MOROCCO - between modernity and tradition by Klaus Metzger (free reads TXT) 📕

Getting to MOROCCO in ideal flying weather

On Tuesday morning, 17 April 2012, we flew from Hannover via Nueremberg to Agadir in Morocco in the ten day vacation. In particular, the flight from South Germany over France, Spain to North Africa were ideal visibility. It get me very impressive shots.

Almost to the day (on Saturday, 15 April 1972) 40 years ago , I flew in the night the same distance from Frankfurt and Zurich to North Africa. However, then came my first flight on to Dakar in Senegal, where we landed in the early morning around 4 clock. Across the Atlantic, we met in the amount of Recife in Brazil and then flew on to my destination Buenos Aires. In Argentina, I spent as a commissioning engineer for over half a year an exciting time in La Plata. In between I also undertook a number of interesting trips to Chile, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.

While I was at that time made ​​beautiful DIA recordings of the Brazilian coastline and landing in Buenos Aires with my SLR camera Asahi Pentax Spotmatic, I now own a modern, digital NIKON SLR camera and can immediately check the images on the monitor. So I was surprised by the impressive Alps mountain range from an altitude of nearly 10,000 meters.


The Alps mountain range


The airport of Toulouse

We flew parallel to the Alps and passed the Lake of Geneva, which, however, under a cloud formation was obscured at low altitude. In Toulouse in France, we flew over the AIRBUS manufacturing premises with the large airfield. After our plane flew over Toulouse, the pilot changed the flight direction to the south and we crossed after a short time the Pyrenees.


The Pyrenees

The Pyrenees

 

The Pyrenees

 

The Pyrenees

About Spain, the impression changed from the machined cultural landscape as it was found in Germany and France, to parched tracts of land that are made available with the help of water from reservoirs. Quite surprisingly, showed up shortly before the Mediterranean, the snow-capped Sierra Nevada and then we approached even the North African coast. As we flew over the Atlas Mountains, it was not very far up to our Destination: Agadir. A very interesting flight left after 3.5 hours on end and I have gained impressive images. In my book "Unterwegs mit dem Flugzeug" I have shown the aerial photos of the trip to Morocco in the chapter " Anreise nach Marokko bei idealem Flugwetter".

 


Reservoir in Spain

 

Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranean Coast

The coast of North Africa

 

The Atlas Mountains

Village in the Atlas Mountains

 

Atlas Mountains to Agadir

First inquiries in AGADIR

Although we arrived with a very positive holiday mood and in fine summer weather in Agadir, at the beginning we had surprisingly difficult to find our way in this Muslim culture. It began during the transfer from the airport to the hotel so that the driver of our bus our famous " Agadir Beach Club" could not find, and we got as presents a free city tour (but without statements). In our beautiful hotel we were offered only once the traditional Moroccan tea, escorted to a separate room, then gave us papers that we had to be very accurately fill with our personal information. Then we were given the room key - far away from the hotel reception.

 

Agadir Beach Club

Also, the first reconnaissance mission in the very modern and international city center was a big disappointment: we were in search of just one supermarket where we could buy drinks and fruit. But it found far and wide no markets or were closed to 15 clock. This irritated us a lot - even though I could make myself understood in French and we were obviously always misguided. Therefore, we decided once for a lunch in front of a small restaurant near the bird park (at the Place Bijaouane). We we enjoyed the grilled fish and drinking to beer or Rose wine. The whole thing cost 20 euros (a passable price).

 

After we walked through the bird park up, I discovered your right to Shopping market "Mini Prix" (this I had already noticed in the morning during the " city tour " with our transfer bus). There we could buy the desired beverage. Our red wine, however, was priceless: 58 euros - a misunderstanding. After fruit we had to look any further! This we found in the " vaults " of the Marche Central, which is located next to the Mini Prix. After this frustration we had no desire to further ventures and we retired to our hotel room to relax back .

The following day was the motto: " New game - new luck ". We had learned from the very helpful lady at the hotel information that could be quite inexpensive taxi ride (20 dirhams, or about 2 euros) to a very large supermarket ' Marjane ' . There you would get everything - in addition to drinks and fruit also clothing and shoes. The latter (swimsuit , shorts and sandals) we were able to buy very reasonably priced. On the way back by taxi to the hotel I discovered in the vicinity of a shopping arcade laying at the right hand from the hotel  (the day before we were to the left hand went to the city center) and was easy to reach after a walk of 10 minutes.

 

Shopping mall near the hotel

Shopping mall near the hotel

 

Supermarket near the hotel

 

Supermarket near the hotel

 

painter

 

exhibition of paintings

Now this was the adventure of 3 Day: The exploration of the discovered shopping arcade. Jutta was a very nice, typical local beach dress that she could bargain down to 400 dirham (about 40 euros). And there we found the little supermarket that could satisfy all our desires (the fruit we took after lunch from the buffet). However, the market had a longer lunch break to 16 clock .

Agadir Beach Club: "Rest in paradise flowers"

Happily went exploring our very large hotel complex " Agadir Beach Club" from the beginning a lot less stressful and we very quickly found a cozy place at the swimming pool on a deck chair with a mat and - on request - even an umbrella (this was after 11 clock very useful). Less pleasant was the swimming pool which was not deep enough to swim well can. Nevertheless I found for my mandatory hotel review the representative entitled " Rest in paradise flowers " (with pleasure that I read of the " HolidayCheck Award 2012 " , which the " Agadir Beach Club" was honored as one of the 99 best hotels in the world).



The hotel complex

 

 

Our balcony among the trees (above)

The swimming pool

The hotel complex

The hotel complex

The arrangement of the building complex in ring shape with a lovely garden setting was an oasis of calm in the noisy and busy Agadir. We enjoyed our time in the morning at the swimming pool and subjected us to the excellent buffet lunch (from 12 clock 30) for Siesta back to our room.

 

flowers

flowers

flowers

flowers

 

flowers

flowers

After the disappointment of the first day we were able to in the following days the international Agadir, which has set with its numerous hotels for the tourists from Europe, but withaout charm. This is also linked to the particular fate of Agadir together on 29 February 1960 saw the inhabitants of a momentous earthquake (the epicenter was below the Medina). Within 15 seconds, four-fifths of all houses collapsed and 15,000 people (of total 50,000) were killed. They did not lose courage and built with international assistance, the new, modern Agadir on. Therefore, now it feels like in Agadir in a southern French resort. The Arabic flair we learned later from our excursions to Essaouira and Taroudant know.

Wonderful walks on the wide sandy beach

The beautiful beach (10 km long and up to 200 m wide) is certainly the particular attraction of modern Agadir. On the back of our "Agadir Beach Club Hotel" was a door through which you could easily go on the beach boardwalk to the beautiful sandy beach. Through this door " smuggled " we also unobserved drinks into the hotel - although it was not officially allowed. The door to the beach was closed every night by 19 clock 30.

The wide sandy beach

 

The beach at the Centre

The beach at the Centre

 

The beach at the Centre

The bar on the beach

 

The bar on the beach

Directly opposite the hotel, there was a beach with plenty of sun loungers and parasols. Anyone who wanted to could spend the whole day there. We moved long walks on the beach before, they washed our feet and reoccupied our poolside lounge chairs and moved us back to our room. There, we felt comfortable and completely unmolested by the " free traders ".

 

The harbor in the background

The fishing harbor

 

The fishing harbor

During our beach walks towards Agadir city center you could very well see the port facilities at the upper end of the beach. On our day trip to Essaouira, we drove past the harbor above and get it to me very nice shots.