I knew that I would be quite taken with Marrakech. But, I wasn’t expecting to be so put under a spell of awe. Our second evening there, Shane felt it too. There’s something about this place you can’t quite put your finger on, but after dinner as we were walking back to the Riad, Shane got it — it’s that this city is so contradictory. Nowhere else does Islam and European cultures merge this way.
So, now I’ll describe to you how we did this…
When planning this trip, it was my secret heart’s desire that we would go to Morocco. After all, here in Spain, we’re practically there! But after looking into it, it would require an expensive ferry ride and an overnight train—one that is not included in our rail pass. Going to Rabat or Tangier wouldn’t be too hard… but my desire was for Marrakech. I had read so much about Jemaa el Fna and the souks, and I found it impossible to miss out on that! My dream came true when I discovered flying from Madrid on certain days was about $150 round trip. We snatched that up and started planning!
My printmaking teacher at Texas Tech, Stacy Elko, lived in Morocco for more than 10 years. She told me a great place to stay in Marrakech, but sadly it was booked for the days we got our plane tickets. Online, we stumbled upon Riad Khabia with a picture of a room with a canopy over the bed. My eyes lit up, and Shane booked it right away. It was a little expensive for us, considering this whole trip is on a tight budget, but, it was cheaper than any hotels we’ve seen here in Europe. More than a hostel, less than a hotel.
Courtyard at Riad Khabia
Now, a Riad is traditionally a nobleman’s house. It’s spacious, has many rooms, usually a courtyard in the center, and many of them in Marrakech have now become little bed and breakfasts. We were beyond pleasantly surprised. It was beautiful enough to be a small palace. There was an indoor pool, a terrace, music playing all day, and incense burning… and we hadn’t even gotten to our room yet! Julien and his mother Dany are the owners, and they welcomed us in with tea and immediately sat us down to tell us about Marrakech and what we should see and do there. He gave us a map and started marking on it right away what restaurants were good and cheap, where to shop for specific items, and which palaces and gardens to see. Then, after getting settled into our room, he took us on a tour to point out all the things he marked on the map and to make sure we knew how to get around and get back to the room.
Our room!
Let me say, everything he told us to see and do, we did (as much as we could in 2 days!) and we were thrilled—every recommendation he made was spot on! So, if ever you want to visit Marrakech, I highly recommend Riad Khabia. Julien and Dany moved here from France, and they also lived in the US for 15 years, so they speak fluent English. Every morning they had breakfast for us in the courtyard, and they would recommend things to do that day, caution us on what we should pay for items in the souks, and just talk about life! Although I did a lot of online reading about Marrakech, we would have been totally lost without their guidance. We didn’t have to suffer through any bad experiences to get the good experiences. It was just all good. We kinda feel like they’re our friends now 
So, the first night as I said, Julien showed us our room (after he stepped out I started jumping around in glee, it was so beautiful!) and then took us out on a tour. I’m surprised I even heard what he was saying, because my eyes were so busy seeing all the bustle around me. Since it is so hot during the day, the city really comes alive at night and it’s not uncommon for the square to be bustling with activity until 2am. This was my first time in an Islamic country, but the prayer calls (5 times a day) didn’t take us by surprise at all. It was just part of the din of the city! Also, Marrakech is pretty liberal. There were women dressed to both extremes, so, although I was cautious about what I wore, I didn’t have to be.
Julien left us at Jemaa el Fna square after we asked him for a dinner recommendation. He took us right to the spot and bid us goodnight. As usual, he was spot on about a good, cheap place to eat. Tajine is the signature dish—a kind of vegetable and meat stew—and it’s delicious! We wandered around the square some more before heading back. It’s like the square is a living organism, and the constant drumming of the musicians, it’s heartbeat. At night, there are many musicians playing, storytellers, henna ladies, shamans (medicine men), people selling pigeons and turtles (??), not to mention a ton of food and orange juice vendors. The orange juice is awesome—fresh squeezed, and about 30 cents a cup!
Bahia Palace
The next morning we saw Bahia Palace, which has been restored to its original splendor. This is what I had imagined the Alhambra would look like—this was what I’d been waiting to see. The architectural details, the tile designs, the courtyards with fountains, everything white and deep blue… it was beautiful, and only a dollar to get in! The day was off to a fabulous start.
Bahia Palace
We went back to the square to begin our journey in the souks, but before we started shopping, we were lured by snake charmers and monkey handlers. It’s pretty cool seeing a cobra that close, so we stopped to take some photos and sure enough—Julien warned us this might happen—they threw a snake over Shane’s shoulders! Wow! Thankfully they are de-fanged or whatever, so they can’t hurt you. But the monkeys looked vicious, so we stayed away from them.
Since it was Friday, the souks were not very crowded and the sellers were a little more laid back. Something about Friday being the main day to go to Mosque. So, all the pictures we took of the souks do NOT convey the craziness that they should. When we went back on Saturday, we couldn’t even take photos because it was so crowded, and everyone is always trying to get your attention. All the sellers speak at least 4 languages—usually English and Spanish in addition to Arabic and French (the official languages). So as you walk by, they try to get you to turn your head by yelling out “Bonjour! Hola! Hello! Hey! HEY! Lady! English? Espanol? HEY! Just look! Just for looking!”
