preparations

SFO -> JFK

JFK -> BCN

Barcelona

marketplace

Casablanca

Gran Canaria

18 December 2000

We're finally on Africa!

We arrived last night (or was it early this morning), after a pleasant trip from Barcelona to Casablanca on Compagnie Royal Air Maroc. Absolutely delightful food on the airline. (I'm not sure I understood the Arabic and French announcements. Heck, I barely understood the accented English ones.)

We arrived after the airport had all but shut down. Isaac was very fussy after we exited the plane, and while I stood in line with our passports Rose breast-fed him. (It made us a bit uncomfortable, as we didn't know the local custom.) An official noticed our efforts, waved me over, and personally marked our entrance stamps. We were on our way.

Our late night taxi trip to the hotel bears mentioning, if only for the extremely disorienting feelings I got from it. Darkness outside, lit only occasionally by a streetlamp (far fewer streetlamps than we're accustomed to seeing). No building along the drive, only sidewalks. Finally, Casablanca. Busy, even late at night. What's this I see? Ramadan specials on bottled water? No, Rose assured me that Ramadan was in February! No wonder everyone's still up. I wonder how this is going to affect our trip. No food during the day?

In our hotel, the wonderfully pleasant Hotel de Paris, we get a convenient room. But, oh! the paint fumes. Last week's paint job still hasn't dried, and even with an open window things aren't great. Rose worries about Isaac.

We fall asleep, looking forward to celebrating a very special birthday tomorrow.