Having never traveled to the Middle East of Africa before a trip to Marrakech was quite a different experience for this European frequent traveler! It was definitely a unique and interesting culture experience with some true highlights (not to mention the sunshine and gorgeous, warm weather with my new London girlfriends!).

Even upon arrival, you are met by a dry heat and sunshine that is rarely seen in London. It was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit each day we were there! Days 1-2 were mainly focused on poolside relaxation and charting out our adventures for the weekend. In that vein of relaxing, we started off with spa appointments and had a traditional Hammam scrub treatment. This full body exfoliation and mask was such a cool experience, not to mention my skin feeling baby soft as a result.

Our first adventure was to explore the Old Town (Medina) inside the wall of the city. (Note: we hired a private tour guide and driven which I highly recommend). The city wall that now delineates Medina from the rest of Marrakech (the Gueliz) was built in the 1200s and is still standing strong today. The brick wall that spans about 20 kilometers and has 14 entrances. It was a fairly common setup for Arab cities at the time and provided protection much like the castles did for villages in Europe.

Our first stop was the Jardin de Marjoelle. The Majorelle Garden is a two and half acre botanical garden, created by the French Orientalist artist, Jacques Majorelle. Originally created in the 1920s, in the 1950s, Majorelle was forced to sell the house and land. After this, the garden was neglected and fell into disrepair. The garden and villa were rediscovered in the 1980s, by fashion designers, Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé who set about restoring it and saving it – when Yves Saint Laurent died in 2008 his ashes were scattered in the gardens! It is really uniquely beautiful with all sort of desert plants, water feature oasis spots, and brightly colored architecture features.

From there we went directly to the souks, or marketplace shops. Inside the maze of shadowy alleys and passages dotted with pools of sunlight that make up the bazaars of Marrakech is stall after stall of carpets, scarves, kaftans,  spices, antiques, lanterns, pottery and jewelry. It is a bit of sensory overload! Historically, all souks were grouped according to the separate commodities being made and sold, such as the textile souk (see pic), the spices souk, etc. The souks ultimate lead to the main square, Jemaa el Fnaa. This is a hustling and bustling center filled with street food, more souks, snake charmers, street musicians and artists, and tourists, all mixed together (re: sensory overload). At the end of this main square is the Koutoubia Mosque, the largest of the mosques in Morocco.

As we continued to explore the downtown city area on foot, our guide was telling us that all Moroccan neighborhoods have a Hammam bathhouse (not quite as luxurious as our

spa experience 😉) and a Mosque. You can tell which doors are the Mosque doors but the white outline at the top. We also walked through the Jewish Quarter – the Mellah. Although as many as 240,000 Jews lived in Morocco as recently as the 1940s, only around 3,000 remain in the country today. Even with such a small number, you can still find Hebrew writings and synagogues scattered around the Mellah quarter. That evening we had a traditional Moroccan meal – completely with a selections of the 7 morocan salad, lamb and chicken tagine and coucous. The restaurant (where David Beckham also celebrate his 40^th birthday) had belly dancers and other types of traditional performances as we ate!

The next morning, we were up bright and early to explore the Atlas Mountains and Berber Villages, about an hour outside of Marakech. Again, we hired a private tourguide and driver. The Berbers are a people group that are indigenous to North Africa for over 3000 years! They have their own language, culture and ethinicity. During our excursion we walked through the village of Imlil and saw many others across the valleys and peaks of the Atlas Mountains. On the way we stopped at a small shop where local women hand-make the famous Moroccan argan oils. we were welcomed with traditional mint tea as the women showed us the process of creating the Argan oils for both cooking and cosmetic purposes. It is a plant oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree that is uniquely endemic to Morocco. It is used for many cosmetic purposes, to strengthen hair and promote anti-aging qualities in skin. It is infused with different scents for soaps, scrubs and oils.

As we continued along, we finally arrived at the starting point for our hike into the mountains. The Atlas Mountains boast the second highest peak in all of Africa (behind Kilimanjaro) and it really is quite odd to look up to see a snow-capped mountain in the middle of such a dry, arid region!

Our hike through the tiny villages and mountain side was absolutely stunning – filled with cherry trees, babbling brooks and some stunning views. We also stopped on the way at a traditional Berber carpet outpost. Berber carpets are all hand-woven by the Berber and come in traditional and modern designs, distinguished by different knotting patterns, dyes and fabric textures. They were stunning and I definitely would have bought one if I could have figured out a way to carry it back to London!! We ended our hike at the beautiful Ouzoud waterfalls. Ouzoud is the collective name for several tall waterfalls that empty into the El-Abid River. Ouzoud means “the act of grinding grain” in the berber language. The hike down the hill and drive back to Marrakech was a beautiful as the way up. This day trip was probably my favorite part of the trip.

Morocco is an absolutely stunning country that is clearly investing in their tourism industry. It is so colorful and vibrant, the food is hearty and rich and the weather is phenomenal. Definitely a different type of trip than to a European or American city, but well worth experiencing!

-MAL

Hotel:

• Savoy Le Grand Hotel – Perfectly nice but if I went back would stay at one of the following:
  • The Four Seasons Marrakech
  • La Mamounia
  • Royal Mansour

Restaurants:

• Comptoir Darna
• Four Seasons Restaurant and Bar
• Sofitel Restaurant and Bar
• Savoy Le Grand Poolside Restaurant

Sites:

• Majorelle Gardens
• The Marrakech Souk/Market Square
• Driving Tour of Downtown Marrakech
• Atlas Mountains and Berber Villages – Day Excursion
• Traditional Hammam Spa/Scrub Treatment

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