Blogs from Marrakech, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, Morocco, Africa - page 15

Lotty's version of events; I am falling for Marrakesh and its idiosyncrasies a little more every day! Once you begin to expect the unexpected you appreciate the complete assault on the senses and utter disregard of the rules is just a fact of life here! Today we visited the Medina... initially with a guide and then we braved it on our own and came out unscathed and not eaten by snakes! Our guide showed us round the intricate maze of souks and riads that make up the Medina. Explaining the history of the city from its 11th century Berber roots when the defensive Medina walls were constructed to protect from land pirates to its 20th century French occupation. We visited the old government palace, Ali Ben Youssef medersa an old coranic school and the museum of ... read more

The name Marrakech originates from the Amazigh (Berber) words mur (n) akush, which means "Land of God." It is the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat, and lies near the foothills of the snow capped Atlas Mountains and a few hours away from the foot of the Sahara Desert. Its location and contrasting landscape has made it an enviable destination in Morocco. The city is divided into two distinct parts: the Medina, the historical city, and the new European modern district called Gueliz or Ville Nouvelle. The Medina is full of intertwining narrow passageways and local shops full of character. In contrast, Gueliz plays host to modern restaurants, fast food chains and big brand stores. There is much to see and do in Marrakech. An entire day can be dedicated to wandering around ... read more

Well, we saw all sorts of interesting things today. And of course we were silly tourists and went out at 11am... so basically just in time for when it’s 10000000000 degrees out. And by that, I mean 48 degrees. Oh, it’s hot. It’s so hot you don’t even realize it’s hot. We walked up to the Mosque (which you’re not allowed in, but good reference point!) and then into the main square and all the stalls/souks. Holy, that was something. The main square is interesting... everyone comes up to you wanting to take a photo with you for money. Some are dressed up in costumes or native dress, some have monkeys (and like serious monkeys, no tiny wimpy monkeys here haha) and then there are the snake charmers. Oh the snake charmers. One of them came ... read more

(I didn’t want to pay for internet yesterday and I used up my old card from Manchester, so here’s our last day of London mixed with our arrival in Morocco. Oh my goodness!) Yesterday was our “let’s hop all across London” day! We made good use of our day pass on the Tube. It was also a great day of nerdom. So much nerdom. Mostly on my part. First we headed up to King’s Cross to be Harry Potter nerds – we found Platform 9¾ which only had a few kiddos around, so it was easy to take pictures and be wizards for 5 minutes :). From there we went up to this cute little tea shop that was in one of the guides are hostel gave us – Em said the tea was really good, ... read more

“I believe that Marrakech ought to be earned as a destination. The journey is the preparation for the experience. Reaching it too fast derides it, makes it a little less easy to understand.” ― Tahir Shah, In Arabian Nights Marrakech. Just the name solicits a rush, a place I have longed to see for as long as I can remember. Bright colours, crowded squares, snake charmers, street food. I was keen to rush in to it, immerse myself in the whole experience. But of course you can't leave the scene of all those movies without a bit of drama first. Flash back to Ait Ben Haddou and 8am in the morning. Vanessa sits on the wall, peacefully taking in the view, as the small town with its tourist stalls and street vendors starts to slowly come ... read more