Until next time, Rabat

Today I left Morocco, but not before taking one last walk through Agdal in the (fairly) early morning as the town was waking up. I covered different ground than I had before, and came away thinking that Rabat could be a nice place to start another vacation. Nice people, good food, wonderful climate…just maybe not during Ramadan next time.

One of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel a bit early for the drive to the airport. On the way we stopped at a craft village where there were ironworkers, people making mosaics, carpets, pottery, rataan things, woodworking; all pretty impressive. I really liked some of the wrought iron, moasic topped tables – they’d be great for a patio – but there’s just no room in my luggage for a set. Some of the craftsmen there were doing a delicate dance between maintaining traditional patterns, colors and designs, and yet innovating. For instance, one potter created (evolved, really, because he tried 3 or 4 designs) a plate to hold shishkabob skewers and salad or other food. Unlike some other traditional craftsmen, these guys weren’t afraid to push things just a little to keep up with the times.

The flight from Rabat to Paris (where I am now) paralleled the Atlantic coast. Not long after takeoff we flew just to the west of the Straights of Gibralter. I had a seat on the correct side of the plane to see the mouth of the Mediterrainian Sea. It was _spectacular_! I now, unquestionably, want to take a vacation in which I fly into Morocco and see more of that wonderful country, cross Gibralter by ferry into Spain or Portugal to see part of those countries, and fly home from there.

As we neared Paris, the skys were still clear. We flew right over downtown and from my seat I had a perfect view of Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palace, Louvre, Notre Dame…best of all, I could recognize ‘em!!

It’s now about midnight here, and I just returned from spending who knows how long sitting in a cafe over a kir (wine and cassise) at Odeon metro just watching the people go by and being stunned that I’m here again. I know I’ve only scratched the surface of Paris and on this, my second trip here, I won’t get much deeper. Still, in this part of the city (left bank), where the buildings are not skyscrapers, where each time you turn a corner you’re in another village, where the people surge with energy, there’s life that we just don’t have in Washington, DC. I can’t believe I’m here again!