We did see some signs of Christmas. There were a few men dressed up like Santa Claus, but they were skinny Santas and one was wearing a plastic mask that was really odd and not Santa-like at all. One young boy was selling two foot high plastic Santas. Yes, Christmas was over, but it was still nice to see a little Christmas is the air.
There was a mime on the street for quite some time and it really did feel a little like being in Paris. Even the older women in hijab smiled when he addressed them.
The cafes are 100% men except for tourists, including the odd Moroccan/Maghreb woman tourist (of course with a male). The indoor/outdoor cafes, juice bars, ice cream shops, and restaurants were all wonderful.
One thing that really stood out were the waiters running with just tea, lunch or dinner, fully laid out on a tray, to deliver it. I wanted rotisserie chicken and Casa fries (the best) and Fatima had told me to just tell the man at the hotel desk and someone would bring the dinner to us. She was right and it would be on plates and with cutlery etc., not our version of delivery. We decided to go to the cafe to have our dinner. We also wanted the o.j which was on the menu because all the juice here is freshly squeezed. A young man from our restaurant went out and came back with a pitcher of fresh o.j. Each business appears to support the other.
It was so funny. . .your explanation of Santa in a mask...What a hoot!
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