We’d talked about getting to Morocco on this leg and we found a cheap flight from Seville to Marrakech a few weeks back so we booked it.
Marrakech, the “red city”, is amazing. It’s a lot like cities in Asia with its narrow streets, endless markets, and crowds of people walking, riding motorbikes, pushing carts of goods, and sometimes even walking donkeys who are towing even larger carts of goods. Many of the streets are covered with tarps or trellises. Some are elaborate; some are makeshift. It provides shade to keep things cooler in the summer heat. It often feels like you’re walking through a tunnel.
The vibe is more relaxed that some of the Asian markets I’ve been through. Perhaps I’m just getting used to it. Shop owners are rarely aggressive with their pitches and almost always smile and let you move on after a simple “no thank you.” The markets have really wonderful and high-quality artisan goods. The leather work is great: bags, wallets, belts, “poufs” (ottomans and/or small stools), and so on. The tin work that goes into lamps is beautiful. There are colorful and fragrant spice shops. There are areas with fruit stands and juices, plenty of street grills, sections with endless olives. There are lots and lots of clothes, most of them traditional Moroccan styles. Sure, there are a few with obvious brand counterfeits and T-shirts with silly sayings, but they’re not nearly as common as I’ve seen elsewhere.
The central area of Marrakech is the Medina, and it opens to a large square. You learn to avoid the men with snakes (the snakes are defanged). They charge money if you engage. You also need to avoid the men with monkeys. They’ve trained the monkeys to jump on your shoulder and not get off until you give them money. Many of the restaurants have upper-floor terraces to let you take in the view; very few buildings in Marrakech are more than three stories high.
Our flight from Seville arrived, and the flight crew announced the arrival as 22:20. Then they “corrected” themselves and said it was 21:20. The clocks in the airport, however, agreed with 22:20. Our phones updated to 21:20. A bit confusing! We found our ride after a two-hour line through immigration. We stayed in a Riad near the Medina. It’s a family home arranged around a small central courtyard and fountain. Breakfast was included each day between 9 and 11. We went down the next morning at 9:45 and learned that it was really 10:45. At least we didn’t miss breakfast! What’s going on with the time? Apparently, daylight savings time had started a few days earlier, but the government decided at the last minute (or perhaps after a few days of it) NOT to make the change. Software updates to our phones over the next couple of days gave us the “correct” time.
OK, how about some pictures? Spices:
Olives! We bought a medium jar for about two dollars. Green olives with harissa.
About to enjoy freshly squeezed pomegranate juice.
We toured the Secret Garden, a restored Islamic Garden hidden behind the walls of the Medina. The pictures of the restoration process were incredible. The mature palms are the only plants left from when the restoration started in 2011. The garden’s original water system was fully restored, including the fabrication of sections of terra cotta pipe. The garden opened after the restoration in 2016.
Wood carving.
The ceiling of the central gazebo.
We toured El Badi Palace, built in the 16th century by a Sultan.
Oh, check out Leena in the dress she bought at a shop in the Medina. It was a bit long, but lucky us, a tailor’s shop was right outside the door of our Riad. We’d been exchanging smiles and waves as we came and went with the owner. He happily hemmed the dress for just a few dollars and said that it was nice quality.
The Palace opens to a large courtyard with several main water features and gardens sunk in each corner.
A view from the Palace terrace.
