Travels and Thoughts
Avenue Mohamed Diouri, Avenue Mohamed V, Kenitra
Kenitra is a city of nearly 500,000 with a rich history. The city originally was a Berber settlement, that was occupied by Romans in the first years of Augustus rule. There were a military camp and a nearby little city, until Claudius enlarged Kenitra, then named Thamusida. Since the 20th century, Kenitra has grown rapidly to be a shipping center for agricultural produce (mainly fruit), fish, timber, and lead and zinc ores. There is also a Naval Air Station in Kenitra that was established during WWII. One evening, we drove out to the Naval Air Station which is still there.
When we arrived at Abdulwahib's home, we were warmly welcomed. In fact, there was no place we visited nor any family we met where we weren't treated royally! My room wa the upstairs room with a balcony overlooking the town (it is the room and balcony on the left in the picture) The inside of the house was mostly marble - all floors, stairs, etc.
Noah was in love with the attention his grandpa, grandma, and all the extended family showered on him. Kids can do no wrong! The couches along the walls were typical of all the houses we visited. They covered the entire wall space, and the rugs were gorgeous!
Abdulwahib's home, like all the homes we saw, had an tall wall enclosing the property with a protective metal gate which was kept locked. Above the gate, there was a structure which usually contained a flower garden of some sort.
The picture to the left is a view looking through the front doors of Abdulwahib's home. The living room (above) is on the right as one enters the home. The furniture and rugs in the liviing room are typical.
The downtown Kenitra market
Every day, people would walk down to the street market to purchase the days fresh food. Everything imaginable was contained in these open markets. Each booth area was set up in the morning and taken down at night. The pictures below show some of the variety of items available fresh every day! The photos below were taken one morning when we walked to the market. This market was set up every morning and taken every afternoon - 7 days a week.
Left: an assortment of fresh meet. Above: goat heads.
Every imaginable grain, bean, spice, etc. was available fresh each day.
Olives of every color and kind are grown in Morocco along with many rich spices.
The main Moroccan dish most people are familiar with is couscous (below/right) the old national delicacy. Beef is the most commonly eaten red meat in Morocco, usually eaten in a tagine with a wide selection of vegetables. Chicken is also very commonly used in tagines, or roasted.
Lamb is also heavily consumed, and since Moroccan sheep breeds store most of their fat in their tails, Moroccan lamb does not have the pungent flavour that Western lamb and mutton have
Above lefg: Tagines were sold everywhere. Most were made of terra cotta, Tagine is traditionally cooked over hot charcoal leaving an adequate space between the coals and the tagine pot to avoid having the temperature rise too quickly. Large bricks of charcoal are used, specifically for their ability to stay hot for hours.
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Travel Notes: Sunday, May 14, 2017: We were up by 7am. Had coffee with pastries, eggs, fresh donuts, and bread. After pleasantly gorging ourselves, we took a walk down the street to shops (see photos above) where everything from spices to chicken was sold. The chickens were in a cage, and a buyer would select the chicken. It would be slaughtered right there and cleaned. I didn't see any grocery markets; everything one needed could be purchased at the street sales. We went back to the house for more coffee, etc., cleaned up in preparation for driving to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Kenza was to be picked up by Jafer so she coul see her relatives on her father's side.