We started the day with a lecture on Moroccan History by a young Amazir woman (Amazir is the preferred word for Berber). She took us through the dynasties, invasions, colonizations and ultimately independence. After our history lesson we headed to the Majorelle Gardens, originated by the artist it is named after, and later purchased and improved upon by Yves Saint Laurent, the clothes designer. My first good suit was an Yves Saint Laurent purchased several years after college graduation, a special place in my wardrobe education. The garden was pleasant and full of plants from all over the world. Next to the garden was a small Berber museum, and a store full of Yves Saint Laurent fashions and fragrances.
A short drive away is the famous Medina of Marrakech. We were guided through the unending labyrinth of narrow alleys lined with souks (shops) by our local guide, “Bushta”, who somehow, and quite miraculously, led us into, and out of the Medina. The crush of activity was exciting but we were warned that this was only an introductory walk-through … no shopping … no haggling. The Medina is a beehive of both work shops and vendors, often one-in-the-same. Abuzz with foot traffic, loud haggling, motorbikes and the occasional donkey and cart. In other words, this place was perfect.
An open place amongst the souks
Fruit, nut, and spice vendors everywhere
A well organized souk
One of the alleys
Donkey is not for the tourist, just a good way to move goods through the labyrinth
A metal working shop
Now for vendors, originally a hotel for caravans, including their camels
We returned later that evening to the Medina, specifically the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square. This place can only be seen to be understood. A place where the chaos is a symphony, the cobras with their snake charmers are ballet performers, the aromas are a feast, and the negotiations over price a competitive sport played at olympic levels. Like nowhere in the United States, like nowhere in Europe, you have to go to the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square to get the vive. While walking through the square a monkey did grab my arm. That was pretty cool, better than having a cobra grab me, and I did enjoy some calamari from one of the vendors. We finished our winding way through the chaos at a teahouse overlooking the square where we could watch both a beautiful sunset over the snowy High Atlas Mountains and the absolute anarchy on the square below.
Rams heads
Snakes waiting to be charmed
Oldest mineret in Marrakech
Jemma el-Fnaa Square
Jemma el-Fnaa Square
Snowy High Atlas Mountains
Then we ended our evening with a very Moroccan Dinner, at a very fine restaurant. Judy and Kim, the tour bosses, have done a wonderful job. This was a very good day in Morocco!
A Moroccan Wine
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