05.30 It has been a quiet and much needed Christmas rest at home. Now the backpack is packed for the 43rd time. My mum's going to drive me to the train.

05.53 It isn't much snow this year either. Now I'm on the railway station in Örnsköldsvik. Next to me sits one of my pupils from the Bredbyn school.

06.30 This journey has started pleasantly. The wagon host just removed my empty coffee cup. He also removed the breakfast box. It only contained recyclable garbage . Now it is time to relax. I wonder if Christer is awake already? He departs from his father's apartment in Oxelösund.

07.01 There is not much to see outside the window. It is dark. Today the sun will rise at 09.20 and set at 14.07. It's time to go literarily. New adventures of John Rebus in Edinburgh awaits. This time it will be the book "Rather be the devil"

07.21 There is drama and confusion in the carriage 1. A passenger has a valid ticket. Nothing strange in itself. The ticket, however, is for tomorrow, the 28th of December. The passenger and the wagon host just left.

08.25 The man with tomorrow's ticket remains on board. The service leader Berta has announced that the brakes on the train are not fully working. This will make the train travel slower. I don't mind this as long as they stop by the airport.

Peter is going south with a SJ train.

In Christer´s ticket he has a trip with Arlanda Express.

10.15 Christer has, if all has gone according to plan, just started the train journey to Stockholm. Later he continues with the fast Arlanda Express train the last stretch to the airport. We will if all goes well rendezvous at the classic Christmas tree, or is it the Christmas trees?, in about two hours.

11.21 The delay extends. There is as yet no danger. It just will be a shorter wait for me at the airport.

12.03 I am in position on the bench by the Christmas tree which stands at the SkyBridge. We have according to tradition finished the last trips here. Now I just have to wait for Christer.

12.20 Christer has arrived. With him was his backpack and the less pleasant news that his mobile does not want to be charged. The power level drops instead of raising. This is not good for the filming on the trip. Now he has departed in order to possibly find an electronics store.

13.08 No store was found. Now we have prepared ourselves, as best we can. We have taken photos of the baggage, good if they should get lost.. In addition, we have had lunch at Alfredo's. Alfredos has got a new neighbour. The restaurant New Orleans have relocated or ceased and been replaced by the sports bar O'Learys. Now it's off to check-in before the battery hunt continues.

Christmas atmosphere at Arlanda airport.

Peter is having a lunch at Alfredos, not an unusual start on our trips.

Morocco travelers are entering our plane.

13.35 Christer went to a pharmacy to buy extra lens fluid just in case the luggage is lost, such things occur, we know. He also tried to withdraw euros. Before him stood a man and a woman of foreign origin, probably from somewhere in Asia. They were dressed like going on a polar expedition. Did they assume that Sweden is that cold? We are now in an extremely long check-in queue, a patience demanding introduction.

14.35 The queue finally got moving, and we got to check in. In the security control the plastic box with Christer's possessions went into the depot, to the side. It was the lens fluid that caused the stop. No mobile battery could be bought at the gates either. However, they offer liquor, tobacco, reindeer furs, clothes, etc. Of course you are in greater need of reindeer furs than a new mobile phone battery when you are going to travel, logical! I got to meet an old colleague, Gunilla Levin. Now, we are in the vicinity of our gate, this time it is number 63.

15.33 We have left the gate. Today we will fly with Royal Air Maroc. It is time to put the seat belts on.

CHANGING TIME ZONE

17.36 We have switched to Moroccan time. We are just now on the way to the Pyrenees and Spanish airspace. Aircraft food, the pasta and veal was perfectly OK. As usual when flying, it was not completely satisfying.

18.42 Spain is now passed. We have most likely seen the city of Granada from above. Now it's off out over the Mediterranean.

18.55 Once again, we have Africa below us. We will, once we arrive at Casablanca airport, perform the classic chores. We hope we do not visit the office for non arrived luggage. That kind of offices have been visited a little too often during our recent trips.

MOROCCO

19.40 The plane with us and the others on board have landed at the Casablanca international airport. The official name on it is Mohammed V International Airport and it is located 3 km southeast of the city centre.

