Reading Time: 5 minutes

The last few days have been a fantastically unhurried pace of just living life.  Not a lot of sightseeing, just enjoying our little hometown.  Monday afternoon, I found a small café called Mogador Nights on the main road inside the Medina to enjoy mint tea, read the book I am currently reading, and watch the locals and tourists stroll by.  It was just how I pictured one of my mint tea experiences.  The book I am reading is The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles.  It takes place shortly after World War II in North Africa – specifically, Algeria (next country east of Morocco).  Although it isn’t in Morocco, it’s such a perfect read for this part of the world.  All his descriptions would work right here in Essaouira and the surrounding area we have seen so far.  At least that’s how it feels midway through the book.

Before we left Florida, Sandy envisioned buying a pair of “Moroccan” pants and left room in her suitcase to buy a pair without having to leave something behind.  While I read, she went shopping for her pants.  She found a tiny shop in one of the Medina alleys where a family makes the clothing they sell and came back with a bag and a smile on her face.  Many of the products are repeatedly seen in multiple souqs.  She hasn’t seen the pants she bought in any other shop.  One of these entries we need to do a logistical post on what we are traveling with so we can read about it years down the road.

After this little break, we went next door and upstairs to a rooftop restaurant called Mega Loft.  They had three small box turtles walking around the place, which was a little different – didn’t want to step on one.  We enjoyed a couple of delicious lunch crepes, Flag Especial beers, and a chocolate mousse that rivals a couple of the best ones Sandy has had.  She’s a chocolate mousse connoisseur.

We had a nice walk along the beach and then it was back to the apartment to watch a little TV.  We’re catching up on American Idol at the moment.  It’s very nice to have the technology with us to be able to watch our TV programs from home.  If we were really on vacation for just a few weeks, we may not make as much a point of keeping up with those things, but this is our life and we’ll be away for an extended period of time and it makes us feel a little closer to home by keeping up with the same things that we enjoy when we are in the States.

Yesterday, we went to the local fitness club to get a workout in.  It’s not crowded with people but they have the machines very packed in.  They are aged a bit but they work perfectly fine and it’s nice to have that option.  We’ve got to maintain our health on this journey.  The cost here is $5 per person per day – it will be interesting to see how the costs vary as we progress.

In the afternoon, we went down to the water to check the temperature.  I considered going in but it initially felt a little too cold for me.  The water temperature is in the low 70s.  After a few minutes, it really wasn’t that cold, but I still opted to not go all the way in.  We just walked along the water a little.  The sand is great.  It’s very fine pretty much like the sand at Siesta Key – just a darker color.  It’s a large beach, like Siesta.  Very nice.

I had a haircut yesterday.  Sandy is my new stylist because Beth didn’t come with us.  Sandy is doing a very good job.  For dinner, we had a delicious Italian meal at the restaurant just outside our apartment called Gusto Italia.  We enjoyed Gazelle de Mogador wine, which is produced near the town of Had Draa where the market was on Sunday.  It was excellent and Mogador was the name of this area/town prior to Morocco gaining its independence in the mid-1950s when this town went back to its name of Essaouira.

That brings us to today. We did a four-mile run to the next village south of Essaouira today.  That village is called Diabat.  Very quiet – I would guess that not more than 200 people live there.  Nice views out over the valley.

In that area is the Dar Sultan Palace. This was the summer palace for the king in the early 1800s.  200 years later it has been abandoned and taken over by the sand and wind.  Jimi Hendrix visited this area in 1969 and some say that his song, Castles Made of Sand, was inspired by these ruins.  Probably not so – he visited the area two years after the song was released.

The other highlights of the day were a chat with a friend who I worked with for many years – always great to catch up – and getting laundry done.  Thank you, Sandy.  For dinner, Sandy created a recipe for a modified version of vegetable tajine.  We cooked it together and it turned out really good.  We have enough for another meal later in the week and this one is getting added to our collection of dishes to make as our journey continues.