There was a group of about 30 (let's call them somewhat elderly) returning home to Morocco who obviously did not have much experience flying. It took them quite a while to get seated as they did not seem to understand the concept of assigned seats. The whole group just followed one another up and down the aisle of the plane, took a seat, any seat, then had to move when the person assigned to the seat showed up. There were people going both directions in the crowded aisle.
The flight attendants certainly had their hands full. Have you ever been on an airplane that backed out of the gate when people were still standing in the aisles? That's what happened.
By takeoff, everyone was finally seated. The whole boarding process was like watching the Keystone Cops fumble about. And it continued throughout the flight...here's a few humorous moments we experienced and/or observed...
--the lady next to me in the window seat handed me her food tray to hold when she finished eating even though it was not time for the flight attendants to take them. She then promptly shut her eyes and leaned against the window.
--when Terry and I left our seats to go to the restroom, the husband of the lady next to me took over my seat and had to be scooted out upon my return.
--a gentleman across the aisle would unwrap his turban and use it as a kleenex for his nose and then wrap it up again..however I don't believe I ever saw him cover his mouth with it when he coughed.
--when the lady next to me figured out the arm rest between us would go up, she would motion to me that her "girth" was bigger than my girth and she needed more room in the seat so she wanted the armrest up.
--when the plane was descending for the landing, the lady behind us put her carry-on suitcase in the aisle and assumed the crash position in her seat.
--off the plane and in line for passport control, a lady tried to piggy-back her suitcase onto our wheeled carry-on so Terry could pull both.
We did make it to Casablanca. Our transfer driver was waiting for us and we were soon on our way to the city of Rabat where our tour with Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) begins.
Here's the map of where we will travel while in Morocco.
The next morning we met our new Trip Leader, Mohammed. He took us on an orientation walk and gave us tips on what to do and how to get there as we had the afternoon free. The other members of our tour group are gradually arriving and we'll meet all at a dinner. We will be a group of 14.
Rabat is one of Morocco's ancient imperial cities and its capital since 1913.
The official languages of Morocco are Arabic and Berber....and unofficially, French.
Time for lunch and we find an outdoor cafe that has pizza on the menu. Something we have been craving, as it was never an option for us in Egypt. This is the Moroccan version of a pepperoni pizza. (I think it was lunch meat cut up and olives)
One of the suggestions Mohammed had for our free time in the afternoon was to go to the Archeological Museum.
It contains the most extensive collection of artifacts found in Morocco from prehistoric time to the Islamic era of the 8th and 9th centuries.
Unfortunately for us, all the descriptions of what we were looking at were in French. Here's our friend, Margaret, using Google Translator on her phone to read the information.
I'm installing the off-line French version as soon as we are back at the hotel!
After browsing through the museum, we headed down the huge boulevard to explore Rabat on our own.
It was a beautiful walk through the palm trees.
and spices! Two things very abundant in Morocco.
And oh how we will love these tangerines!
It was then time to head back to our hotel and meet the other members of our tour group at dinner.
The next day our tour, with Mohammed as our leader, begins!
To continue reading, scroll down and click on "Newer Post". There are 7 more postings to this Moroccan adventure.
Oh my goodness reading about your flight had me laughing out loud. What an experience!
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