THE CAVE

OK, we needed to go “shopping” for  liquid refreshment. Morocco is “dry”.... except for the tourists, and the Moroccans who drink......and evidently there are enough of those,  that there are secret underground liquor stores that everyone knows about! And buys booze, and drink said booze......so on our way to dinner, after our car crash in the traffic circle..... we were escorted to “The Cave”. Down the narrow steps we went to a underground liquor room that was as crowded and humid as it gets! So crowded I could hardly scoot up and pick out a couple bottle of wine. But our dinner companions and Steve and I managed to grab beer and wine for our Sahara and  3 day stay in Fes, because otherwise...there would be no wine time...oh these crazy rules! The restaurants and home we are staying in...do not care if we imbibe and bring our own... it being good Muslims...they can’t provide alcohol..... ok then.... so in the depths of the Cave, we did our business and everyone labeled their own bottles, it was expertly packed and stored in the “boot” of our travel bus.....and off we went to dinner....which was served with wine! Oh I can’t keep up. But it was pretty fun.

RABAT

Our first full day, after finally getting some sleep. We had a walking orientation after breakfast, and found the high speed tram and the museums. Steve and I stopped at an airy lunch spot for lunch, but service was so slow.... we never got past the mint tea, so we left and went back to hotel. On the way back we witnessed the fist at crash of the day...no one hurt, but lots of noise..shouting from the two guys who collided. Rabat is teeming with police...so there is always one “on the spot”!   They are also  stationed at all the traffic circles...and you’d have to be here to understand why! Haha.
So after downing some crackers and candy bars...we were off the the Kings palace and the Kasbah(Fort), and the Kings Mausoleum. We learned much history from a wonderful local guide named Rashid. Side note: towards the end of the afternoon, Rashid apologized profusely, because he had to go pick up his kids at school!
We took the high speed tram back to the hotel and got ready for the evening. We we’re going to a Riad ((large home with a courtyard)for dinner, but first we had to stop by “The Cave”. More on this in next post.
On the way to The Cave our driver entered the large traffic circle and we had a run in..literally....with another car.  Standing police to the rescue.....so we were delayed a bit while the issues of who was at fault was sorted out. Finally made it to the Riad which was a walk down the alleys....called  Medina’s. A very traditional Moroccan dinner...with many many vegetables..and the Mint Tea presentation. Great introduction to a fascinating country. So far....very impressed with then
progressive state of their infrastructure and very clean city!

WAKING UP IN MOROCCO

After a long trip from Seattle.... we landed in Casablanca, Morocco for couple weeks adventure taking us over the Atlas Mts, and into the Sahara Desert. After an uneventful but ssssllllooowwww ride from the airport..to the Capitol city of Rabat, we basically just fell into bed as soon as we checked in to our downtown hotel. Why the driver was creeping along on a freeway, being passed by everyone..is a mystery. It took over 2 hours! At the hotel we met Mohamed.....who was quite fetching and kind and understood we were almost comatose with lack of sleep...so after a few hellos, we said we would meet up this am.
Today we are going to orient ourselves in this city, with a walking tour and a side trip to a grocery store, where we will stock up on supplies for our tented camel trip in the desert.  I realized that this was a “code” to buy our own alcohol for the desert trip. Since Morocco is 99% Muslim, and non drinking.....the “supplies” will be ours for wine time in the Sahara. Sounds like a good idea to me.

LAST DAY

There is always a “last day” to travels....where we look forward to going home and look backwards on all the fun, frustrations, and new experiences we had. Lebanon was a trip to learn and experience the reason we are all here...our grandparents exodus from the land of THEIR birth to the new land of America.  But first..... we had to go back to the jewlery store in the Armenian part of town. We had a leisurely breakfast, made by Cindy, trying to use up all the leftovers....then we took off to see the Sursock Museum in downtown Beirut.  We ended up having a nice lunch in the Museum cafe before we toured the art. I really liked the museum and picking some last minute gifts in the Museum store. Then Uber to the rescue once again and a journey to the Jewelry store where the cousins had custom made pieces to pick up.  Oh so fun!
Back to the apt and a bit of packing up and then a short walk and shop for the last time.....we ended up at our favorite happy hour bar for the usual drinks and popcorn.   And finally a last dinner, but none of us were very hungry, so it wasn’t a big deal...and we were anxious to finish packing.
The morning came early, as Ali was picking up at 5:30 am!
A lot happened on this trip, and as usual, will be digested by each in their own way. For me, I really felt Lebanese and the presence of our ancestry. Many things started making sense......but even tho we had some questions answered....there is still more to explore. I would definitely enjoy coming back and maybe doing a bit more searching for relative information. Lebanon is a complicated country, but filled with beautiful, educated, hard working people. The food is on a plane all it’s own, and the friendliness of the people is wonderful.  We never had a bad personal experience....”you’re welcome”. That phrase, which we Americans say AFTER someone thanks us...is offered FIRST in Lebanon....as in “Hi, nice to meet you, you’re welcome”...... as You ARE welcome! Always.  I take that home with me!

