My Europe Trip - pt.2 The trip to Ouarzazate, Morocco

A few days of resting, then we were back on a plane, this time flying to Casablanca, Morocco.

As soon as we stepped off the plane, a rush of warm, polluted wind hit us. We got through airport security, bought some sim cards, and also some money. My uncle was picking us up again, this time, all 7 of us.

We walked out the exit only to see a massive crowd of men and women, lots of date trees and plain, orange dust. My uncle drove his Audi a4 into the parking lot. A van followed him and pulled up next to him. Myself, brother, cousin and dad got into the van, while my older cousin, mum, aunty and uncle got into the a4. We drove away, through country, then city. After what seemed like an hour, we finally pulled up in what looked like one of the busiest roads (though it wasn’t, it’s just Morocco). We had arrived. I was going to meet my grandpa for the first time.

Everybody except myself, my dad and my uncle got out and unpacked onto the side of the road. We left them there and drove off to the nearest fresh smoothie bar. My uncle picked the flavour for us. In the smoothie he picked, there was orange juice, avocado, papaya, mango and dried fruits. It was so smooth and sweet, there was even little chewy bits of date.

We had the smoothies on our laps. We drove back to where we dropped them off, then parked and pressed the doorbell. They unlocked the door for us. Ahead of us was 4 flights of stairs. At the top of those stairs, there it was - the door to my grandad’s apartment. We climbed the stairs, got puffed, and didn’t spill any drinks. We knocked on the old, wooden door and were welcomed by the same people we came with. Behind them, a smiley old face came up and gave us a kiss. There he was, the man himself. I was with my grandpa for the first time.

We talked a little bit (he didn’t speak much English). Most of the time, we were playing games on our phone while my mum and auntie caught up with their dad. It wasn’t as special as I had hoped, then the food came along. Until then, I had never tasted a real tagine.

First, the maid gave us salad and bread. The Moroccans have a special way of eating. First, you rip up the bread into small pieces, then you use the bread to scoop up all of that salady goodness. The bread was fresh and crispy, while the salad was bursting with flavour.

A little later, we started smelling all sorts of spices. As the second plate of food was walked out of the kitchen, the aroma of food filled the room. The maid placed the plate onto the table, then went back in and brought out some freshly made chips. I wouldn’t be able to describe the flavour of the tagine. All I can say is that the chicken was soft, the chips were crispy and the sauce, oh the sauce. The sauce was the best bit. We soaked our bread in it and just ate it like that. It was amazing!

Full of food, we said our goodbyes and walked down the 4 flights of stairs. My uncle was waiting there for us with a rental car. We split up and got in the cars. By that time, it was probably like 4pm and ahead of us was another hour of driving.

We drove through big, crowded cities and along long, empty highways. An hour later, we had arrived at what looked like the same place we started. We unpacked, ran up 6 flights of stairs (the elevator was full) and were welcomed by my mums aunty (second auntie?) and family.

At their house, we talked. A lot. Most of them spoke English and the rest spoke French and Arabic. At around 7pm, the food started coming out. First course was a traditional soup called Harira. The soup was full of flavour, but unfortunately, we ate too much of it. At the time, I thought we were having soup for dinner so I filled up, but wait, there’s more…

Then came the salad and olives.. Again, we had some Moroccan salad with bread (always a favourite). The olives were really salty, but good. There were also lots of dates. In Morocco, dates are a must. They supply most of your nutrition and are grown locally. Knowing what was coming next, we didn’t make the mistake of eating too much again.

Next course was a giant chicken tagine. It was full of aromas and flavours that no words could explain.

After the tagine, along came the fruit. There were mandarins, apples, and new season oranges. Imagine the best orange you’ve ever had. Multiply the flavour and juiciness of that by 12 and you’ve got a Moroccan, new season orange. I was in heaven. Oranges are my favourite fruit.

Finally, the sweets and tea came. In Morocco, you have mint tea after every meal. The tea that they make is full of sugar and mint, and I have to say, is really nice to drink after a big meal. There was little pastries and homemade almond bread. It was a truly spectacular meal.

We slept, got woken up by the Mosque, then got ready for a big road trip.

Our next destination was Ouarzazate, which meant 7 hours on the road, in a hot car.