Laurel, Calla and I arrived in Marrakech Wednesday evening amidst a beautiful sunset in the Atlas Mountains, which outline the city here. After being driven to our riad, we were warmly greeted by the owner Hafida, a Moroccan woman in her 50s. She quickly offered us tea and cookies, which was much appreciated after our long train ride. Sitting with us in the dining room were two other women from Sweden and Canada respectively. They were so nice to talk with and ended up even sharing a part of their dinner with us! The Canadian woman, who is now an expat in Sweden, told us she has a home called ‘Avenly’ which is also listed on Airbnb for potential visitors. I have been blessed to meet so many interesting women this year who make me think, if I’m as cool as they are when I’m older, I’ll be doing okay in life.
Thursday morning we went straight to the highlight of Marrakech: Jemma El-Fnaa. A square of the ancient medina, the best way I can attempt to describe Jemma El-Fnaa is as an all day circus. In the morning the square is full of snake charmers, men with monkeys and women offering to draw henna designs. I think I prefer the atmosphere of the square in the evening: around four pm apparently it begins to change, people come in to set up food stands, and there are storytellers and groups of people playing music who create a lively atmosphere. Hafida recommended a food stand for us to try for dinner there. While it is somewhat of a challenge to order food, the atmosphere of watching the cooks and observing the haggling over food prices is a site to see.
My other favorite site of Marrakech has been the Majorelle Gardens. The gardens were started by a French painter named Jacques Majorelle who came to Marrakech, and then were acquired by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, who added the beautiful color found on pottery and fountains throughout the space. The gardens are a wonderful mix of the chicness I love about France and the vibrant colors of Morocco. After trying on some Yves Saint Laurent perfumes found in the gift shop we simply sat and enjoyed the gardens almost until closing, appreciating the atmosphere of peace and calm.
While Marrakech has a reputation for busyness and aggressive salespeople, we have met many kind people while here. Yesterday we ended up chatting with the man who owned the café we ate lunch at, as we were impressed after hearing him speak four different languages with customers over a course of about a minute. He made sure we knew a good taxi price for our trip to Jardin Majorelle that afternoon, and then even walked out onto the street a little with us to show the way through the souks back to the main plaza. Hafida, the owner of our riad, has also been wonderful. We enjoyed a cooking class with her this afternoon, during which she showed us how to make two different tagines. I think having a Moroccan dinner night in Royan may be necessary!
Thursday morning we went straight to the highlight of Marrakech: Jemma El-Fnaa. A square of the ancient medina, the best way I can attempt to describe Jemma El-Fnaa is as an all day circus. In the morning the square is full of snake charmers, men with monkeys and women offering to draw henna designs. I think I prefer the atmosphere of the square in the evening: around four pm apparently it begins to change, people come in to set up food stands, and there are storytellers and groups of people playing music who create a lively atmosphere. Hafida recommended a food stand for us to try for dinner there. While it is somewhat of a challenge to order food, the atmosphere of watching the cooks and observing the haggling over food prices is a site to see.
My other favorite site of Marrakech has been the Majorelle Gardens. The gardens were started by a French painter named Jacques Majorelle who came to Marrakech, and then were acquired by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, who added the beautiful color found on pottery and fountains throughout the space. The gardens are a wonderful mix of the chicness I love about France and the vibrant colors of Morocco. After trying on some Yves Saint Laurent perfumes found in the gift shop we simply sat and enjoyed the gardens almost until closing, appreciating the atmosphere of peace and calm.
While Marrakech has a reputation for busyness and aggressive salespeople, we have met many kind people while here. Yesterday we ended up chatting with the man who owned the café we ate lunch at, as we were impressed after hearing him speak four different languages with customers over a course of about a minute. He made sure we knew a good taxi price for our trip to Jardin Majorelle that afternoon, and then even walked out onto the street a little with us to show the way through the souks back to the main plaza. Hafida, the owner of our riad, has also been wonderful. We enjoyed a cooking class with her this afternoon, during which she showed us how to make two different tagines. I think having a Moroccan dinner night in Royan may be necessary!