Saturday (Marrakech)…

The rain again timed itself perfectly for sleeping. We slept soundly and awoke (again) to clear skies. Another beautiful day in Morocco. And of course another hearty breakfast at the riad.


There aren’t many “sights” in Marrakech like you might find in other destination cities…this is more of a walking/experience kind of city. And it has experience and atmosphere and over the top energy in spades. But today, we anchored our walking with five of the “must-see” sights for any visitor.


Began with the Bahia Palace, with a long tree-filled entry garden followed by the palace itself. Bus-loads of tour groups being led around…mostly French with the occasional Brit. The tour of the palace runs through a series of large inner courtyards with rooms off of each one. No furniture, carpets, or decorations…no signs of life…which leaves you to admire the tile work, the wood and plaster carvings, and the jewels of this building: the ceilings. Truly magnificent wooden ceilings…painted with intricate and delicate detail.


Walking off the beaten path, a rambunctious child leapt up and grabbed Jeff’s arm. Just for a moment. More mischievous than criminal in intent, but disconcerting nonetheless. No sooner had Jeff brushed him off, than a woman swung her purse at the child with a harsh “NO!”. Justice is swift in this it-takes-a-village society.


Next up, an eary royal palace…now basically towering stone walls and an expansive interior consisting of walkways and former sunken floors. We were confronted upon entering by an aggressive man asking to be our guide. When we told him politely but firmly “no” he brusquely told us “Don’t follow me!” to which Jeff replied “What is your problem?”. A terrace along one of the walls provided panoramic views of this edge of the medina. Crane-like birds with huge nests perched on the palace walls.


Nearby, the recently re-discovered Saalidin tombs. Ornately carved interior spaces with marble grave-tops. Grave makers ran lengthwise with the bodies.


Now we made a cross-medina trek, through the main square and through the souks to the Photography museum. Small and difficult to find, but with a pleasant interior space. Black and white photos of Morocco from the early days of photography. Scenes of souks and gateways. Beautiful portraits capturing Moroccan diversity. Beautiful sunny terrace with views of the heart of the medina.


Got wildly confused afterwards. The “helpers” in the medina can sense confusion and nervousness and they pounce: “That way is closed.” “The square is this way.” It’s just a game of confuse-the-tourist, and its hard not to get angry. You cannot stop and look at a map. But we persevered and found our way back to the riad.


Then back out to visit one last site…the Jardin Majorelle. Off in the New City, about 15 min walking from the hotel. This is the grounds of the former Marrakech home of Yves Saint Laurent. Small gardens with odd pairing of plants: spiny succulents next to towering bamboo next to delicate flowering vines. House and flower pots were painted in primary shades of neon blue and yellow and orange.


Back to the riad for a well-deserved beer on the terrace. Two short but relaxing massages. And then a wonderful dinner of beef tangina (a local dish to Marrakech) and couscous. Yum!


Time to pack quickly. Up early tomorrow to fly to Madrid.