Marrakesh

Last year hubby James battled heroically with Cancer.
Thankfully in September he got to remission, something
which we had all hoped and prayed for!
It certainly changed both of our outlooks on life and the
motto Carpe Diem rings very true for us.
We celebrated our own Carpe Diem day on 1st January
this year (exactly one year after diagnoses) and raised a
glass to life!
The ordeal of the last year had exhausted us all, emotionally
and physically, particularly James of course. At the end of
the year, a much appreciated and generous gift came in
the form of a trip to Marrakesh.



Our beloved Africa (Will tell you more in future postings)
was a short plane journey away and we were tickled to
think we were heading there for a long weekend of
African sunshine!
Children safely delivered to my parents. We had a whole
four days of 'us' time. The main aim was to relax!! No chance!
We tend to be budget travellers and usually 'rough it'.
However, our hotel in Marrakesh was incredibly luxurious.
A suite no less!



It was the MOST amazingly beautiful building (inside)
and was reached by battered taxi and a hair raising drive
through the streets. The cool interior of Dar Doukkala was
refreshing. Mosaic tiles, carved doorways, a little ornate
bird cage hung in the courtyard, a fountain tinkling with
water, filling the air with highly perfumed flower petals.
We had the place to ourselves (not another tourist in sight)
and we were beginning to feel guilty....
was all this really just for us?
There were so many rooms in our suite-we were totally
spoilt; a reading room, a lounge, a breakfast room, a room
with a fireplace, a huge personal terrace, a balcony, a
swimming pool and bathroom with the most amazing shaped
bath. Ornate carved ceilings and more places for two people
to sit and relax than one could imagine. And what's more,
after stepping out of the rooms and onto a huge personal
terrace overlooking the pool, downstairs you have the choice
of more and more stunning rooms to lounge in.
Now wait for it.....the hammam. Now we are talking!
Oh my goodness, what a place, steam steam and more steam.
Wow!

However...us being us, we were up and away....off exploring...
no time to waste. Out into the streets and following our
noses to see where they took us.



Venturing out into the dusty souks was an unforgettable
experience. Noisy cart wheels and shouting mingled with
the sound of clattering pans. Chickens hung by their
scraggy necks in dingy shop fronts and little hot tagines
(tajines) were steaming with lunchtime food. The blare
of horns was constant as scooters perilously raced through
the streets. The riders, amazingly always negotiated
the gaps between pedestrians and donkeys down
the narrow alleyways.



My mission, initially, was to locate the spice quarter.
So we made our way through the dusty streets
to Rahba Kedima- The Spice Square; the air heavy with
wood smoke and spice. We discovered spice stalls
down every side street and in numerous tiny kiosk sized
shops. Old, fat oil drums, brim full of colour, sat side
by side at the front of the shops. Inside, shelves were
piled high with glass jars of coloured powders and sealed
with tiny cork lids.



There were mixed spices of cardamon, cumin, and cinnamon,
the beautiful shapes of star anise and root ginger and the
vibrant colours of saffron, paprika and turmeric.
Spices and herbs were laid out in the African sun, piled high
in small pillars and spilling out of rough sacks onto the dust.



One fantastic morning was spent in the village of Tnine-
L’Ourika, 21 miles South out of Marrakesh on the Ourika
Road. We hired an old, slow taxi for the day.
We were then free to wander and soak in the more remote
side of market life. Here, the heads of slaughtered animals
lay in the streets, blood washing down the road in
rivulets. The villagers sat aimlessly in the shade, amidst
their produce eating spiced meats and flat breads. The
whole village was bereft of tourists and more noticeably,
of women.
The produce was sold by the locals straight off the back of
the donkeys who were conveniently ‘parked’ in the shade
of the nearby trees.
There were rows of little restaurants where one could
choose to eat dried fish on skewers, peppered
with flies, a goat's head from a neatly arranged pile
or intestine from the globby mounds of unidentifiable type
of offal....
I wasn't hungry all of a sudden!
Laid out in rows on white table cloths were little chipped
enamel tea pots, filled with piping hot, fresh mint tea.
Delightful!



