THE CHELLAH IN RABAT, MOROCCO

 My recent trip to Spain and Portugal started out with ten nights in Rabat, Morocco.  I was surprised to find myself back in Morocco after being there a month already last year but a few family members wanted to go watch the Woman's U17 Football World Cup that was being held in Rabat so back I went.  My only contact with Rabat on my previous trip had been to see it from a passing train, so the city was all new for me to explore.  I must say I was really impressed with the place.  It is of course the capital city of the country so lots of government buildings as well as a few palaces. There are many wide, palm lined streets through the whitewashed new city as well as narrow alleys and markets to explore in the old parts.  Lots of history with castle walls overlooking the river entrance from the ocean.  This is an historic harbor entrance.....just across the river is the city of Sale where the huge stone prison stands....the reception point for new  European slaves brought in by the notorious Barbary pirates.  Today the city is fast moving into the future with big modern buildings and many sports arenas and parks.

After arriving there, I got told by a few people that I needed to go see the Chellah.  I expected to whiz through the place in an hour but after two hours there was told by family to hurry up!  It really was a wonderful oasis of green tranquility but also so full of interesting history as well.  That point of land started out as a Phoenician trading post then was taken over by the Romans who built a town called Sala Colona.  The ruins of the Roman town were then incorporated into the royal necropolis built by the Marinid dynasty in the 14th century.  The whole area was protected by a tall wall with an imposing gate to welcome pilgrims to the mausoleums, mosque and madrasa that were inside.  Today the place is recognized as a UNESCO heritage site and is run as a rather upmarket park with a restaurant and café. There were tourists and locals visiting plus it seemed to be a place that government guests were taken too. The place is open every day and there is an entrance fee of approx. $7.  Well worth it as the gardens are beautifully laid out and cared for as well as for the protection of the historic buildings.  The icing on the cake for me was to see the sanctuary for all the storks nesting at the far end of the gardens.  Just beautiful.

The entrance to the Chellah with the ticket office off to the right.

The Roman ruins

View out beyond the Marinid bathhouse roof to the
stork sanctuary. You can see several nests built
up in bare tree trunks.

Two Marinid Mausoleums

I liked how these plants were grown tall
with a great show of flowers.

You can see here how wells are dug around the trees for 
retaining irrigation water.

The running water adds to the coolness of the gardens.

Note the storks and their nests on the minaret.

Aloha

SAN MIGUEL ISLAND IN THE AZORES

 A few weeks back I spent ten days on the island of San Miguel in the Azores on my way back from Portugal.  People in Hawaii feel a connection to the Azores as many Portuguese immigrated from there and Madeira to come work in our sugar plantations during the last part of the 19th century and early 20th century.  At that time sugar cane plantations were plentiful in both the Azores and Hawaii.  They are all gone now except I did see one small sugar cane plantation on San Miguel that supplies sugar for a locally made rum.  Because I live on an island, it is always interesting to compare life on other islands.  The Azores are very similar being  isolated volcanic islands way out in the ocean but are smaller.  I know Ireland gets called the Emerald Isle but I think San Miguel has even more right to that name.  All those volcanic cones and craters covered in green green grass and forest. It was a funny amalgamation of Savaii, Samoa volcanic horizons, with Taranaki, New Zealand dairy farm views leading to Portuguese towns.  I was very impressed with how self supporting the island was.  They are now looking for economic support from tourism but there is a big agriculture backing for it.  The dairy farms provide the milk, butter and cheese.  Bananas, pineapples and vegetables are all grown locally.  There is even a small tea plantation. Of course there is local fishing as well.  I was also impressed that 60% of the power on San Miguel comes from volcanic steam driven turbines. Several people from there told me how they felt they had everything they needed despite living on a small island....that the needed facilities for business, health, transport and education, etc. were available there for them.  The small capital city of Ponta Delgada was a delightful place to have as my base while I was there.  Lots of atmosphere walking the narrow cobbled streets of the old town or along the water front.

I was surprised to see these NZ pohutukawa
trees along the Ponta Delgada waterfront.

Flowers in the plaza in front of Ponta Delgada City Hall

The lovely botanical park at Ponta Delgada

Plane trees pruned back for winter in a plaza in Ponta Delgada

A park in the middle of the city next to the library.
It seemed to be the teenage hangout in the evening.

Another surprise!  New Zealand spinach growing wild on the 
sea shore.  I also saw it being sold at the produce market.

Farmland inside a volcanic crater

Taro farm at Furnas...another surprise for me. 

Pineapple is grown inside glass houses on small farms.

The Azores farmers are very proud of their sweet pineapple.
They say that pulling out the long leaves from the top of 
the pineapple helps to make the fruit sweeter.

The Azores variety of banana....short and stumpy.

Hydrangeas are everywhere on San Miguel.  Used as 
hedges but they have become a big part of island culture now.
Unfortunately I was there just as they were finishing their show.

Aloha