First Official Day of Our Moroccan Allure Gate 1 Tour

The best thing of this first day has to be Villa Mandarine, the place where we are staying. Our room was is quite nice, and the three acres of manicured grounds have orange, lemon, and grapefruit trees (as well as a big pool).

This is a lovely courtyard near our room.

There are peacocks (and happy chickens) on the grounds. Unfortunately, they are not wandering around. But they are fairly quiet.

Taken from the bus window, this is Rabat's new opera/concert hall. The Mohammed VI Tower is the tallest in Africa with 55 floors. It stands alone now, but there are plans to build more skyscrapers. (I would feel like a bit of a target in it.) 

Bob thought that I should have my picture taken in a donut chair.

The mound of white buildings is the Oudaya Kasbah, surrounded by the old city walls.

Non Muslins are not allowed in here.

This pretty kitty woke up from a cozy nap, laying on the warm city wall. Probably about a year old, the baby is already very sick with bad eyes and lung problems. There were so many sick kitties it was heartbreaking. They get fed, watered, and have boxes to sleep in, but they are not neutered nor given any immunizations. Disease is rampant. (Unlike the healthy cats in Turkey.)

There was a young, ill mama kitty sleeping up by her rambunctious kittens. They were maybe 8 weeks old and already, a couple of them could hardly move. Sorry to tell you about these sad tails.

This pup had a bird's eye view of all the tourists down below. He gets kudos for merely watching and not barking. Dogs as pets are not as popular as indoor cats, which never go outside for obvious reasons.

One of the guards in place, mostly for looks, at the Hassan Tower.

This is the Hassan Tower that was to be the minaret of an incomplete mosque begun in the 12th century. It was to be the largest in the world and is now just a tourist attraction.

This is the Mohamed V mausoleum. Three important souls are entombed there.

This is the royal palace in Rabat. We could only look at the exterior. The Turkish flag is red for the blood of their ancestors with the green pentagram representing the five pillars of Islam.