Relatively quiet in the souks
Carving stuff with his feet
The picture says it all
There is no rhyme or reason to the souks. You WILL get lost, and that’s the only way to do it. I had read online that when you’re ready to leave the souks, just have a compass with you and go south. Julien said the best deals are the deepest in, so we immediately headed straight for the north and got as lost as we possibly could!
Soooo many lanterns
We were able to get everything my little heart yearned for—lanterns, an antique Berber carpet, shoes, tshirts, a chess board for Shane, cactus silk pillowcases—all for incredibly good deals. Also souvenirs for the fam! You really have to bargain, because sometimes they start out at 5-10 times the price you should pay. Many times we had to start walking away before they agreed to our price. Many times they ended up selling us something we didn’t even want to begin with! They are that good! One conversation between Shane and a shop owner went like this:
Shane: Okay, I know the routine. You say a price, I say a price, and then we go back and forth until we arrive someplace in the middle.
Him: Yes, it’s like a game!
Shane: Yes, and it’s a very tiring game. Don’t you ever get tired of it?
Him (taking a sip of his tea): No.
Me getting some henna
Everyone wanted to know where Shane was from. They all said, “You have a familiar face!” After he would tell them his dad was from Iran, they would ooh and aah and say Iranians were great people and ask what his name was. They all loved Shane! Many times they offered us mint tea—incredible! Julien showed us how they make it, but, in the states it would be expensive to make it this way. They stuff a teapot full of fresh mint leaves, some green tea, some sugar, boiling water, and just let it steep. It must be cheap for them, because even in 105F weather, they drink it all day.
Olives!
Another super cheap thing there is olives. They had tons of groves in the city, and in the square you can get a bowl of olives for 50 cents. They looked just like the kind you see in fancy grocery stores that you want to buy but can’t spend that kind of money on. They were extremely delicious, and I ate a ton!
A lantern inside the restaurant. We bought one similar, I hope it looks this good!
So one day at the souks completely wore us out. The heat and the bargaining is physically exhausting! We went for a swim in the riad and then went out for dinner. Dany had made us reservations at the Tangier, where there is a belly dancing show during dinner. Even more amazing were the dancers with trays of lit candles on their heads!
Shane and the fire dancing lady!
During dinner we saw some kids running on the rooftops—awesome! Shane wanted to join them!
The next morning we visited the Majorelle gardens. The land belonged to the French painter Jacques Majorelle, and later was owned by Yves Saint Laurent. It was here in the gardens, not in Paris, that he chose to be buried. It was a beautiful garden with cactus and palm trees, and the brightest blue buildings you ever saw!
Majorelle Gardens
Burial place of Yves Saint Laurent
It was back to the souk after that, to finish up our shopping. Once again the heat defeated us, and we had to take a siesta in the Riad. Okay, maybe the heat didn’t force us, we just secretly want to live there!
We hadn’t been eating lunch because we were so busy, plus it’s just too hot to eat anything. But there were still two places we wanted to try. I wanted to eat at Earth Café, a vegetarian restaurant that Julien highly recommended, and Shane wanted to eat from the food vendors in the square. So at Earth Café, every ingredient is from their farm outside the city, grown organically. I ordered spring rolls with pumpkin, spinach and cheese, so I honestly wasn’t expecting much. Let me tell you, I was very surprised. They were out of this world! Shane took one bite and said, “How do they cook these vegetables SO perfectly?” We devoured it. I think it might have been bleu cheese that gave it such a surprising flavor. If I knew how to prepare vegetables like that, being a vegetarian would be so easy!
Earth Cafe
Back to the square where the food vendors were in full swing. They are not there during the day, only after the sun sets. I wish we could have seen them set up their booths, because it’s more like full-scale restaurants. I can’t believe they set up and tear down like that every day. Shane got kebabs, Moroccan salad (which kinda tastes like Pico de Gallo), and olives!
Food vendors in Jemaa el Fna square
You can have snails for dinner too
Koutoubia mosque
Me with some musicians
Singing/being silly for the camera
The National Festival of the Arts opened that night at Badi Palace, which is an old palace in ruins. The performances that night were mainly representations of the music and dances of different Berber tribes. It was very impressive, and the palace and stage were lit so beautifully!
Badi Palace
The whole cast at the end of the performance
Overall we decided that Marrakech is not a place you come to see things, like you go to Rome to see the Coliseum. It’s a place to experience. We desperately wished to stay there longer and did try to change our flight, but it turned out to be too expensive to do that. We concluded we will just have to come back. Of all the places we’ve been, here we felt inspired to tell stories, to make movies. We wished we had at least a week to spend here to relax, to people-watch, mainly to get lost.
When we come back, we want to go to the desert. There is a tour group who takes you out for 2 nights in the Sahara—just “Wind, Sand and Stars”! How awesome would that be? Anyone care to join us?
