Blogs from Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz, Morocco, Africa - page 3

We settled into a routine most mornings and caught the shuttle bus into the city. The first day in the city was a bit of a culture shock, but we knew now to avoid any contacts with the touts who waited near the bus stop at Freedom Square. Avoid eye contact and look purposeful. It was a steady walk up towards the main mosque and the huge Jemaa El Fnaa Square. The Hotel de Ville or Town Hall is on your left. We always booked the return at 12:30, which gave us enough time and allowed us to return before the suns rays caused the temperature to climb. In the earlier hours, there were much less people on the street and thus less hassle. The locals and indeed many tourists, were wrapped up in a variety ... read more

2nd Feb 2020 Marrakesh We've had a great morning with city guide Mustafa and visited Bahia palace, the Jewish quarter, the mosques, before meeting up with Hamid and Aissa and heading to the Musèe Berbère Jardin Majorelle, and then to the Carrefore for a bottle of wine.....well two bottles of wine and a bottle of whisky.Nice quiet dinner down the road and a bottle of wine on the rooftop terrace at the hotel is a nice way to round off the day. I daresay the other bottle will end up there tomorrow night. 3rd Feb 2020 Marrakesh A free day on our own today so we headed back to the Jewish quarter for a better look, and then we took off down another road which turned out to lead to the tanneries and as we're heading ... read more

31.01.20 Imlil-Essaouira Arrived in Essaouira mid afternoon yesterday. We were lucky enough to score an ocean view room at Riad Mimouna. The 180 degree views are spectacular from our corner room! A wander around the medina for the rest of the afternoon found us outside a barber shop and Shane has decided to have his beard clipped. When I arrived back at the barbershop, I looked in the window and Shane is still sitting there while the barber gives him a blow dry! Yes, he has a brush in one hand and the hair dryer in the other and he's happily going about his business. I am laughing out loud in the street and Shane spots me out of the corner of his eye and begins to laugh as well. Where is the camera when I ... read more

Three days in Marrakesch. The blog has been all over the place, I know. Tangier to Algeciras made sure of that. I'm doubling back to Marrakesch because it wasn't given full cover, apart from our lovely riad..... Our guest mansion (Riad Tizwa) was perfectly located. Selecting accommodation online isn’t the easiest thing to do, there are so many options available all glowingly described. It takes plenty fact-checking plus imagining what the facts could translate to in reality. I looked for a place where we could walk at will to some of the city’s major attractions, getting there without taxis or transport, free to move when and where we wanted. Tizwa was that. The #1 attraction in Marrakesch is the thousand year old Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site. madīnah al-qadīmah "the old city" lies within high ... read more

Breakfast for one today. Lee is not terrific and decided to stay in bed. Without sounding too heartless breakfast was still very good. I could just about live on the fresh juices and mint drinks here. Apart from that cucumber concoction I mentioned yesterday I have not tasted one that is t delightful. Even now I’m by the retreat pool sipping a lime/lemon/mint and soda drink that is very refreshing and most welcome. At Jemaa el-Fna I had one of the mixed fruit drinks that are spruiked everywhere and again it was delicious, quite filling but very nice. Despite thinking I could live on juice I still managed muesli, yogurt (very good here), fruit, cheese, smoked salmon and a couple of pastries. Thinking that was enough to fortify me for the market I set out for ... read more