Our road journey in Morocco started in Casablanca. The next night’s destination was Fes (Fez), north and east of Casablanca, with stops in Meknes and Volubilis. The journey entailed travel on expressways, but also a number of secondary roads, so it provided an excellent opportunity to see the scenery. We left at the crack of dawn and soon the urban sprawl of Casablanca transitioned to very pretty agricultural land. My dominant impression of the journey was that everything was so very green. My mental impressions of Morocco were of a brown desert, and as it turned out much of the country is just that, but this northern part of Morocco was lovely.
These photos were taken in January and are posted in the order I took them, and not centered around themes.
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These large warehouses are used to store agricultural products, although I’m not sure what kind….
Grain crops are grown in this region, mostly wheat and barley. Unlike many nations, Moroccans preferred starch is bread, not rice….
The area is also known for growing many of the fresh vegetables consumed in the country….
Our journey took us to the foothills of the Lesser Atlas mountains (seen in the distance). It seemed that nearly every cultivatable acre was being use to grow food…..
Olive groves were frequently encountered and were often quite massive., like you’d see in Portugal or Spain. Olives are a staple in the Moroccan diet and served with most meals….
We passed many small towns, each with the quadrangular minarets typical of Morocco. You’ll see more of these in the photos that follow….
Impressive large stork nests are found in this area. They are often built into steel power line poles, which seem to have no problem supporting their weight. I was told some of these nests can weigh more than a half ton!!…..
We passed this old car which bore advertisements for a local cafe. The car was positioned at a major interchange and I thought it a rather effectively placed….
More grain crops just starting to sprout, with the Lesser Atlas Mountains in the distance….
Shepherds are commonly seen leading mixed flocks of sheep and goats. Rather than watch their animals, shepherds seemed more interested in what was on their cell phones….
I’m not sure what all these people were waiting for. It seemed as though they were in a que for a government building or bank to open….
Grapes are grown under these shade covers to prevent too much sunlight from damaging the fruit. Most Moroccans are Muslims and allegedly don’t drink. We were told their fledgling wine industry was “for the tourists” (have heard that one before)…
It was an interesting trip, and quite different from the dry southern part of the country. And Fes turned out to be amazing, but that’s a separate tale..
For more of my Morocco posts please click on this link.
