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Marrakech

I was a little worried that by the time we got to this point in the journey that it would be like an ‘ABC’ tour of Europe, i.e. ‘Another Blasted Church’ only with a Moroccan spin. That turned out not to be the case.  We first visited Saadian Tombs which are richly decorated with colorful tiles an Arabic script. As is the case in mausoleums here the Kings are in one location, the wives and favorites in another and the children in another, but the difference here was there was a King located with the children. As it turns out he was not a good king and his final resting location was the payback. The lesson, be good to those around you! The second stop was Bahia Palace, also rich in Arabic arches, beautiful cedar ceilings and gardens There are many rooms each changing in look depending if you were the King, wife or concubine.

We were then off walking through the shops and work area of Marrakech which turned out to be very interesting for all. The place is packed shops making and selling shoes, metal work, leather good, wood carvings, etc. Sydney was particularly taken with the metal works. Many skilled workers here, the handy work was quite good. Both Kim and I saw many things we liked but knew we could not get back. Our guide Jamal helped keep the sellers from bothering us but if I was approached when I was looking at something came up with a sequence of saying “Air France’ then acting like I was caring luggage then saying ‘trés cher’, all of which translates to ‘Air France will charge me a lot if I carry too much back. This they seemed to all understand. We also stopped at an antique store where they restored Moroccan furniture, etc or took items and changed them into something else, like a beautifl door into a very beautiful table. Looked like a suite in San Simeon. Oh to have too much money…

We cut back through Djemaa el Fna at the end and Sydney was all into the snakes again. That fear is obviously gone.

After a swim and dinner Kim and I retired to the roof patio attached to our suite with a bottle of wine (Beauvallon Beni M’Tir Blanc, a chardonnay made near Meknés) just kicking back and relaxing in the warm evening. After talking for a while I had to remind myself that this warm evening was far from home. An odd feeling.

BTW the blog software is cutting off the right third of the large photos we have been posting…. Looking for a fix….

Saadian Tombs

Saadian Tombs

Saadian Tombs

Saadian Tombs

Decorations at the Bahia Palace

Decorations at the Bahia Palace

Decorations at the Bahia Palace

Decorations at the Bahia Palace

Sydney loved the metal work.

Sydney loved the metal work.

A visit to the Herbalist

A visit to the Herbalist

Need a lamp?

Need a lamp?

Sydney, friend of (most) snakes.

Sydney, friend of (most) snakes.

The Heat is On

Time to move on again. Essaouira is your basic surf town and was fun to explore. Hints of Santa Cruz were around. But it was time to go. even though most of the road to Marrakech was under construction and a bit bone jarring, it was nice because we were forced to slow down thus were able to enjoy the vistas a bit. Finally we made it into Marrakech and its legendary heat. The thermometer was on high today… All the pools that we have swam in so far have been unheated and we have been trying to explain to Sydney why. Today she finally gets it…

We are staying at La Maison Arabe and have easily the largest room of the journey. We are in the Nahrr Suite which is two stories plus has access to a private roof patio that has a bathtub/jacuzzi. The thought of a bathtub outside sent Sydney into stitches. As with the other hotels we have stayed at someone put lots of thought onto this one. The only real ‘problem’ is the internet connection is spotty, something we have had since we arrived in Morocco.

Jamal met us after lunch and a swim and gave us a short tour. We stopped at another woman’s cooperative this time for rugs then we were off to Marrakech’s legendary Djemaa el Fna and it deserves its reputation. Full of food stalls, snake charmers acrobats, monkeys… A melange for almost every sense. Sydney got over her fear of snakes and let one be draped across her. No it was not harmful, what kind of parents do you think we are? We ended up at an overlook watching al the action in the Djemaa el Fn as the sunset. The darker it got, the more crowded it became with both tourists and locals. Our guide lives not too far from here and says he likes to hang out here on his day off, one of the snake charmers is a good friend.

We ended the night back at the hotel relaxing after a long day sipping some Moroccan wine. We have a bottle of Domaine de Sahari Reserve, vin rouge du Maroc from the Atlas mountains. Non-vintage it looks but it was complementary. I will let you know….

Sydney at the Djemaa el Fna

Sydney at the Djemaa el Fna

Djemaa el Fna

Djemaa el Fna

Dancers in Djemaa el Fna

Dancers in Djemaa el Fna

Some local food.

Some local food.

Snakes.... Why did it have to be snakes....

Snakes.... Why did it have to be snakes....