High Atlas Mountains & Kasbah Tamadot

Saturday was our last day in Morocco. We spent it traveling through the area south of Marrakech. We visited a Berber outdoor market that happens each Saturday.

We had lunch at Sir Richard Branson's property Kasbah Tamadot in the Atlas Mountains.

We took a leisurely drive back to Marrakech.

Our last dinner in Morocco was Riad Kniza which our friends Lance and Sabine recommended. It was an excellent meal and a fitting end to our trip. Here is Steph wearing her new suede jacket she had made at a leather store here.

On Sunday we start the long voyage home. We leave the hotel at 4am and fly from Marrakech to Casablanca, then on to Barcelona, London, then Los Angeles and the drive home. It has been a great visit to Morocco but we'll be glad to get home and see the cats.

Marrakech - Horse Carriage and Food Tour

Friday morning, our second day in Marrakech, we took a horse carriage tour of the city.

After the horse ride we visited the Menara Gardens.

The "gardens" were mostly concrete walkways lined with olive trees. It was nice to take a walk but there was nothing to see.

We visited the Medina (shopping district) again as Steph finds it endlessly fascinating and managed to find a scarf, a purse, and a painting to buy.

In the afternoon we went on a food tour of the Medina with a local chef. We tasted many foods including olives and snails.

Then we went to a spice shop and bought some saffron which is being carefully weighed in this picture.

Our food guide is Chef Tarik pictured here with his assistant (the chef is the one next to me).

Steph says:
Marrakech has changed dramatically in 20 years. The streets, even in the Medina, are spotless and the bathrooms are all updated and clean. No more squatting over a porcelain hole.

It is still colorful and noisy and the women are mostly dressed in Hijabs or have scarves wrapped around their heads. No one wears skirts or dresses or anything sleeveless. Even very young women all wear pants and long sleeved shirts. Many men wear hooded robes and you see many donkeys in the streets being used to carry produce.

But, there are four lane streets and stop lights. The traffic moves smoothly unlike India where it is completely chaotic.

We went back to the Medina and visited two shop where I bought a scarf and a Berber purse. Asiz also led us to a shop filled with antiques and rugs. The walls were lined with photos of famous movie stars like Julia Roberts. Asiz told us that he once had lunch with John Boehner and a group of Republicans.

Last night, we had drinks at The Mamounia Hotel which has been spectacularly renovated. It still looks like a Moroccan Movie set. I had a twinge of regret that we didn't stay there.

We toured the Medina with a young chef and his friend and finished with dinner on the roof top terrace at the restaurant where the chef works. He joined us wearing his chef's uniform and hat.

We sampled sweets, dried fruits, spices and various freshly picked herbs. They gave me a bouquet of two types of mint, cardamom and absinthe which I promptly tasted. They were delicious!

The Medina was alive with snake charmers and water sellers. The Cobras do keep their necks and heads erect so they appear to be watching you.

One of the chefs worked on an Oceania cruise ship until he got injured so he is on medical leave. He was on the same ship we took from Singapore to Hong Kong several years ago.

Dinner consisted of several types of salad, chicken pastille (our favorite - it is encased in Filo dough and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar), lamb and chicken tangines and lamb tangina which is lamb that has been slow cooked for seven hours. Dessert was fresh orange slices topped with cinnamon and sugar - delicious!

Saturday we are headed to the Stlas Mountains and a visit to Richard Branson's resort for lunch. We're going to stop in a Berber Village on the way.

Marrakech - Museums and Medina

Thursday was our first full day in Marrakech. We started the morning visiting the Museum of Photography.

Then we visited the Bahia Palace.

We visited the Majorelle Garden, originally designed in 1924 by French artist Jacques Majorelle and was owned by famous couture designer Yves Saint Laurent.

For lunch we went to the Amal Association which is an organization that helps women learn skills for restaurant work.

Then we walked around the medina and shopped. Steph bought some slippers and a rug for David.

Arrival in Marrakech

Steph says:
We arrived in Marrakech on Wednesday after a pleasant drive from Fes. We stopped for lunch at a Moroccan restaurant where we ate a tangine of fried egg and beef. There were several cats who enjoyed sharing it with us as we ate outside.

Our Riad, the Villa des Orangers, is lovely. We are sitting on our private terrace overlooking the city and drinking champagne as I write this.

We stopped at a leather store when we got to Marrakech because I commented that I would be interested in buying a very lightweight, thin suede jacket. Asiz took us to a fantastic store where I found one that would cost ten times as much in the States. It is gorgeous suede-like butter, and they are tailoring it to fit. It will be ready Thursday afternoon. We looked at leather in Buenos Aires and there is no comparison!

We had dinner at the Riad Wednesday night. The hotel is located a few blocks from the square. As usual, it is virtually hidden. All you can  see is an unmarked wooden door. Inside, it is an oasis replete with a spa.

The square is as I remembered it but Marrakesh has undergone a total transformation since I was last here nearly 30 years ago. Unlike Fes where we saw no tourists, there are hordes of them here watching the snake and monkey charmers. Many outdoor dining areas were being set up for the evening as we wandered through. Lamb heads and brains were on display. We are taking a tour with a noted chef Friday night and will eat at one of these places. A full report to follow!

Meknes & Ifran

Tuesday we left Fes on a day trip to the surrounding area. We first visited Meknes where we saw the Royal Stables, which were built to accommodate some 12,000 horses.

Here is the Bab Mansour gateway - considered one of the finest of the great gates of Morocco.

Then we drove into the Atlas mountains to the small village of Ifrane. We stopped at the Hotel Michliffen for lunch and walked around.

On the way back to Fes we circled this lovely lake.

Returning to Fes we visited the Blue Gate, the Bab Bou Jeloud.

