner and there was the flower market. From there we went to a botanical garden. It was mostly trees with a few flowers. The guide was very proud to show us the date trees. The female is called a date tree and the male is a palm tree. When we left the garden the bus was waiting. We could either get on the bus or keep walking. I got on the bus. We picked up the rest of the group in 15 minutes or so. We then headed to the beach area. I was hoping the bus would stop so I could get Moroccan sand-no such luck. He just showed us the tourist area with the fancy hotels and restaurants along the beach. It was beautiful. I have 2 more chances to get sand, Casablanca and Tangiers..

We came back to the ship and had lunch. Then Bunny had a hair appointment. I went to the front of the ship to watch the sail away. We couldn’t leave because one of the ropes was stuck on a rubber bumper housing. There were at least 15 guys standing around looking at it. Finally, the pilot or captain backed the ship up ever so slowly so as not to hit the pier behind us. He made it with a few inches to spare. The rope fell off and was winched inside the boat. Then we were off. The winds came up again but not as bad as yesterday. A few of us sat on the back deck for the sail away. A woman came out for a swim. She stuck a foot in and said no thanks! It was freezing. I think our days of swimming are done. It’s not going to get any hotter as we approach Europe. But the hot tub is warm and usable, though not for exercise.
‘Dinner was the 6 of us again to celebrate Bunny’s new hairdo.. Any excuse to celebrate! The entertainment was a British singer who had been on the British version of The Voice. She was very good.
‘Photos: This is in the wrong place. I took it as we were leaving the port, view from the top of the cable car, the old fort wall, feral cats and kitten near the fort. Camel rider, mosque photo and minaret., bath house, vegetables in the market, an olive bar, and the flower market, horse and carriage on the street along the beach, gannet bird riding the thermals alongside the ship. He was up there quite awhile. It was a nice day in Agadir.