Essaouira

The old medina wall of Essaouira
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Essaouira is a great place to relax for a bit. It's a very scenic fishing village on the Atlantic coast which was apparently used for the filming of Orson Welles' Othello.

We're staying in an impressive riad here which is really good fun. The riads tend to be hidden away down quite dirty narrow alleys and then when you step through the front door you suddenly find luxurious tiled courtyards and seating areas etc. 

Relaxing on the coast

Essaouira port
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We're spending most of our time here just wandering along the beach and eating fresh seafood at the port. As all the fish are brought in, they can be cooked for you very cheaply on some grill stands, so that's making a nice change from the usual Moroccan fare. It's all very pleasant and it's nice to be somewhere properly warm for a bit, although the blustery breeze does seem to be blasting a bit of sand around the place. We also had our first encounter on the beach here with some camels, although it turned out these were of the tourist variety as we were offered camel rides several times.  

Vicky enjoying some atay (mint tea)
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Off to Marrakech tomorrow for three nights before we set off for our trek in the Sahara where we should see some real camels!