Marvelous Marrakech

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Morocco is really indescribable!!! What a contrast - leaving sophisticated, western European Venice to arrive in the exotic, colorful, ancient city of Marrakech by being lead through a dark maze of cobblestoned alleyways to my hotel.

Although I felt completely safe in Marrakech and the main Medina Square (a World Heritage site) on my own, I was glad that I had a locally born person showing me around because he took me straight to the heart of places. There are 45 quarters in Marrakech and each has five things, a bakery, a mosque, a hamman (bathhouse), a nursery school and a fountain, so seeing the sites in three days would have been a real challenge for me. Redouane Adib met me each morning at my hotel and we braved the souks, visited the museums, old Koranic universities such as Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, gardens and mosques, and wandered the back streets that usually are only traveled by locals. We even saw the gate in front of what was Yves St. Laurent's house compound accessible via the beautiful Jardin Majorelle with its exotic plants and beautiful birds and the Islamic Art Museum. Reduane spoke with me about the Muslim faith , the ritual of prayer five times a day and the ablutions that one does preceding prayer. I went shopping at a wonderful antique shop I had learned about from a friend  called Artisanat Dar Essalam which I recommend highly. It is three stories of wonderful art, crafts and furniture. I bought an old Berber door and told them not to ship it until May 25th and it arrived just after I did at the end of May, Perfect timing that did not require any reminders and I am thrilled with the door. I also bought a Berber r from Chateau de Souks and they shipped my rug to me at the designated time without prompting. I was disappointed that La Mamounia was closed for renovations because it is known around the world to be a superb hotel and restaurant and it was suggested that I have a meal there. I guess I will just have to return to add that to my great experiences!!

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For my final exploration, we drove into the lower reaches of the Atlas Mountains to visit a few Berber villages and visit a local home of people known by Redouane. The terrain changed from flat, dusty brown desert-like earth to hilly, then mountainous terrain with verdant green pastures and the Ourika River snaking through the valley. Women were washing clothes in the river and  men were filling bags with sand for construction efforts going on elsewhere. Redouane has a few Berber relatives there and he also appreciates good food. We went to a restaurant/inn in the Ourika Valley called Auberge Ramulchat (sp?) with a spectacular view of the snow-capped range and a terrific menu. Fresh trout from the Atlas Mountains was one of the highlights.

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I highly recommend a visit to Marrakech for anyone with a love of life and an appreciation of great food. The men are gorgeous and the street scene is full of energy and commerce. The people are open and gracious and respectful and the merchants and vendors enjoy the ritual of offering you a drink of mint tea and haggling over prices.  It is expected so if you don't accept the tea or negotiate, they will wonder what is wrong with you and will feel robbed of the fun of the game. The woman who served breakfast at the hotel noticed that I wanted to see the name of the cd that was playing. Since it was all in Arabic, she offered to go and buy me a copy!!! How nice is that???? I felt totally comfortable day and night in the Medina square, exploring on my own as a single woman, so I encourage other solo travelers to visit this wonderful city and experience its many sectors.

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Sights= in the main square, snake charmers, acrobats, story tellers, tarot readers, musicians, food stalls, people selling wares of all shapes and sizes, and lots of kaftans. In the souks, a crush of humanity and colors that would blow your mind. There are sections for jewelry, wooden goods, blacksmithing metal gates, etc, fabrics, shoes, house wares, the dying of cotton and wool....you name it and they have it.

Sounds= live flute, cymbal and drum music, motor bikes, Arabic music from music stalls and in restaurants, donkeys clopping on cobblestones with bags on their backs carrying everything under the sun (including humans), construction sounds, horns, bike bells, spoken French, Arabic, German, and Berber, calls to prayer five times a day, Aziz (the bellman) answering them in prayer in the hotel, Arabic, French, German and Dutch

Smells= cumin, incense, leather, burning metal in the blacksmith area, tagine food, fresh bread.

Tastes= cumin, fresh orange juice, tagine food, mint tea, spices of all kinds, couscous avec legumes - yes, my three years of French served me well here!!!