Street scenes and related sights as we traveled.

 The older parts of the cities are known as "medinas" and within those medinas are the "souks" or markets.  The streets are narrow, often cobblestone and some are stairways.  Too  narrow for cars, hand drawn carts, mules or motorbikes negotiate them.  The majority of the traffic is foot traffic.   While it may seem confining to those of us accustomed to wide street, often with sidewalks and yards, it makes sense.  The cities are densely populated but more importantly, the narrow streets are shaded most of the day ,yet the opening to the sky lets warm air rise out, and lets in light.  In some areas there are lattice covers to provide even more shade.  Here are a few examples of streets within the medinas.

  

 

Outside the walls of the medinas,cars, vans and trucks make deliveries, transferring goods to small carts or the backs of donkeys or burros.

Chefchouen is at a higher elevation and is also a smaller town.  Although the streets are fairly narrow, often steep and with steps, cars are seldom seen except perhaps in the square.   Its is a little more open, buildings not so high, but the need to keep it cool is a bit less as well.

Paint pigment on display

The image below is the street leading to the entrance of the walled\medina of Chefchouen.

 

The rest of this post contains streets scenes outside the medinas.  Some are rural towns, some like the boats in Essouaria are outside the medina in the port.

The hill in the background is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait Benhaddou.  I loved having the modern village, clothes on the line, in the foreground.

The 5 photos below are from Casablanca, Morocco's largest city.  Sheep graze with a view of the Hassan II Mosque across the water.

The grounds outside Hassan II mosque can accommodate 80,000 worshippers.  Inside can hold 105,000.  

Public Transit in Casablanca

The other photos are random places we stopped along the way.

Washing rugs in Chefchouen

This is a public spring where people come to get water.

Olive orchard.  We had a picnic under the trees.

Saw a number of schools which had brightly painted buildings and walls.

Two kinds of solar power.

Post office delivery vehicle.  We we in a shop getting herbs, including saffron when he stopped.

Goats in an Argon tree

This makes our propane delivery truck in Park Sierra look tiny.  Ours does carry bigger
bottles, but less of them.

Around my place they try to hide cell towers in things that are suppose to look like pine trees.  In Morocco its palm tree "look a-likes."

I have no idea what it says, except that you aren't suppose to do something.  But Arabic is so
beautiful in written form.   Wouldn't have to want to read it quickly.  "Stop is very short and obvious.