[I have added several blog entries all at once, so please browse through my Morocco section if you want to catch up.] We are deep into Morocco now, exploring the legendary Marrakesh.  Here, I think we have found the pulsing heart of the city - perhaps of all Morrocco:  the wide central square Djemaa el-Fna, where locals and tourists alike flock.  In the afternoon, the magic herbalists and fresh juice-squeezers begin to set up.  By dusk, they have ...

Casablanca - perhaps Moroccos most famous city.  We stopped here for only a few hours.  Just long enough to go to an expensive cafe for juice, and see the monumental and impressive Hassan II mosque.  The inside is cavernous and pleasantly cool, chock full of intricate stylings and lots of marble.  Outside, you can marvel at its minaret - at a staggering 200 meters, it is the worlds tallest.

Rabat - the capital.  Quiet and easy-going compared to the rest of the country.  We took four days here at a beautiful old hotel for a much-needed break from Morocco madness.  Everyone here speaks French much better than I do... how embarrassing.  I have spent most of my time patronizing the zillion and one pastry shops along the main drag, and watching the bustle of the street below from our fourth-floor balcony.

Here I am in Fez, the cutural and artisanal capital of Morocco.  We are here for only a couple of days, then its on to Rabat and Casablanca.  The culture shock is beginning to wear off, but our experience is still pretty bizarre by comparison with anywhere else we have been.  Here, we spent some time in the packed souqs, watching smiths hammering out metal plates or master leatherists creating fine vests and cushions.  We also fended off crazy carpet ...

Culture shock.  Thats the word Im looking for... whoever came up with that phrase really hit the nail on the head. We have been in Morocco for about three days now, and it has left me reeling or enchanted by turns, sometimes both at once.  Not since semester at sea have I felt so disoriented by the difference between my own culture and that of my surroundings.  And now is even harder, since we are basically on our own. Our entry into the country involv...