Moroccan Odyssey Day 22

Morocco Day 22: Goats in Trees

Today we enjoyed the piece de resistance of Moroccan travel. You might think you’re hallucinating from too much sun and mint tea when you see them: a  goats, perched high up in a thorny argan tree, staring down at you like furry, judgmental vultures. But nope — they’re real. THIS IS NOT PHOTOSHOPPED!

The argan tree produces little olive-sized fruits with a sweet pulp that goats absolutely love. Unfortunately, nature, in her infinite sense of humor, decided that these fruits should grow way up on spiky branches — so the goats just said, “Fine. We’ll climb the tree.”

                  

What happens next is a sort of ecological Rube Goldberg machine (similar to the Kapa Lua coffee made famous by Morgan Freeman in "The Bucket List", but replace monkey with goat)

1. The goats eat the fruit.

2. The fruit goes through the goat (this is the part where biology gets interesting).

3. The goat leaves behind the argan seeds in a neat little “gift” for local farmers.

4. The seeds are cleaned, roasted, and pressed into argan oil, which is then sold worldwide for more money than the goats will ever see.

So yes, that expensive bottle of Moroccan argan oil you bought for your hair? It’s goat-processed.

Our guide, Younes, called his pal the goatherd before we showed up and asked him to bring the flock near the road so we didn't have to wander through the 500 acres of argan forest to find them. 

The goatherd was happy to have us cuddle the baby lambs that were only weeks old, hoping that the ladies would want to take one home.  I have to admit they were pretty cute.

After prying Suzanne and Molly away (Jeri had a little more self control when it comes to animals),  we stopped at a winery (yes, even in a Moslem country that prohibits alcohol consumption except when it doesn't) for a tour and lunch.

The wine industry is really suffering here due to the 7 year drought and the hot Sahara winds related to global warming.  Much of the grape crop was desiccated and decimated leaving the vintners no option other than importing grapes from other regions.  

Lunch was in a beautiful garden next to a pool. We had multiple bottles of wine which we barely touched given the big drinkers that we are, and offered the remains to a Dutch woman who was there running wine tasting tours. Didn't want it to go to waste.

Moroccan Odyssey Day 21

Morocco Day 21:  Essaouira

We started off this morning at the Ma alem Ali Jewelry Center. The Centre de la Bijouterie Artisanale Maalem Ali 1908 is a workshop and showroom in Essaouira focused on artisan silver jewelry made in traditional Moroccan / Amazigh styles. 

It is also notable for its ethical/social mission: training and employing artisans (including those with disabilities) in the craft. The goal is to perpetuate the old crafts.

The master artisan demonstrated how to tell real from fake silver jewelry using nitric acid (which we all carry around with us) and then showed us how enamel jewelry is made. The enamel art was brought by the Jews to Morocco, and it has flourished here.

Suzanne was inspired to bring one home with her. 

The Center teaches students the art of a variety of jewelry design including

inset stone (Inspired by Tuareg silversmithing from the southern Sahara and Amazigh motifs), engraved filagree (modern Moroccan influence),  enamel on silver (a hallmark of Jewish silversmiths from Essaouira in the 19th–20th centuries, and filagree (from Andalusian-Moroccan traditions, common in Fez, Tetouan, and Essaouira. Filigree jewelry was often made by Jewish silversmiths).

Next stop was the docks to pick out our lunch.

There were tons of stalls of fresh fish right off the boat.  How younes chose this one, we'll never know, but they did have some great looking fish and a 200 lb. tuna.  

None of us thought we could finish the tuna, so we chose red snapper, sea bass, flounder, and 

and a boatload of sardines, a specialty of the area.

Younes whisked our fish away to a local dive that cooked the fish for you. We will meet up with our fish a bit later.

In the mean time, we wandered the old Portuguese built battlements which a couple of centuries later would be made famous by Ned Stark in the Game of Thrones.

The Simon Attias Synagogue dates back to the late 19th century.

It’s named after Simon Attias, a prominent Jewish merchant and philanthropist who helped establish the synagogue.

It now forms the heart of Bayt Dakira, the “House of Memory,” which preserves Jewish-Moroccan heritage and promotes coexistence between Jews and Muslims.

Essaouira was founded in the 18th century by Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah, who invited Jewish families, especially merchant families, to settle there and help develop trade with Europe. The city’s Jewish community became one of Morocco’s most prosperous, with dozens of synagogues. The Simon Attias Synagogue was one of the last synagogues to remain active before most Jews emigrated in the mid-20th century.

The synagogue is a two-story structure, built around a central prayer hall filled with natural light. The ark where Torah scrolls were kept is a finely carved wooden niche framed by elegant plasterwork.

The whitewashed walls, arched windows, and blue accents are typical of Essaouira’s style. A women’s gallery occupies the upper level, overlooking the main hall.

One last stop before we get to visit our fish at lunch at a local woodworker's shop.  We had a demonstration of the art of inlaid woodworking.

The showroom ahd gorgeous pieces including a coffee table that Rich and Suzanne came this close to buying (but sanity prevailed).  

Younes walked us down a pretty shady-looking alley to a hole-in-the-wall place which he assured us was safe. Although we trusted him, we were still skeptical. 

But, the place was great!  The chef was a hoot and the fish delicious.  Even the sardines were great, though a bit messy and bonier than I'd prefer.

After lunch, Younes treated us to some Moroccan pastries that were delicious.  Reminiscent of my sister, Marla's, baklava.

This evening, we went to the beach for a light dinner, but more importantly, to watch the beautiful sunset.