On the way back to the city, we visited the saffron farm at
Jardin bio-aromatique de L'ourika.
The girls giggled embarrassingly upon our arrival and flirted
(with their occasionally raised eyes) ....with James.
They plucked the stems from each purple crocus flower.
Laborious work. 140 flowers are needed to produce 1g of
saffron!!



After a fantastic lunch of Lamb tagine and Cous Cous,
followed by thick yoghurt drizzled with honey in adorable
hand painted pots, we ventured back into Marrakesh.
The old city which nestles inside the dusky pink walls is
known as the Medina. Here lies numerous different districts
or Souks.
Each Souk offered us a different experience of sounds and
colours.



There were dark and narrow shops selling leather shoes –
the Souk des Babouches. Each kiosk was a myriad of
coloured and highly patterned 'pointy-toed' shoes, laid out
like a pick and mix counter in a sweet shop. There were
souks for metal workers, wood turners and jewellers....
so many people, so many talents.

.

The Souk des Teinturiers was a fascinating little section of
dyers and their beautiful silks. The men here rushed towards
us, eager to demonstrate the process of dyeing, hungry at
the prospect of a scarf being purchased from their shop.
But just stopping to look skywards to admire the vivid
freshly dyed fabrics against the blue was enough of a treat
for us. In the Souk Sebbaghine, natural wool was piled in
dingy corners, pale and colourless. Yet high above, suspended
like spiders' webs between each alley way were hanks of
dyed wool drying in the sun. We were lucky enough to climb
above the walls to see the washing lines of fabric hanging
alongside the ugly satellite dishes and brick chimneys.
Today was a yellow and blue day. Tomorrow would be
different colours.



Peering into the little alcoves we could see the workers
covered in dye. Their arms plunged in and out of giant
cauldrons of colour. Glass jars were displayed on shelves
outside the shops. A riot of natural vivid colours,
rich cobalt blue, bright red from the poppy flower,
iridescent green of crushed beetles and the soft
pink of crushed sea shells.



After journeying on foot to the Potter's Souk to buy my
clay tagine, for a mere 50p, we finally headed for the
Jemaa el Fna, the central square. As the sun was setting,
the square was waking up. There was noise, colour and
bustle eveywhere.
There were vendors selling freshly squeezed orange juice
and dried fruit from their wooden carts. Water
sellers paced up and down the square, clad in bright red
wool coats adorned with bells and feathers. They poured
water for customers from silver jugs which hung from their
waists. Fortune tellers, snake charmers, drummers and
story tellers provided the entertainment.

There were numerous smoky little kitchens, with waiters

running out into the crowds whistling and beckoning people

onto their patch. Their tables were overflowing with

colourful arrangements of meats and salads, snails and goats heads.

The restaurants nestled side by side, fighting with each other

for elbow room. Soaking up the noises and smells of the warm

evening, we ate our calamari, skewered chicken, thick,

sticky cake and drank exhilarating ginger tea . What a

perfect end to our potted tour of Marrakesh.

We will be back!



Buttons and Buckles
(Useful bits and bobs of information that you may need to

help plan your trip to Marrakesh).

Moroccan recipes
Mediterranean cous cous salad
Cinnamon Pancakes
Mint tea
Nigella Lawson's Moroccan Lamb
Jamie Oliver's Moroccan Lamb Stew
Moroccan Grilled Chicken
Moroccan Meatballs
Moroccan braised rabbit
Cinnamon, orange and honey yoghurt
Moroccan baby carrot salad


Sites and blogs
My Marrakesh
Travel bites
Nordljus
Wine writer
Ciezeldai
Food on the brain
Shikishi
Marrakesh Exanthi
Moroccan design
Mr and Mrs Smith
Travel Marrakech
Here or there
Rough guides

Books
A selection of Travel books
DK guide
Every man Map Guide
Lonely planet
Michelin map
A Year in Marrakesh-Peter Mayle
Moroccan Cuisine
Moroccan style
Mosaic project book
Cafe Moroco
Book of spices
Tagine

Films
The kite runner
Hideous Kinky
Our man in Marrakesh
Fury in Marrakesh


Happy travelling! Happy eating!