20.05 After entry card is filled in it is time to start queuing for passport control. It will take its little time. The queues are long.

21.00 We are checked in and have received what we hoped for from the luggage band. Now, the adventure may begin.

21.29 Money, Moroccan dirham, has been withdrawn and we also bought soft drinks and muffins at the Venezia Ice. It was the only thing that was open and offered something to eat. We are catching breath before we go to the gare, thus, the rail station here at the airport.

Peter is having a light meal before departing from the airport.

This ticket will take us to Casablanca.

A modern train transports us from the airport to Casa Voyageurs station.

21.46 After having bought train tickets at the railway station, we have filled up with a sandwich each and a soda. It turned out that a café was available as we left the airport part and reached the rails. Now, we suddenly got a little to munch on twice instead of the dinner we had imagined.

21.54 ONCF, Office National des Chemins de Fer du Maroc is the name the Moroccan railway company. Translated it is the National office of the Moroccan railways. We shall go with one of their trains to one of the stations in the centre of Casablanca. We go to Casa Voyageurs which is near our hotel. The ticket is however valid right up to the port and the station Casa Port. The light in the compartment just faded. This will be a new train country for us. It is even our first train trip in Africa. Soon we have for the first time in one and the same day travelled by train in two continents.

22.45 Al Walid Hotel (http://al-walid-hotel.casablanca-hotels-ma.com is the name of our first home in Casablanca, Morocco. The room number this time is 103. It feels good to finally be here. The hotel is located a short walk from the railway station. After having escaped the army of taxi drivers it was a simple thing to get there.

23.18 The good news is that Christer's mobile is not dead, just in bad shape. It wants to be loaded again. The worse news is that the actress Carrie Fisher, princess Leia in Star Wars, is dead - Now shall our stay in the city be planned.

23.55 We made up some plans regarding tomorrow. Now we are going to sleep before tomorrow is here. Christer's mobile has started to become worse again. This is not good. Well, bon nuit!

Wednesday 28th of December

08.44 We are awake in our room at the Al-Wahid Hotel. From outside flows sunlight and the sounds from cars and other vehicles. It is today we will get acquainted with Morocco as a country but mainly, stop honking, Casablanca!

09.04 It has become time to see what a breakfast at a hotel in Morocco means.

09.53 A varied, tasteful, but not excessive breakfast is completed. We picked our own breakfasts, other more pampered guests pointed and got breakfast picked by the staff. Now, a plan is drawn up. Hm, the language, the variation of words is weak this morning.

10.24 Hello, said Christer to the lady who looked into the room. The thing that the cleaning people is seen by us should be seen as a sign. The sign is that have to get our Christmas bloated bodies in motion. There is a lot to see and do today. We have only one day in Casablanca, Morocco's largest city.

10.43 We have purchased a rechargeable tram card each in a vending machine. It is now time to ride the tram through the white house that the city's name actually means. First the Portuguese named it Casa Branca, and the Spanish chose to call the town Casa Blanca. The Arab-speaking says Dar-al-Baida.

It´s daylight again and we look at the world outside.

This nice room turned out to be a room for smokers.

Al-Walid Hotel, Casablanca.

The railway station Casa Voyageurs.

One of the trams in Casablanca.

10.55 Our premiere tour with the tram ended at Place Mohammad V. It was a control of the tickets before we stepped off. It didn't go that well to pass the turnstile on the way out from the stop. All worked out. Off towards new goals.

11.19 We are continuing on the path. We hope that it is against what we want to see. We have followed the Boulevard Moulay Youssef, crossed a roundabout and are now going straight towards the sea.

11.51 One of the day's goal is reached. We are finally arriving at the Atlantic ocean. This is also where the great, the mighty Hassan II mosque is situated. It is supposed to be the largest in the world outside Mecca. It is beautifully located on a small land strip with the shores of the Atlantic waves around. It feels good to walk and stretch our legs.

12.17 After a customary, traditional, documentation of the mosque, with its surrounding large square, we shall now stroll along the corniche by the Atlantic ocean. This with corniche is tradition. We have walked down some different, including in Beirut, Doha and Muscat.