SHOPPING AND EATING

Well, I am NOT much of a shopper...but the cousins havent had a real day to shop til ya drop.   We are very near the Armenian section of Beirut, and they offer the endless jewelry stores......primarily gold. Julie and Cindy had already ventured there while Su and I were finding relatives. They even knew which store would be the best. So off we went and looked at various  stores until we came to the  one they had liked. And I agree...it was great... we all bought gold! Oh yeah. They do custom work, and that was great as we will go back today to pick orders. Some very nice purchases. They even brought us coffee. Lebanese coffee is very strong.....
I bought a solid gold “tree of Lebanon” which is on their flag and a symbol of the country. I love it!
We did spend a lot of time there and became very hungry......
We were all tired of Lebanese food...even tho it is so healthy and delicious.....we just wanted a burger and fries! We were practically next door to the best burger place in the area..... so.... we ordered and indulged and it was worth every cent of the 3.00 $. Yep.cheap eats, but yummy.
Had an interesting Uber ride back to our apt, as the driver had left Leb during the war years and lived for 30 years in Sweden. He very much wanted to go back to that Nordic country.
After a bit of R&R, we hit the streets again window shopping and exploring.....oh and it was happy hour..... so we went to our favorite outside tables, where the waiter remembers us and what we like to drink. It’s fun.
After a nice relaxing time, we sauntered down the way to an Italian place and ordered pizza! Guess we ARE done with Lebanese food for awhile.

BYLBOS

Today we took off for BYLBOS, supposedly the oldest inhabited city in the world. We met a man named Yzeed who lived in the town all his life and was  former history professor. He really knew his stuff, and he enjoyed showing us all the treasures of this old old city. It was founded by the Phoenicians, and had been conquered at least 16 times by other civilizations thru thousands of years. It was really a treat to walk on such ancient ground.  We ended up at a fabulous restaurant for lunch, where the food kept coming and coming.  I drank Arak again while my travel partners had beer.
Then we left and traveled toward Beirut and went to see the famous Grottos of Jeita. They were quite large and interesting, but they made us “lockup” our cell phones and cameras as we toured the grottos. We walked, we rode in an enclosed gondola, a small train, and finally a boat. And each way we saw the grottos in a different way.  The stalactites and stalagmites were gigantic and convoluted and impressive.
When we returned we noticed the bar below our apt was having happy hour.... 3.00$ for a glass of wine! And popcorn!  That was a fun way to end a busy day. I got back to the apt and jumped in the shower and my cousins decided they were tired of Arabic food, so they ordered Take out Chinese! In Lebanon!  Crazy. But it tasted pretty good. One can order anything and a scooter drives up and delivers it. Just like ‘merika!

ROOTS

Finally, today...we were going to try and find some links to our genetic past. We drove to Hadath, or Hadat, as it is now called, going back to very ancient times. It is rather close to Beirut...only 15 min....IF THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC! Still, traffic was light today by Beirut standards, so Suzy and I went with Francois Yeghi, to see Mansour Yeghi at his home. Julie was coming down with a cold, and Cindy stayed with her. I was surprised how hilly Hadath was!  Very steep terrain . Very. We arrived at Mansour’s and decided right away to see if we could find family.  We could have never negotiated this without Mansour. Everything would have been so difficult. But Mansour knew the family and just took us to places and we popped in, so to speak, unannounced.  After the shock wore off, we were welcomed with open arms...literally. And always invited to lunch or dinner or both!  My mom had been in these same homes in the 70’s and everyone remembered her, and my aunt Alice’s visit also.  Beirut area has changed a lot, and also, Hadat...but some things never change. We met second cousins...we shared our grandparents, and tried to piece more of the puzzle and did get some new information.  We saw a home, which long ago was the typical home of the Lebanese in this area. One story , stone buildings on dirt hills, so cars...lots of Palms...and I suspect, very “biblical” looking.  First we popped in on cousin George in his tiny all goods store...so typical  of Beirut and old school environment. We was so very sweet and almost tearing up. Then we popped in on 3 Murr cousins, just a street away. Again....open arms and surprises and shock...then offers for food, drink, lunch...etc. we met cousins Badia,  Marcelle, and Maroun. They spoke enoughEnglish to tell us stories, and we exchanged pictures and hugs! Over and over.  As we left, we ran into cousin Elie on the street. He is the brother of the Murrs we just saw.

Mansour showed us where things “used to be” and we could imagine a little bit. Finally we went to Mansour’s home where Rita (his wife) fixed a wonderful typical Lebanese meal..sheesh Barack....which is time consuming to make...of course...Little meat pillows baked and put into a yogurt sauce with a bit of rice and mint. Of course we had Fattoush, and chicken and potatoes, also. And a custard for dessert.

I am so thankful I ran into this family...on Facebook! We could never have gotten so much out of our trip if we had not connected.

We returned to see the “girls” had rallied and walked to the Armenian district for some shopping!