Searching for Morocco on the internet - Trash and treasure!

Searching the internet for stories that relate to Morocco is something The View from Fez team spend a lot of time doing. It is often like rummaging through a trash-n-treasure stall at a market; lots of junk and only a few good items.

One of the tools we use is a Google Alert that picks up key words like Fez, or Casablanca and so on. However, it pays to check the alerts carefully because some stories take a very long time to surface. You can imagine our delight at being alerted to news about a "British Mission to Fez" - and our amusement at how long such news took to reach us. Here is the item:

BRITISH MISSION AT FEZ. London June 5.

Mr. Gerard Louther, the British Minister has arrived in Fez on a visit to the Sheriffian Court. The object of his mission is to assist in carrying out the Anglo-French agreement in respect to Morocco. The British Mission mission was given a brilliant reception by the Moorish tribes upon its arrival at the capital.

That little gem was from page 5 of The Argus, Melbourne, Tuesday June 6 1905!

Another rare and unexpected find was this news that turned up on the internet this morning.

Morocco: The Sultan of Morocco has dismissed the Governor of Anghora for disloyalty. The French are extending their authority throughout Morocco, and have taken possession of several caravans proceeding through the oasis of Taal, which is equidistant from , Morocco, Algiers, and Tunis.

Google Alerts found this from the Tasmanian newspaper The Mercury, dated February 20, 1892!

But today's best find was not an historical oddity that had chosen this moment to pop up, but rather news that there is an extraordinary amount of accommodation available in Kelaat M'Gouna!


Now, for those of you who are not aware of Kelaat M'Gouna, it is home to the famous Rose Festival, visited by over 20,000 people every year. Given that lodgings are hard to find we were delighted to read the following:

Kelaat M'Gouna Vacation Home Rentals
Kelaat M'Gouna offers great vacation house rental and home rental-by-owner deals for the knowledgeable traveler. No matter what budget or level of comfort you seek in your holiday to Kelaat M'Gouna, there's surely a great local vacation home rental available to meet your needs. Browse the list below for information on Kelaat M'Gouna cabins, condos, bed & breakfast inns, luxury suites, corporate apartments and vacation packages.

Well, naturally we couldn't wait to "Browse the list". This is what we found

Vacation Rental Homes in the Kelaat M'Gouna Area.
Bed and Breakfast Kelaat M'Gouna - Morocco - For 26 people.
House. 10 bedroom(s), 1 bathroom(s), sleeps 26

26 people in ten rooms and one bathroom? Mmm...2.6 persons per room... interesting. We are sure it is very nice, but we'll be giving that one a miss. Needless to say there was nothing else on the list.

In the meantime, we are still looking for a house in Fez... with sea views.