12.28 When we began our hike and left the mosque behind us it began to call for us. Or was it so that it was just a normal call for prayers we have heard so many times before around the world.

13.15 We have along the sea, wandered through the district of Anfa, and have now reached the Ain Diab. In front of us the Atlantic ocean roll in. Behind us pass cars. Now we take a bench break. Next on the "to do list" is to find a food place. We refuse KFC and McDonald's. Outside the American fast food restaurants are heavily armed guards.

Boulevard Moulay Youssef is passing through this intersection.

Peter is making a stop and adds a few more words to the travel journal.

The world´s third largest mosque was filmed and photographed.

A closer look at the mosque and its visitors.

The Atlantic and the Hassan II mosque.

13.23 It is always longer in reality than on the map. Our grand plan to hike all the way to the Morocco Mall has been abandoned. We will probably be sufficient for us to take us to the tram station here in Ain Diab. We have walked 6 kilometres since the mosque.

13.55 We purchased sodas in a small shop, this is to quench the worst of the thirsts before we dine. It is not possible to come thirsty to the table. On the beach behind us are , some parasols and people playing ball. Some bathed!

14.12 Bon appetit is written the menu from O'Palm Cafe & Restaurant. Other things that are written are the names of some food and drinks. Some of these will be selected for our lunch. The restaurant is located one level down from the street/corniche road and we have the Atlantic ocean not far from where we placed ourselves.

14.30 My ordered right, entrecote, has run out. Well, I have ordered another dish.

15.09 All good things must have an end. The recent good that has reached its end, is our lunches. Though it may have felt worse if we hadn't finished the food. As soon as we paid, we should possibly start heading home. We wonder about what the bill is called in French.

16.28 Now we mostly wandered around in the district of La Corniche, looking for a Starbucks that we have a vague idea where it might be. Everything began with that we saw people with Starbucks cups in their hands. No Starbucks has been found. Now we wonder what we do next. During our exploration, we also saw a car from Queensland, Australia.

16.47 The hunt for cafes has been put on hold. We have loaded our tram cards. Little old me got help from a kind young man. Next awaits a long tram journey home to the hotel.

17.25 It is really crowded on the tram. Will we be able to get off in time?

The beach area in Ain Diab.

Peter is waiting for his lunch.

Christer is enjoying nice December temperatures at the restaurant O´Palm.

We are walking through La Corniche.

The tram was almost empty to start with.

17.31 Everything went well. We were able to leave the tram. Now it is time to check the home area. Does it have a shop? Might there be a dinner restaurant?

17.53 In the surrounding area there was not much of interest. I now sit in the hotel lobby. Christer is buying something to drink in a nearby shop.

18.15 My friend returned with sodas and snacks for both of us. It is time to rest the bodies and legs. We have gone about ten kilometres in the sunshine today. My shirt enjoys a bubble bath in the wash basin. Wonder just how many different basins and countries, which we washed our clothes in.

20.20 We have, after having loaded ourselves and even mobile phones, walked down the stairs for some hotel dinner.

20.37 Tonight there will be an offer from the hotel, a three-course dinner. It includes Moroccan salad, Tagine of beef and fruit plate.

21.15 It was tasteful salads, good main course, and finally, three fruits on a plate. In addition, we got coffee. The price, well, a bit expensive but what the hell. We still can't remember what the bill is called, in French, that is. Now we are going to learn about tomorrow's destination. How do we get to the hotel, what do we do there, and what we see in the city?

Peter is preparing for the dinner at our hotel restaurant.

Tagine, typical Moroccan style of cooking.

Thursday 29th of December

08.05 We have once again put a dawn behind us. The time has come for yet another day of transport. We will, as so many times before, journey towards a capital. This time, it is of course the Moroccan capital which is today's destination.

08.58 The breakfast is completed. It is time to ensure that none of our possessions may spend yet a night at Al-Walid Hotel.

