January 4, 2018
We took the morning train from Marrakech (the end of the line) to Rabat, the capital of Morroco. The rail car was comfortable, and the scenery pleasant. As we left Marrakech, there was a large series of hill-top fortifications visible to the east, and the landscape was quite dry. Further on, there were cultivated cactus fields (I'm not sure what one does with cultivated cactus).
As we got closer to the coast, the land became greener, and more frequent goat and sheep herds were seen. We passed a number of Mosques along the way. In other Islamic countries I have visited, the minarets were always round. Here in Morroco, these minarets were invariably square. Having climbed a narrow round minaret in Mortar, I would think I would prefer the wider, square structures.
The rail line is being straightened and upgraded, and the signs were visible throughout our journey. The crossing of roads at grade (with staffed manual crossing gates) are being replaced with bridges and the rail stations are being expanded.
We passed through Casablanca. Despite the image from the movie, the view from the trackside did nothing to encourage us to alight there.
Upon arrival at Rabat, we sought out lodging for the night. Unfortunately, the place was not marked properly on the map, so we wandered about the souk (marketplace) in ther medina (old town) for a while looking. We eventually found the place, but decided yo stay elsewhere. We wound up at a 100 year old hotel from the French Colonial era that was quite nice and had a roof-top terrace with a view of the city.
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