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Morocco - MCT1601

Mittwoch, 13. April 2016 | Ursula Peter / Ted Goslinga | Afrika

That was Morocco!

What a motorcycle adventure this was! Two weeks riding on the North African continent with everyday changing landscapes is not what you do every day. But this fantastic group of riders made the whole loop until the very end of the tour back in Malaga at the European continent again.

Thank you  Stephan, Tom, Sabine, Izi, Sam, Suzi, Balz and of course our honeymooneers Tom and Simone for the unforgettable time in Morrocco and we hope  to see you on another Edelweiss tour in the future

Now it 's time for "ausbachen" and getting ready for the next Morocco tour!!

 

Ciao!

Ted 

 

Das war Marokko!

Die Tour ist zu Ende . Manche freuen sich auf zu Hause, manche nicht so sehr. Einige haben schon den nächsten Trip gebucht, für andere war es der einzige Urlaub heuer. So ist das Leben!

Ich wollte nochmal danke sagen für die vielen gemeinsamen Erlebnisse, die guten Gespräche, die unterschiedlichen Sichtweisen, vor allem für den gemeinsamen Spass. Ich hoffe dass die vielen Eindrücke, die Begegnungen mit den Menschen, die Landschaften in den nächsten Tagen in eure Hirne und Herzen sinken und dort griffbereit bleibt.

Es waren tolle 2 Wochen. Kommt gut heim, kommt gut an und vielleicht sehen wir uns ja wieder einmal. 

Liebe Grüße Inshallah

Ursula

Ted will come up with the English version after he cleaned the bikes and has done his "ausbauchen"

Day 13 - Chefchaouen - Malaga

Everybody is a bit sad today - last riding day. Time was flying.

We left Chefchaouen and our nice Riad and headed back through the scenic gorge, Oued Laou along the cost to the Moroccan border.

Thanks god - we had a local helper, otherwise we wouldn`t have make to the ferry. Abdul is seeing the blue Edelweiss van and there he was with all his connection with the border staff. Thanks Abdul!

entering the ferry

again Gibraltar, were we have been on the first day. Der Kreis schließt sich

Everybody is back safely in the Tryp hotel. We had a special guest on our last dinner - CEO Rainer Buck joined us. Of course he invited the group for a nice bottle of wine.Thanks Rainer!!

Day 12 - Fes - Chefchaouen

What a great riding day we had today! Yesterday the rain covered the area and today it all had cleared out ! With an excellent riding temperature of max 21 degrees Celsius we left Fes today to head north towards Chefchaouen again. Sad enough his will finish our "Moroccon loop" and this great Moroccon motorcycle adventure. Riding through the Rif moutains the landscape became greener and greener. Olive trees, corktrees and a lot of coloured flowers in bloom!. Morocco is unbeatable!.

We stopped for a sightseeing at the ancient Roman excavation site of Volubilis. A nice guided tour took us around the site with beautiful mosaic floors still in good shape. The Romans must have had a great spot here back in the first centuries of th Christian calendar!

A nice coffee at the terrace and we were on the road again through the hills of Mid- and North Morrocco. The lunch we had at an outside terrace just south of Ouarzazate. Then half of our group took an optional route and the other hafl the standard route. Swerving throught the mountains we finally reached the nice last hotel stop in Morrocco to join our last evening here. Yes indeed: was flying!

our beautiful last hotel in Morocco in Chefchaouen
evening view on Chefchaouen
Volubilis, wonderful old Roman site

first picture stop

Volubilis - 2000 year old Roman settlement - beautiful, we were nearly alone - what a special atmosphere

storchs nesting there

Sam is having a coffee guest

Day 11 - Restday Fes

After the tea ceremony of Stefan and Sabine, we took off with our local guides Mohammed and Omar for a city tour in Fes
A nice view on our hotel and old city

we started our guided city tour in Fes with an explanation of the city high above the Medina

in the pottery

the mosaics are puzzled together from the backside. If you make a mistake you will realize it when everything is done. Correction impossible

handpainted every piece

the Mosque in Fes

we are not allowed to go in

some impressions along the path in the Medina

an incredible place to visit: the just restored leather tannery ......despite the awful smell it is very fascinating
the always amazing colors of the more than 18.000 little shops of the Medina

Day 10 - Erfoud - Fes

we are crossing the Atlas mountain range again today. The longest riding day on tour about 420km, that why we start early. Warm clothes are necessary, we will  reach 7.200 f altitude - let`s go

our beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert.....
It looks like we're gonna have a Bedouine Edelweiss Bride sometime this year!!

first picture stop at the Ziz Gorge

lunch in Timadhite - Do you prefer beef....

