Marrakech Express

 Not exactly the express to arrive here but Marrakesh has been home for the past three nights.  It was a bit of a shocker pulling into the hustle and bustle of the city after the quiet of the mountains.  So what to do in Marrakech.

Clearly the number one activity is visiting Jemaa El Fnaa Square and the Medina.  The square is a cultural site in Marrakech and is also a UNESCO site.There is nothing like a visit to the square and the pictures simply do not do it justice.  It is an overwhelming experience and while it is busy during the day, night time continues to grow to frenzy level - the snake charmers come out, the henna ladies are there in masses, open food tables arrive, the monkeys are there for pictures. Intrepid, our tour company, is very strong about animal well fare and the stories about the treatment of the monkeys and snakes are enough to discourage you from getting near them. As the evening carries on, the noise level increases.

Sheep head

No luck fishing for bottles of pop

This year our tour to the Medina was on a Friday so it was considerably less busy the other years as Friday is an important religious day and the afternoon prayer time is important.  In fact large rugs are brought out and there were men all over the square praying.  During this time, the square and Medina was very quiet with many shops closed.

The Palais de Bahai is famous as it was built by Si Moussa, grand vizier of the sultan in the 19th century as a dowry for his wife. It was intended to be the most magnificent palace as the Arabic name suggests (brilliance).It is a magnificent structure with plaster, cedar and tiles again forming the main elements.  Every ceiling is different.  4 wives and 20+ concubines occupied this place at one time.

To treat ourselves after, it was time for a refreshing orange drink.  Soooooo… delicious.

A visit to Morocco means learning about spices and all the things made from them that a herbalist creates and sells.  Despite my initial resolve NOT to buy this year, of course I did! My first interest was the combination to clear out the sinuses - a natural Vicks.  It is helping but certainly not a magic cure.

A definite highlight was cooking class at Amal non profit.  Amal means hope in Arabic and that is the mission to provide hope for women in difficult situations by teaching them culinary skills.  Since my last visit, they have expanded and are supporting villages in the high Atlas still suffering from the 2023 earthquake and are also supporting the deaf community.

There is currently a cohort group of 16 women in training.  Unfortunately we were unable to meet them but for a good reason - they are all in work placements for 3 months in some of the best hotels and restaurants in Marrakech. As a result we were unable to give them the bags of goodies we had brought but we were promised they would be given to them in May when they graduate.

Cooking class was great -lots of chopping and measuring and the group produced 3 tagines - beef, vegetable and chicken. The tagines were cooked over a bed of hot coals for at least 2 hours. We are now waiting for the recipes to have that Morocco meal at home.  There were others there preparing other tagines and pastillas - everything looked delicious. Lunch was delicious of course.

While the cooking was happening we were given another lesson on tea making - what a process. And yes it does taste much better with a bit of sugar in it and a Moroccan pastry alongside.

Next stop was a visit to the Artisan market.  It is so much nicer shopping here - prices are fixed, no one is in your face and the prices are very reasonable and the quality great.

The final adventure - getting back to the hotel.  Why go for a boring taxi when you can ride in a horse and buggy through the Medina and back to the hotel.  It is interesting seeing the crowded streets from a different angle and you can look at things without hassle.  

The weather was certainly warmer until the morning we left and it was pretty chilly and windy.