09.42 We are, after check-out and payment here at the hotel, now back at the railway station, Casa Voyageurs, Here we have bought tickets to Rabat. It is easy and convenient to buy train tickets here in Morocco. They are bought in machines which are easy to handle. Now we just got to understand the tickets which the machine spat out. We bought a trip in first class to Rabat, but seem to have got tickets for two different trains.

09.55 Our first train journey today has begun. First? Why first? Well we'll go for a few minutes to the station Casa Port to switch to the train to Rabat. the train we chose , apparently do not pass Casa Voyageurs.

10.16 It went smooth to change train at Casa Port. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the old faithful Starbucks here either. But who knows, we might be given more opportunities.

10.31 The conductor stepped into the wagon. Tickets were checked and all those who lacked tickets to the first class had to change cart. Christer and I remain seated. Now we are going to relax and enjoy a leisurely trip.

Casa Voyageurs. We are waiting at the platform.

Peter is deep into Ian Rankin´s novel.

We have arrived in Rabat.

11.08 My literary journey through Edinburgh is over for a while. Our train travel through Morocco and against Rabat continues. It is a flat landscape and a highway between us and the Atlantic ocean. We have just left Casablanca.

11.18 It seems as if there is a temporarily stop. I understood none of the information in Arabic. The French was understood fragmentary. Things do no matter regardless of what was said. Everything is now back as it should be. Once again, we roll towards our destination.

11.35 We have come to the railway station Gare Rabat Ville. From here we will walk towards the next home. It is just a short walk from the station.

11.56 The Moroccan capital of Rabat and the hotel Le Pietri Urban Hotel (http://www.lepietri.com) is our home for a day. We are now waiting in the lobby for room to be ready. Rabat is actually the 100th capital that I write diary in.

12.10 A man on the way out from the hotel knocked down the trash can/ashtray. He solved the whole thing by shouting for the cleaning staff. Christer and I have guessed our upcoming room number. Christer guess 402, and I 212.

12.12 Christer missed barely. We are now in room 404. Here, it will be a short stop. My bed lamp is reminiscent of a fez. It applies, incidentally, also with Christer's lamp.

12.37 We will now leave the room to get to see as much as possible of Rabat and get some experiences and food.

We are waiting for our room to be ready.

Looking out from our room window.

Peter has just moved into room 404.

Le Pietri Urban Hotel, Rabat.

Christer is eating crêpes at the French restaurant Ty Potes.

Rabat has trams too.

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, Rabat.

Avenue Mohammed V is a big street outside the railway station.

Avenue Mohammed V is more narrow in the old medina.

13.13 We are now sitting at a table in the small French restaurant Ty Potes (http://www.typotes.com). Time has come to order lunch. My camera has, unfortunately, become senile. It forgets time, date and year. I must set it each time I want to take a picture. In the summer, the trouble in my phone and now the camera. The cell phone is replaced. The same fate awaits the camera.

13.45 It was good, filled blinis here at the popular and crowded small restaurant. it was perhaps not so hearty, but a lunch in any case. It is also nice to vary a little in dining options. Now we are studying the city's catholic church of Cathédrale Saint-Pierre. We have also found out that the bill is called l'addition.

14.13 I'm now sitting on a small pole and gaze out over the pedestrian zone through the city's medina. It is actually the same street, Avenue Mohammed V, which we crossed outside the railway station earlier today. A medina is simply a fortified urban centre, and there will probably be freely translated, the closest "old town". A medina is usually connected with intensive trade with lots of different shops.

14.31 With brisk feet and fresh legs, we walked to the kasbah. This was the local leader and it was the centre in the event of civil unrest. Eager local tricksters wanted that we would go in a certain direction, but we followed our memory of the map and made. We are now at a vantage point, Plateforme du Sémaphore, and look out over the Atlantic ocean and Rabat's neighbouring city, Salé.

14.59 The time has come for some city orientation. To take out the direction to the next control and stop. Who knows, maybe a cafe.

15.10 We spun around for a while in the small alleys, but found nothing enticing in the kasbah. The café we found was not what we are looking for. Time to look further. It is chaotic here. Here, one can easily go astray. It is perhaps a defence strategy.