Here is a picture of the lobby of our hotel as seen from the balcony in front of our room.

Steph says:
The day was a bit disappointing. We were in the car most of the day and we saw very little that was interesting. And the meals were the least interesting of the trip so far.

We drove for over an hour to the Hotel Michliffen  which was touted as having a fantastic spa. After touring the spa which was indeed over the top (like a Roman Emperor's fantasy replete with private rooms with massive jacuzzis and couples spa treatment tables), we were told that it was completely booked up.

Fortunately, I was able to have a fantastic massage at the spa at out hotel after returning because my calf muscles were killing me after the five hour hike over cobblestones in the Medina yesterday.

We are off to Marrakech now and will discuss the plan with the guide on the seven hour drive there. Our expectations are both high and hopeful!

Medina of Fes

Monday morning our guide took us through the old part of Fes. Fes el Bali (Medina of Fes) is the oldest walled part of Fes founded as the capital of the Idrisid dynasty between 789 and 808 AD. With a total population of 156,000, is believed to be the biggest car-free urban area in the world.

We walked through narrow passages with markets, stores, and homes.

Note the camel head hanging below the picture of camels. We haven't been offered camel head yet in any restaurant.

We went shopping for a rug for the downstairs family room. We found this very colorful rug we are looking forward to livening up the downstairs. We highly recommend this rug establishment in Fes - Mansour Mustapha at Palais Quaraouiyine.

Steph says:
Today we had a bodyguard who has also protected Mick Jagger! He joined us when we started our tour of the Medina this morning. He was introduced to us as a local guide which was puzzling because he didn't lead us at all. He merely followed behind us as Asiz led the way. Asiz didn't tell us his true function until we were having lunch.

Apparently he is known and recognized locally so everyone keeps their distance. I asked if he had a gun and he said no. When we were in Egypt in 2009 we had an armed guard on the bus who was carrying an Uzi which is why I wondered.

Asiz told us that he had once served as a tour guide for Julia Roberts in Marrakech and although she was unrecognizable, her bodyguards led everyone to notice her. Our guard was very discreet apart from his white sunglasses and brown velvet suit.

We walked from one end of Fes to the other. When we saw the distance from a lookout point above the city later, it was far - I estimate at least five miles.

Our rug buying was a success. I successfully negotiated a greatly reduced price. When the manager asked if I was a Berber, I said that it's in my blood. I learned from previous trips to Turkey and Morocco that the prices are very fluid. We looked at many different types of rugs until we saw one at the very end that spoke to us. As Asiz said: this one was a whole story while the others were chapters. Tribal  rugs all tell stories because they were used as a nonverbal form of communication among illiterate tribal members.

After lunch we visited a tile/mosaic place. Dwight pointed out that we can buy mosaic tables in Mexico and/or Pier One. We did buy a platter, a bowl, and a small plate. They are dishwasher and microwave safe, a big selling point for us, and not very expensive.

Tomorrow we are going to a Hamman for a bath and massage and to Meknes and another town nearby. More later...

Rabat, Volubilis, and Fes

Sunday was our first full day in Morocco having arrived in Rabat the night before. Our guide picked us up at 10am to visit Rabat’s most famous site - the 12th-century Hassan Tower, an excellent example of the Mauresque style, located alongside the mausoleum dedicated to Mohamed V, the founder of modern Morocco and grandfather of the current king.

Then we walked through the remains of the ancient city of Sala, also known as Chella.

We left Rabat and headed to our next stop in Fes. On the way we visited Volubilis home to the largest and most well preserved Roman ruins in Morocco. With its Triumphal Arches, Basilicas and Capitols, the Volubilis skyline is peppered with examples of Roman architecture.  However, the greatest treasures of Volubilis are the superb mosaic floors, which have been excellently preserved.

Then on to Fes to stay at the Riad Fes. Originally built in the 1930’s as the residence of the noble Fassi family, it is an authentic example of traditional Moroccan-Andalucian architecture. Our room feels authentically Moroccan.

We had dinner at Palais Faraj recommended to us by our good friends Lance and Sabine.

Steph says:

After visiting a mosque in Rabat we drove from Rabat to Fes stopping for an unremarkable lunch (a fresh seafood salad, pate and fruit.) We visited the famed Roman  Ruins at Volubilis. The ruins consist primarily of many stone outlines of houses with mosaic floors. The floors are interesting but overall, despite the reviews, I thought the ruins were unremarkable especially after seeing Pompeii and Ephesus, We had a good hour walk with a local guide though and I am glad we saw them. 

Our Riad in Rabat is located at the end of a series of twisting narrow alleys in a medina. There are no markings or landmarks and without our guide to lead us, we would never find it even having walked back and forth there twice. I remarked last night that it's hidden that we didn't decide to go for a walk before dinner!

The Riad Fes is spectacular. It looks like a movie set. Every surface is covered with gorgeous tiles and mosaics and there are beautiful rugs covering the floors. Our room is located on a balcony overlooking a three story courtyard. It has elaborately designed windows with wooden doors that close over them. The ceilings in our room are twenty feet high.

We have a large narrow suite with a separate dressing room on one end and a bathroom with a glass door on the other. 

We will be here for three nights. Today we are going to walk through the medinas. Asiz said there is a great rug shop here so that will be interesting. We asked him to join us for dinner last night at a place recommended by our friends Sabine and Lance. The tangines and the pigeon pastille were fantastic. The restaurant which is also located in a Riad has a view overlooking the medina although it was dark.

We learned that Asiz lived in Paris for ten years and worked for Amman Hotels and the Mamounna Hotel in Marrakech. He frequently quotes famous poets and authors and is very philosophical; a most interesting man! He has never been married and has no children.