Day 26: Camping La Chenaie (in Kenitra) – Camping "Au bout du champ" (in Dar Bouazza south of Casablanca)
Dogs that bark and howl with great persistence are simply a plague at night. The weather has calmed down, but is still rainy. We'll see if we can get going.
We drive through an area of intensive agriculture. And the further we get towards Rabat, the nicer the vegetation on the sides of the highway becomes, the more workers clear up the storm damage and the number of uniformed workers increases.
At the Rabat Riding Club, dozens of uniformed men line the street, in blue, medium green, dark green, brown, beige and white. What they all have in common are buckles and medals, i.e. everything that makes them important.
In Rabat we first park in Sale (an upscale urban residential area is developing here), but then decide to look for a more conveniently located parking space and take a tour despite the rain.
Traffic is literally brisk. At the roundabouts you have to find the right mix of “I’ll just push in” and “I’ll be so careful that no moped, horse-drawn cart, taxi or tricycle rushes into us”. Another vehicle constantly pops up unexpectedly in the side mirror. Brigitte manages the first entry into a metropolis without beads of sweat or injuries and we find a great parking space below the medina.
Rabat is great. We can wander through the streets in a relaxed manner without being talked to; there is a normal, everyday atmosphere.
Lunch is served in a mini-restaurant, small counter, kitchen apparently in the basement, three tables at the front and five tables down a staircase. White beans, vegetable tagine, eggplant mousse, bread and a vegetable fruit juice, all for 45 dirhams, just under 5 euros. The price ratio is a bit strange – normal food is cheap, but biscuits, for example, cost 3 dirhams each and two coffees or tea can quickly reach 30 dirhams. Still ok for us, but a lot in relation to lunch. At our first dinner the paella was comparatively cheap and the non-alcoholic beer was as expensive as in Spain. The restaurant is really nice, the food is delicious and completely sufficient.
The rain has let up, so we stroll around a bit more and then drive on to Dar Bouazza, south of Casablanca. There is a small family place on a small farm.
If Marc, who we want to meet here for lunch tomorrow, hadn't confirmed this, we would have been a little unsure about taking one of the narrow and somewhat run-down paths.
We are warmly welcomed in English by Loubaba, the boss. Next to us there are two older Brits here, a young Belgian/Dutch couple (surfers), a young Pole traveling alone.
In addition to the fields and the camping business, there also seems to be a child care program. And so not only are the tourists chattering happily with each other, but there are also lots of children and young people running around – a wonderful atmosphere.