0104 Madrid to Casablanca

We are here at last after a few frustrating stuff-ups at the airport. We flew Easy Jet this time. Yesterday's flight was with RyanAir.
We had breakfast at the Iowa Bar in Gran Via and caught the Metro with plenty of time up our sleeves. The Metro ride went smoothly and we cruised into the Terminal at the Airport looking at all the signs as we went. Security was a nightmare. First we were told to remove our boots - first time for everything. I went through with no hassles but I looked around and Steve was going back through the system again. First it was his backpack that caused problems and then his on-board luggage. He had to go back twice. I was worried about the computer as he had to leave his bags in the trays at the end of the conveyor belt. When he eventually came out and I asked about the computer, he found it had disappeared. Fortunately he had noticed another woman with a similar computer so ran around until he found her and luckily they had mine as well as their pink one. I couldn't believe that the security guard could let someone take it from under their noses.
The best is yet to come however. We went through passport check and towards the boarding gate and sat down. Suddenly Steve said something along the lines of "how come we've still got our big bags?" Woops!!! No-one had picked this up at any of the official posts. I asked at information (remember this is in Spanish) and determined that we had to go back out and come through again!!!! This meant entering Spain again through passport check and customs!!!! When we got to baggage check-in we realised that when we first walked past it was empty but now there was a huge queue and lots of frayed tempers as people kept jumping the queue.
The flight was no problem and when we eventually got through passport check we picked up a taxi to the hotel arriving 2 hours after we landed. Got out asap and went to change money and caught a Petite Taxi to the Gare to buy a Couchette train ticket for 19 April as these couldn't be bought outside the country. We have survived 3 taxi rides in kamikaze Casablanca traffic.
Met with the group at 6 pm. There are 9 in our tour group and they seem a nice bunch - mostly Aussies but a couple of Kiwis. We went to a restaurant called Riad for a meal together tonight. When we got there our guide was surprised to find it booked out but the manager made up a row of tables for us and everything was hunkydorey. I tried a Tagine of lamb with prunes and almonds, and Steve had a lamb couscous. Very delicious. The restaurant is decorated with ceramics on all the walls and marvellous wood carved doors and carved stone panelling below the ceiling. The belly dance music for the upstairs guests was way off the decibel scale. Apparently the group was Moroccans on holiday from Israel.
Tomorrow is another day.