The circus of Djemma el Fna

High Quality TP on our painted table at Hotel Medina
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Our first 48 hours in Marrakech felt like a week based on the abundance of sights, smells, and sounds. True it is quite dirty, and many of the smells are from sewage or rot, but the vibrant and delightfully exotic colors and scents counter the ugliness.  Open sewage, donkeys, and the close quarters and narrow alleys can feel overwhelming until you catch the wafting smells of wood fires, cooking from the Djemma el Fna, the cedar wood shavings from the carpenter shops, and wonderful aromas from the spice stalls in the souks.

Erin and the Koutoubia Minaret
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Another early observation was the feeling that you had just stepped into a Star Wars movie. Though the films were shot in other parts of North Africa, there are some definite similarities to be found in Morocco.  The traditional dress for men and women is the djelleba, a pointy hooded full length robe. Men typically dress in somber colors of grey, tan, or brown (which closely resembles the robes of the sand people on Tatouine), while the women wear every shade of the rainbow, making a beautiful procession of colors throughout the streets.

Michael at the Koutoubia Mosque
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Some might consider it a bother that people always ask you to look in their stall or restaurant, but they do it politely and with a little humor: "I'm the Jamie Oliver of Morocco!" "We have air conditioning" [referring to a seat near the edge of the square so more likely to have a breeze]. "You're going the wrong way!" [oh really, well tell me where you think I'm going?]. I made the mistake of shaking a stall owner's outstretched hand, and he kept me passive prisoner until I heard his entire menu in Arabic, French, and English.

Erin in the courtyard at the Dar Si Said Museum
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We found an inexpensive place to stay (about 12 dollars a night), it was centrally located and very nicely decorated with mosaic-like painting on the ceilings, walls, desks, and chairs. There exists a roof top sleeping area for the really thrifty, where about 10 people can fit on mats under a canvas tent. Open windows and rooms facing the open courtyard means you hear the call to prayer, as well as the snake charmers, musicians, braying donkeys, drummers, motor scooters, and cart pullers (Ballack Ballack is the warning when a cart is about to run you over and you need to jump to the side!) from the alleys and Djemma el Fna. Looking out from our roof top terrace, you see a thousand shades of pink and brown from the other buildings, towers, and land.

Michael checks out the fruit trees
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As best as we could tell, the town squares around most of the country, that once had snake charmers, story tellers, dancers and musicians, have forbidden these traditions, except in the Djemma el Fna in Marrakech. It is still the beating heart of Marrakech and is crowded every night of the week with locals and tourists alike. As a city, the old town of Marrakech, called the Medina, was a very enjoyable place for walking and getting lost in the winding streets and the souks, despite the hawkers.

Dried fruit and fresh orange juice vendors in Djemma el Fna
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We quickly assessed that we would be doing some serious shopping while in Morocco, and decided to put it off until the end of our stay so that we could get an idea of what quality was out there and what price range. Really, there are stalls that sell nothing but the same kind of slipper (babouche), just varying the size, color, and quality. We made a visit to the Emsemble Artisenal, a co-op and checked out the selection and prices, where there is little to no haggling on the prices, just to act as a bench mark for future shopping. On our way we stopped for a photo op at the Koutoubia Mosque, the landmark of Marrakech. We also visited the Dar Si Said Museum of Moroccan Arts, and were quite underwhelmed by the crafts on display. The building that housed the museum was cooling in the heat, giving insight into the reasons for certain aspects of the Moorish architectural characteristics, such as few outer windows, shady courtyards, thick mason walls... The actual museum paled by comparison to the similar themed one in Fes: the Belghazi Museum.

Food stalls of Djemma el Fna (we ate at this one)
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The next sight seeing we did was to visit the Badi Palace, ancient and falling apart and yet quite interesting, even though you had to use your imagination to envision the grandeur. It is also a favorite roosting ground for storks, seen all along the palace walls. Especially exciting were the underground passages, which seem like they might collapse at any day. While Moroccan archeological sites might lack government funding and support, they do not lack in history. We also ventured through the Kasbah on our way to visit the palace gardens which are only open 2 days a week (they were closed when we went due to a royal visit).  We almost passed out from the heat while walking back, and decided it was time to get out of the city and head for the hills.