Marrakech, Morocco

T.I.A....

We finally did it, after two cancelled flights that we had to rebook and probably the most extensive planning, we had our long weekend in Morocco. David, Erin, myself, and Rob travelled to Marrakech for the bank holiday weekend for a new and worthwhile experience. Apologies to Jessica, who couldn't make it down for the weekend...we missed you! We got in at around 1am on Thursday night after three flights (you can see the lengths we had to go to get there) and wandered through what looked like a dodgy part of the Medina (old town) to our Riad. The next morning we found out that it was a very key location that paid dividends for the whole trip. Our Riad (Dar El Souk) was quaint and beautiful. Each room was decorated very nicely and there was a small pool for dipping your feet into on the bottom terrace, tables and chairs overlooking the courtyard for each room, and amazing terrace on the roof that we had breakfast on each morning.

When Rob got in from London, we embarked with a guide and explored the souks for the day, as well as visited a Koranic school from the 11th or 12th century where up to 700 students once studied the Koran. It was one of the most unique buildings I have ever seen, beautiful Moorish architecture.

We wandered through the souks all afternoon; they are a labyrinth of hundreds of shops where the locals harrass you to death. I think if they just let you look, you might actually buy something. The souks were unlike anything we have ever seen, little passageways with a new surprise at every corner. Very cool!

Following the school, we had an amazing lunch (€18 for all four of us, fresh olives, bread, meat, hot sauce....very yummy)! We walked around a little more and then parted ways with our guide. While David and Rob went to the Hammam, Erin and I hiked across town to a cute ice cream store. We have the blisters (moreso Erin) to prove the walking that took place. The new part of town was nice, but I would stick to the old town if limited on time.
After getting lost on the way home, we made it to dinner at Cafe Arabe, an amazing Moroccan restaurant in the Medina. The tagines and Moroccan wine were supurb. The desert was excellent as well. After dinner we went to a club outside of town and met some hard working Moroccan women. Drinks were expensive, but the Mojitos were tasty.

The next morning we got up bright and early and went to Essouria, a coastal seaside town about 2.5 hours from Marrakech. The town was very different from Marrakech, with white-washed walls overlooking the sea from a fortified village. It was amazing!

Notice the Octopus in this man's left hand.

For lunch in Essouria, we went near the port to about 25 stands where the fish are still squirming and you get to pick out your favorite one! I think I am allergic to shrimp as the jumbo prawn didn't agree with me, but the 6 lb sea bass winked at me before they put him on the grill. We got back from Essouria and headed to Jamaa El Fna, the Moroccan night market where about 100 vendors sell food for the masses. Stand One by BIG MOMMA definitely serves up the best dish on the square, definitely good eats for about €3 each. The following day, Erin and I spent most of the day wandering around different mosques, ancient buildings, and historic landmarks, enjoying the 90+ degree weather. We got a few goodies from a ceramic vendor (the only merchant in Marrakech who doesn't haggle you, pricing his goods already low) and Erin gave me a personal hammam for my birthday. We enjoyed sunset from our terrace with a bottle of Moroccan wine before heading to dinner at a beautiful restaurant! The trip was terrific, we loved every minute of it and give our first trip to Africa high five!!