15.29 It might have been little chaotic in the kasbah but it is nothing compared to the medina. We took a shortcut straight through it and there it was plenty of people and various goods, stuff and products. We have not yet found any café.

15.48 We have, after a bit of cruising in the "ordinary" town, found Halinka Cafe & Glacier. Here we ordered coffee and pastries. It is nice to sit down for a while. We are, by the way, at 42 Rue Al Mansour Addahbi.

16.28 We are home again in our room. The TV has been offering various programmes. Among other things, ski jumping from Oberstdorf, and right now the BBC News.

Outside Kasbah des Oudaias.

We are enjoying the views from Plateforme du Sémaphore.

The neighbouring city Salé.

Christer at Plateforme du Sémaphore.

A blue and white street in Kasbah des Oudaias.

Coffee break at Café Halinka.

Two gentlemen are debating.

18.25 The ski-jumping on Eurosport was followed by ladies slalom from the races in Semmering. When the snow had subsided, everything was as usual, Mikaela Schiffrin from the United States had won. Now we will fill up with money and drinks. This is preferably done outside of our hotel. Time for a minor evening stroll.

19.01 We had no problems to withdraw new currency, as well as buying something to drink this evening. We see a change in the appearance of the banknotes here in Rabat compared with the ones we got in Casablanca. It is the same currency but significantly more newly printed banknotes.

19.56 Now we have studied. We have read the various comments on the internet about the on-site restaurant. It is both praises and complaints. We just noticed the smell of a water pipe in our room.

20.36 Jazz music, for at the moment the double bass, reaches our ears. Cigarette scent, unfortunately, reaches our noses. Soon our taste buds will be reached by the taste of entrecote and Casablanca beer. We are in the hotel's ground floor, a restaurant/club with a jazz theme. It's called Les Sessions du Pietri. It is a well-known place. This is there the national radio record a lot of concerts.

21.35 This dinner had been completely on top if we had escaped the stench of tobacco. At one of the tables sat a young lady with at least three-digit weight. Why mistreat the body in this way? Well, what we consumed was delicious. I finally got to eat a entrecote.

22.52 After having looked at a TV channel that is broadcasted from the Western Sahara , we changed the channel. Here they talk to people and play on simple instruments. Some channels do not appear at home in Sweden. That is good!

Alpine skiing on TV makes it easy to forget Morocco for a while.

Peter is waiting for tonight´s dinner.

Tonight we had dinner at a jazz club.

Friday 30th of December

08.40 It blows, honks and hums in the world on the other side it opened the room window. Yet another night has been packed down.

09.24 The breakfast was eaten in the ground floor, in Les Sessions du Pietris premises. Luckily we didn't get in contact with tobacco smoke this meal.

10.09 We have managed most of it in yet another city. There is certainly more we could have seen. However, there is still over a week of the trip. It is always good to save on the energy and the desire to discover. Hey, a man is outside our window. There is nothing strange in that if it were not for the fact that we are on the fourth floor. The man is standing in a large basket and clean the window.

10.15 I was elsewhere in mind at check-out. I handed over the key card and was asked if I was Peter. Dizzy, absent-minded as I was, I replied, "Yes, we'll check out!"

10.43 Now we are back at the railway station, Gare Rabat Ville. After having bought tickets in a ticket machine, we are waiting for our coffee, cappuccino and marocchino. We are sitting in a cafe with views of the track area below.

10.53 Said wanted us to pay before we had finished our cups. Perhaps he was accustomed with people doing a dine and dash. Marocchino, i.e. espresso, foamed milk and cocoa powder was tasty. It is, however, nothing typical of the country. It is actually created in Italy.

The first and last breakfast at Le Pietri Urban Hotel.

We are watching the trains from our café.

Christer is heading towards our train.

On our way to Meknès. Christer is reading about the city.

11.01 It has become time to head towards the platform. We can't just drink coffee today.

11.15 There were trains on both tracks. None of them was our train. They departed, each to its own. All that remained was our train. It was a bit delayed. Suddenly, a train with a different destination entered. Damn, had we missed our train? Was it one of those that just departed? According to the display on the platform the next train will not until 11.32.