....or lamb????

doesn`t matter it is delicious anyway.

Day 9 - Restday in Erfoud - Camelriding

While parts of the group went into the desert the evening before and stood overnight in a desertcamp, the other part of the group enjoyed the Xaluca Hotel in Erfoud with pool, Spa and a huge buffet. 

We went out the next morning into the desert for a camelride....

before dinner we got invited for a glass of champagne - our honey mooners leaving our group and joining the Harley tour.

But what`s on Tom`s arm??? Tom mutated during this trip to a real papparazzi. I hope we will see all the pictures and videos

Goodbye you both, it was a pleasure to have you on tour.

Sabine is relaxing in the Berber desert camp

it is Sam`s first time in the desert and he never sat on a camel

also camels like motorbikes

awesome steep gorge du Todra
at the underground water channel with Moroccan Bob Marley
..Hmmm i'm wondering if there is Wifi in the desert....
..`there is!!!
diner at the desert camp...best Tajin so far!
hmmm honey....this is not the honeymoon suite we booked!!
End of the desert night. After a nice breakfast back to the hotel for a decent shower!

Edelweiss is conquering the Xaluca Hotel in Erfoud

Day 8 - Riding from Boumalne - Erfoud (Desert)

Picnic in the middle of the desert. We are close to the Algerian border.

Susi is going fast, she seems to be hungry

not to bad for in the middle of nowhere

the Oberpfälzer boys are completely relaxed. I got the feeling they will switch to guided and comfortable tours

after the picnic we brought part of the group in the Xaluca Hotel and the other ones went off again for the desert camp. They have a camelride of about 1,5 h and sleep under the stars of the desert. 

Day 7  - Riding from Ait Benhadou - Boumalne (Gorge du Dades)

 

everybody knows the "Terminator" but this is the "Scooternator"

(Sorry- but sometimes you have to make a joke to get bad memories out of your system No further comments)

a beautiful picnic spot in the Dades Gorge - called the brain of the Atlas

for the honeymooners

the Oberpfälzer boys

Simone, Ted and Sabine

when will he realise that there is a new sticker on???

at the Atlas film studio
no words!
Sam at a photostop in the Gorges dus Dades

Mr. Iphone in action

This woman is baking our picnic bread

In relax mode. It will change quickly

the rest of the day later on, I have to load the luggage now. Stay tuned, we are having picnic today in the Dades gorges just in front of "the brain of the Atlas". See you later....

we had a lot of things to chat an to laugh about yesterday at dinner. Tom is imitating someone.

Guess whom??? Ok, there are some mysteries on this planet  

we have to leave our hotel today - but... nobody wants to go. This hotel in the middle of nowhere is a dream of 1001 night. It is an old fort - called Khsar, renovated by its french owner and from an awesome beauty

the bathrooms are in Tadelakt - a special Morrocan technique, the illumination is a like in a fairy tale, coffe machines in the rooms making an espresso better than downtown Rome, the beds are wonderfull and food is incredible. Thanks Karo, thanks Elisbeth or who ever found this place

Day 6 - Riding from Marrakech to Ouarzazate

What a day! For the group the real Morrocco adventure started here: going over the Tizn' Chitzka pass to the more dry areas of Morocco. It is a relief to leave the hectic city traffic to the nice mountain areas! Going up the pass we had our moning coffeestop just before reaching the top of the pass. Although only about 13 degrees C, it was a comfortable place to sit and have a good cup of coffee in the sun and enjoying the views on the high Atlas mountains.

