A Berber Farm in the Mountains

It was nearing the end of the day and Berberman turned the car down a dusty road and headed into the mountains. “Where are we going?” I ask. “For tea with some relatives.”

We had some tea — delicious, sweet mint tea. And then the golden light pulled me outside.

On the Road Across Morocco

After a quick overnight in Casablanca, Berberman and I head cross country to the Mid Atlas Mountains. The landscape changes from flat, fertile farmland to dusty, dry earth, then to the more dramatic hills of the mountains, dotted with olive trees, as we travel southeast.

The Beach at El Jadida

Another day driving along the west coat of Morocco, and another beach. This time just outside of the city of El Jadida. There’s something to be said about visiting beaches in the off season, when the sea, the sky and the sand belong to no one but you.

Plumbago Haiku

Plumbago flowers

quiver in November’s breeze,

whispering blueness.

The Beach at Oualidia

While Berberman caught up with his phone calls, I wandered along the beach at Oualidia on the Atlantic coast of Morocco and played photographer. It wasn’t hard.

Lunch on the Beach at Oualidia

It was lunchtime (again!) and Berberman turned off the main coast road down an unmarked road to the seaside village of Oualidia. “Lots of waves here,” he says. “Lots of surfers in the summertime.” We parked and head to the beach. The wind was brisk and a little chilly. But the mood on the beach was festive. There were no tourists in Oualidia now. Just some in-the-know Moroccans enjoying the day’s catch grilled to perfection on the beach.

An old fisherman comes up to us to show us his buckets of shellfish and sea urchins.

Then we choose our fish – sardines for Berberman, and a fat fish for me.

This is what food is all about.

The Boardwalk at Safi

En route on the coast road to El Jadida, we stopped at Safi to stretch our legs on the boardwalk (well, concrete walk actually) at the small town of Safi. I was struck by the vivid blue paint and the horizontal lines.

Sunset at Sidi Kaouki

A friend of Berberman’s invited us out to the beach at the nearby village of Sidi Kaouki for some mint tea and a walk on the beach before dinner back at his family’s flat in Essaouira. We arrived just at the sun was setting, the pink of the waning day reflected in the smooth wet sand.

We headed to a tiny sign-less café along the beach, drawn in by a welcoming fire… and the view.

Later, on our walk back along the beach to the car, I noticed the full moon, glowing behind clouds.

The Harbour Front at Essaouira

Full of delicious fish, Berberman and I headed off to the harbour front in Essaouira to take in the views.

Lunch in Essaouira

It was lunchtime, and Berberman and I had worked up an appetite on our journey from Marrakech and our walk through the Essaouira souk. We were in a fishing town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco — fish was on the menu!

We headed to the blue and white outdoor fish restaurants clustered along the harbour front to select some freshly caught fish for lunch.

We were popular with one of the local residents.