In Marrakech

This spring break we went to Morocco. We took a red eye out of JFK straight to Madrid and from there hopped onto another plane for a quick flight into Marrakech. 

A bit tired but so excited!! The riad (hotel) had sent someone to pick us up. To explain first a little about the layout of the city, within the main city they have an older part of the city called a medina. It is a walled area and within it is a labyrinth of tiny narrow streets and alleys. No cars can enter but a crazy amount of motorcycles vroom through it so you have to be careful. In the medina there are no hotels instead there are a multitude of riad's (a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden or courtyard.) And I have got to tell you a riad is definitely the way to go..

Our driver stopped near one of the medina entrances and our porter was waiting for us

H enjoying a ride with the luggage. We walked through the narrow streets for a few minutes before we arrived at Riad Ghali and Spa and our jaws collectively dropped!

We arrived in Marrakech around noon and were famished.. we were welcomed with their famous mint tea (not a fan). We quickly dropped off our luggage and headed out, map in hand. 

We had lunch at Le Grand Balcon du Cafe Glacier near Jemaa el Fna (Large public square with small merchants, hawkers & entertainers, popular with tourists & locals.) The chicken skewers were a little cold but the couscous was flavorful and it was a great spot to people watch.

The rest of the day we spent wandering around trying to get a little acquainted with the area. 

Kutubiyya Mosque in the background

When we were too tired from walking we took a horse drawn carriage ride. Note: everything is a negotiation. When you start haggling always start at 50% less the asking price. Feel free to walk away more often than not you will be called back. The conversion rate for USD was pretty good so it made shopping a lot more fun and we are not shoppers but here, we shopped!

It was a pretty tiring day with all the travel and not much rest so we had an early dinner at Cafes des Epices. The kefta and eggs tajine was very good. It became the boys favorite and they ate it about three more times after that. 

The next morning we woke up refreshed, seriously I couldn't remember the last time I slept that well. We began the morning with a complimentary breakfast. Not a fan. There were no eggs. An assortment of bread like items with an array of jams. The boys ate nothing and we had to request eggs for the next day. The coffee was burnt, tasted like wet wood ? and the mint tea may have a soothing quality but nothing to perk you up. 

Oh the wonderful winding streets.. a surprise at every corner. We grabbed a small pizza for an early snack to eat in a beautiful sunny courtyard. The madrassah ben Yousef was closed for refurbishing. So we just continued to wander.. we saw craftsmen dying leather, chiseling wood, contorting metal. 

We stopped again to buying some chicken on skewers and then a bag of strawberries to munch on while walking and mm freshly squeezed orange juice. 

Towards the late afternoon we found ourselves back in Jemaa el Fna. Here we hopped into a rickshaw to take us to the El Badii Palace. 

We then headed to the nearby Mellah area once home to the city's Jewish population.

starting to tire from all the walking and with a big day ahead of us tomorrow we headed back to the Jemaa el Fna and sat down for an early dinner at Chez Ben Driss. 

M tried the pastilla, a sweet savory chicken or even sometimes pigeon stuffed pastry. Not a fan. It was covered is powdered sugar and cinnamon. Before we went to Morocco people online raved about the food. We were tired of it by the end of day two. Culturally we love our heat.. if it doesn't have a little spicy to it then it just doesn't do it for us.

Speaking of reviews and travel advice online.. I had been warned against the scam artists and the leering men. Having spent a great deal of my life in Pakistan it wasn't something I was too concerned about.. but having been to Marrakech I can say I found the people wonderful and helpful. I had read not to accept directions from anyone because they will want something in return. I was hesitant every time someone tried to help us. Yet every time someone did they wanted nothing in return (mind you Fes was a whole different story) But a WARNING... there were merchants that would hand something to your child and then ask you to pay for it.. everyone knows how hard it would be to now pry said thing out of your child hands. Thankfully D and H learned quickly to ball that hands into fist and just say no. It was so hard for H.. but he did it. :) As for the leering and crude comments as long as you dress appropriately there should be no issues. 

Next week we are off to the mountains 

     

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