Blogs from Marrakech, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, Morocco, Africa - page 16

After only a 3.5 hour flight we landed at the medium sized airport just outside the city and waited for our Riad to come and collect us. After a rather longer than expected wait and a few nervous phone calls the prearranged taxi eventually arrived and we made out way on to the manic streets. As soon as you exit the terminal you get a brilliant view of the snow capped Atlas Mountains in the distance! After a short walk around the narrow medieval streets we found a friendly stall and a bite to eat and headed back to the room for a quick freshen up and a nap (we had to get up at 3:30am for the fight afterall!) The taxi was the typical arabic style: very old, noisy, curtained windows and lots of nic ... read more

Not hot or spicy, not bland or boring. Diverse, wholesome and scrumptious. Simple but beautifully presented. Mainly of French influence. Delicately flavoured with cinnamon, cumin, saffron or mild curry. Memories of Moroccan food:- OLIVES - served with every meal. Adored and platefuls consumed by Jamie and Natarsha; however just “salty little things” to me. MINT TEA - at first wary, but then loved by myself if it wasn’t made too sweet. Always refreshing and always available. The hallmark of Moroccan hospitality, it was always served from a fancy teapot and poured as high above the glass as was possible. ALCOHOL – or lack thereof. The drinking of alcohol is mostly frowned upon in Morocco, especially within the Medina’s. Beer and wine, rarely spirits, can sometimes be found in some restaurants frequented by westerners, if you asked ... read more

A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it. (John Steinbeck) I take a deep breath. The road beckons us on. The sensible thing to do is to retrace our steps back to the highway, but what the hell, is there any fun in sensible. The mountains are calling. The road less travelled. Cliché overload. Every bend has a photo, a child, a donkey, a shepherd, a river, a valley, some washing, a mud wall, an almond tree, an olive tree. Ever rising we climb up to the snowy mountain top. A small girl peeps at us under her long black hair with her big brown eyes. How can we pass her by? The locals are somewhat camera shy, especially the ladies, but with some good old fashioned ... read more

Rond kwart over acht verschenen wij op de binnenplaats voor het ontbijt. Verder was er nog niemand te bekennen, maar de tafels stonden al gedekt. Al snel kregen we pannenkoeken, stokbrood, jam, boter en verse jus d’orange. Het was een strakblauwe lucht, voor zover dat kan met alle smog, maar nog wel fris. ’s Nachts is het rond het vriespunt en overdag een graad of 18 à 20. Je merkt wel dat je hier in Marokko een stuk zuidelijker zit, want de zon prikt erg, ook al is het niet zo heel warm. De meeste bezienswaardigheden van Marrakech liggen op niet meer dan 15 minuten van de riad, dus alles is makkelijk te belopen. Na het ontbijt zijn we naar het Bahia Paleis gelopen. Dit paleis dateert uit de 19e eeuw en diende als woning van ... read more

Never has a square been more inappropriately named. It's not even a square. Djemaa el-Fna translates roughly as 'Assembly of the Dead' but this place is larger than life, organised bedlam, the beating heart of Marrakesh. On the square, the action starts early and winds up to a night-time theatre spectacle with a cast of thousands. Also known simply as 'La Place,' Djemaa el-Fna was laid out as a parade ground by the Amoravids in front of their royal fortress. When the succeeding Almohad's built a new palace to the south, the open ground passed to the public and became what it is today - a place for gathering, eating, trading, entertainment. The name refers to it's former role as a venue for executions, when severed heads were pickled and put on spikes for public display. ... read more