Agadir, a major port city on Morocco's southwestern coast was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake in February 1960 when some 15,000 people were killed in the 15 seconds the quake lasted. A new city was built a little to the south and in the 60 years since the disaster, Agadir has become not only one of Morocco's main commercial and fishing ports but also a favourite destination of package tourists from northwestern Europe, attracted by the city's sun, sea and sand.

We passed on the sun, sea and sand (the day we were in town it was actually rather windy, cool and overcast) and instead headed inland to Paradise Valley in the High Atlas mountains.

The weather changes dramatically with the elevation and by the time we reach the first rest stop in one of the many hotels and restaurants with spectacular views across the valley, the clouds have vanished to be replaced by hot sunshine. We set out early in the morning and the road into the Valley is pretty much free of traffic. As the day goes on (and this is Sunday) the valley becomes busier and busier. Being within such easy reach of Agadir, Paradise Valley is clearly a favourite weekend escape from the city not just for locals but for tourists as well. Most hang around the streams and waterfalls while we instead head for a small Berber village and enjoy some real local hospitality.

Kitty City

The following day, we're 150 km or so north up the coast in a city known until the 1960's as "Mogador" (although I think I'd have preferred "Mogadon"!!) when its name was changed to the more Arabic sounding Essaouira. Mogador was the city's Portuguese name as it was the they who were the first Europeans to build a fort on this part of the coast, although within a fairly short period of time the French had taken over as the dominant European influence. For more than 200 years, until the end of the 19th century, Mogador was Morocco's main port, handling goods brought from sub-Saharan Africa via Timbuktu and Marrakesh which is just 100 km due east. During that period, trade with Europe was handled by the city's Jewish population which at its peak comprised 40% of the total population of the city. From the late 1930's onwards, the Jewish population rapidly declined until by 2017, just three Jewish people were known to be living in the city. A Jewish quarter within the old walled Medina is still described, but other than a few Stars of David carved into walls and one synagogue recently restored (but now a museum) there's not much sign of the city's Jewish past. There is an old Jewish cemetery but even that's now shared as our guide informed us with the adjacent Catholic one.

The city's Medina is a fairly small, walled area with some markets aimed at the few locals who still live within the walls, but the lanes and alleyways are mostly lined with shops selling Moroccan (and likely a few Chinese) goods aimed at the tourists. Essaouira has become a popular vacation destination for both Moroccans and Europeans, particularly French and the armies of tourists snaking through the lanes and alleyways of the Medina make it feel a bit like Dubrovnik's old town when the cruise ships are in port.

It's the cats though that give the Medina a bit more character. There are cats of all shapes, sizes and ages everywhere. They presumably serve a useful function by keeping the mouse and rat population under control but perhaps their main purpose is to provide photo ops for the tourists....