11.30 The Information on the display changed. Information about the incoming train with our destination could be heard from the loud speakers. In came a different train. Our carriage was almost at the back of the train set. We are now seated. Time to go on in Morocco. For a while it became a bit of a panic and we were almost about to buy the new tickets.

12.02, A man with a cart with refreshments have passed in corridor to the left of me. To the right, outside the window, is a flat landscape. Right now buildings start to dominate and our train slows down.

12.42 We have passed Kenitra and the trip is now to the east away from the sea, towards the hinterland. Low trees and tall shrubs, stretches on the both sides. It is peaceful, quiet train ride. Two of the compartment companions are sleeping, two others are looking at their mobiles and Christer is reading. While I wrote this the trees have become more treelike.

13.17 Rocky heights are towering around us as we are nearing the journey's third city, Meknès. It has been a smooth travel. That is just great. We only got today on the us to see the city. It is foolish to make it tired and worn.

Avenue Moulay Ismail, Meknès

Peter in our room at Ibis Hotel.

The beautiful entrance at Ibis Hotel, Meknès.

Christer is having lunch at Pizza Hut.

13.44 The scenery outside our train switches between dry and sterile as well as green and cropped. Look over there, a bunch of sheep! The train is slowing down, are we beginning to approach Meknès?

14.20 It took a while but we finally arrived in Meknès. We got off at the station Meknès Al Amir Abdul Kader, a smaller station closer to the city centre. The main station is situated in the newer part of the city far from the sights and our hotel. Here in Meknès, we took a brisk walk through the centre and down a broad avenue to our Hotel Ibis. We are, for a moment, inside room 124.

14.50 We left the room and the hotel before we started to walk back the way we just came. Pretty soon, we made a stop and went into yet another Pizza Hut. Here the ordering didn't go that well. We did not only had to inform about the size and type of pizza. They also wanted to know what thickness we wanted on the pizzas. Is everything clear now?

15.01 The waiter came back. The pizza Christer ordered is not available. We guess that it is the ingredients that is out.

15.10 The waiter came with a tray with two glasses of Mirinda and two straws. He gave Christer a glass and straw, looked at me, and left with the tray, straw and glass. Something was discussed for a while at the cashier. One of them there looked sceptical. The glass disappeared and was replaced by a new one. Now I got glass and straws. We are wondering why it was replaced. Does it have anything to do with the fact that I was writing?

15.39 It is diverse meals of this trip. Now yet another one of those paid, and we will stroll on.

16.25 Our territory has expanded. We have walked to the city centre. We are on the lookout for juice or similar beverage and some form of candy. All we found was a closed shop. It is time to head for new streets.

16.36 Success! A small shop soon appeared and it had what we were looking for. The man by the counter spoke at least three languages. He wrote down prices on a note.

Exploring the central parts of Meknès.

The short pedestrian street Rue de Paris.

View towards the old town. It has to wait for us until tomorrow morning.

Orange trees along road R718.

Ibis Hotel, our white home in Meknès.

16.56 A final stop is made on our city tour. The none smoking area smelled tobacco. Our ordered coffee just arrived. We are at Café Jessica, a small café near our hotel.

17.35 It is nice to come home, remove the shoes and socks and just wiggle the toes.

18.53 CNN is talking about the year that passed and speculate about what will happen after Donald Trump has become president. Imagine how things can go, I have on previous trips prophesied that he possibly would not be able to win a presidential election, but see how wrong I was.

20.24 Channel zapping and mobile blipping is over. Now we are going to aim at today's hotel dinner. We have decided to test the menu that Ibis hotels offer.

21.23-We are once again fed and happy. The waiter Driss wondered if we were Germans or Americans. He smiled when we said we were Swedes and said that he wanted to go to Sweden and find a wife.

23.44 We're in one day, ready to celebrate the New Year. All we want now is to sleep. Outside it is reportedly +7. It will probably be even colder later in the night. In daytime, Morocco is warm and pleasant this time of year. The nights can be really cold.

Dinner in the cold restaurant at Ibis Hotel.

A man with a fez on TV.

A man without a fez in our room.