Even tourguide Ted was in the "mountain mood" and sang a Hillbilly song on the banjo! After this we were hitting the top of the pass and descending the pass we followed our way to Telout to make a sharp left turn (well....almost everybody did ) and then drove the challenging road to the wonderful stop where we first had a tour to a Kashba with a local guide and after that, Jamel from the berber tent restaurant prepared some fantastic Tajin food for us.

Then the last part to ~Aid Ben Hadou through a stunning valley with red loam houses and a green serpent along the river. Great scenery!

Entering our "1001 night hotel," we could look back at a great day!

Looks like Edelweiss Bike travel is in Marrakech !
Nice coffee stop
Banjo man Ted playing
Lunch in Berber tent

the boys in relax mode

Suzi with local guide at the Kashba

Day 5 - Restday in Marakech

After a niceevening diner in our beautful hotel, local city guide Khalid was waiting for us in the lobby for a guided city tour through the Medina (old city) of Marakech. The sun was already doing its work and so the entire group followed him through some beatiful spots and of course through the small alleys of the Souk. Here we could see how crafts people were making leather things, lamps, or other interesting things.

Afterwards he took us to a local restaurant where we had a very nice lunch in a Berber tent on a roof terrace , including a nice colling wind and a stunning view over the city center.

While some took a taxi back to enjoy some relaxing hours around the pool, others were staying at the Djemna el Fna (Place of the Beheaded) right in the hart of Marakech. This is the place where it all happens during the day but especially at night. 

So also in the evening when the people build up the temporary "restaurants" on this plaza, the group took off downtown to immerse theirselves into the Arabic culture

A nice finish of a great "rest" day!!

in front of our hotel
fun in the taxi downtown
beautiful colors in the palace gardens
....no words...
Sam and Stephan
Balz and Suzi listening to city guide Khalid
in the palace
a woman preparing the famous Aragan oil
some pictures of the Souk of Marrakech

Khalid was a perfect guide and took us to all the crafts men in the medina. Have a look...

Drechser - I don`t know the English word, sorry! amazing!!!!

Plaster art

enjoying a nice lunch

Jemaa el Fna in the evening. Everybody had built up his foodstand. The group enjoyed dinner at stand 65. We couldn`t be with them - we were occupied, sorry!

Riding day 4: Rabat to Marakesh (via Casablanca)

What a nice riding day it was! Although it was a long one over a long stretch of highway, it was it all worth while!

We took off this morning from the curb side of our hotel in Morocco's capital to head for our big highlight of this day: the Hassan II mosk in Casablanca. This third big mosk of the world is really a fantastic piece of work. With an enormous stretch it can hold all together 100.000 people at a time. Build at the shores of Casblanca it is a real eyecatcher.

Our group took the tour (this is th only mosk in the country which can be visited by non-muslims) and did get all the ins and outs of the history and present remarks of this incredible  building.

 

Crawling our way afterwards to this huge economical capital of Morocco, we reached the Tahiti Beach club at the main boulevard to have a superb lunch. Then a long stretch of highway to head south and every 10 kilometre the air temperature was rising 1 degree. So facing almost 30 degrees Celsius we entered the town borders of Marakesh where we will have our first rest day of this wonderful Edelweiss Bike travel adventure on the African continent!

The most incredible building in Morocco: the Hassan II mosk

25.000 people inside, 80.000 outside, 3 balls on top each of 3.700 kg, Minarett is 210 m high, Atlas cedar wood and marble from Agadir inside and much much more, just to give you an idea what an immense building that is.

...Filled with very nice Arabic architecture...
...the inner part of the Mosk...
...Happy Honeymooner!!......
Izi and Sam
..and a fine lunch at one of the best restaurants around here!

We are quite an international group. Susi and Balz from Switzerland, Izi from Turkey, Sam from the US, Sabine - a real Bavarian and Thomas and Stefan from a special area in Bavaria called "Oberpfalz". 2 special guests - Tom Ritt and his wife Simone - our honeymooners. The tourguides are Dutch and German - so stay tuned

3. Riding Day: Chefchaouen - Rabat (the capital)

we are leaving the Rif mountains. We shouldn`t make a wrong turn today otherwise we will end up in Kif Country - the world largest Hashish production area. Marihuana fields are everywhere, 42 % of global production, 800.000 people are involved, probably Moroccos main source of foreign currency.

first stop in Ouezzane - home of the popular Ouazzaniyya Suffi order.

Sabine is enjoying the Atlantic ocean view in Moulay-Bousselham

Susi and Balz from Switzerland

the master of desaster

the most uggliest terrace maybe in Morocco with the best view ever

2. Riding Day - Ceuta - Chefchaouen

The most exciting thing will be the border crossing today. We will see whats waiting for us!

After 2 hours, a lot of forms to fill in, stamps here and there, signs and so on - we made it!! We are in!

Who is that good looking guy???

on the way to Chefchaouen - the blue city in the Rif mountains we had quite a scenic ride

beautiful views of Chefchaouen
Great ride along the northern coast on the first day in Morocco
casa Hassan

we stayed overnight in a typical Riad in the busy center of Chefchaouen

a bakery downtown

1. Riding Day - Malaga - Ceuta

after the welcome briefing the evening before we start towards Gibraltar

the monkey of Gibraltar. Don`t tease them they are quite aggressiv

The 2 boys from the "Oberpfalz" are normally hard riders. There motorcycle holidays are on R1200GS and with tent and sleeping bag. It is there first organized and group trip. They are still doubting a bit whether it will work out well this new experience and we will see whether we could convince them about the Edelweiss comfort of travelling.

Izi - and "old" Edelweisser

Sam from the US

view from the "rock"

entering the ferry in Algeciras - Africa we are coming

our honeymooners - Tom and Simone

last view back to Gibraltar

Ceuta

Preparing the tours

the first tour of Morocco is going to start. A day later the next Morocco tour is running. Than Christopher Columbus Tour and the Classic Andalusia Tour. Operation and the transporters did a good job so far. Edelweiss owns 167 bikes and you got the feeling all of them are in Malaga at the moment. The courtyard of the Tryp Hotel is full of BMW, Harleys and all other kind of 2-wheelers. Have a look...

loading, unloading, sorting out thing - the tourguide work together perfectly (most of the times)

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Einen Kommentar hinzufügen Diesen Beitrag bewerten
Chris Edwards
Montag, 3. April 2017 um 11:16

It was really a treat to watch this blog and your journey looks so amazing. For every adventure ride everyone wants to ride BMW adventure bikes. why is it so?
Tina
Sonntag, 10. April 2016 um 10:59

Wow, ja für so ein Trip wäre ich auch zu haben. Das Motorradfahren kam in den letzten Jahren sowieso viel zu kurz. Echt schöne Fotos.....beneide euch es bizzeli....
Simone & Tom
Montag, 4. April 2016 um 23:53

Honeymoon Blog No. 2 is coming up soon we guess, right, Ursula??? What a nice couple you are!
Looking forward to seeing you in Fes tomorrow!
Ursula Peter
Mittwoch, 6. April 2016 um 19:11

Tom - Du bist ein bisschen übermütig, gell!
Yes and 10 white camels will pull the carriage until we end up in our desert Kashbah in the middle of nowhere. You both are invited to the ceremony, promised.
Baci Ursula
Jakob H.
Montag, 4. April 2016 um 08:00

Hi riders,
wonderful pics, Id love to go for this kind of trip with my grandma.

Enjoy the tour in this wonderful country.
Im looking forward to seeing more of your pics.

Cheers J
Ferdinand
Sonntag, 3. April 2016 um 21:50

Wow looks great! Keep us updated
Roman
Samstag, 2. April 2016 um 23:44

Greetings to all riders and especially to the honeymooners of the Morocco Tour.
Enjoy your trip, the camels and the dessert today.
Regards from Switzerland
Roman (a friend of Susi and Balz)

PS: it's called Argan Oil
But probably a stubid autocorrection Gremlin makes it worse?
Ursula Peter
Sonntag, 3. April 2016 um 08:20

thanks, corrected it
Glen
Montag, 28. März 2016 um 23:22

Congratulations Tom & Simone
Many happy years to you both
Simone+Tom
Mittwoch, 30. März 2016 um 00:54

Thank you Glen! Looking forward to many more tours... but no more honeymoons.

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