Day 1: Casablanca back to Marrakech
Our family arrived from California and we were so excited to see them! We spent time with them earlier in our trip in the Bay Area and are so grateful they were able to join us during our travels. We picked them up at the Casablanca airport and brought them to Marrakech where we are staying in a Riad. They were troopers after a 14-hour flight and another 2.5 hour drive to Marrakech. They even managed to stay awake for much of the day! We checked into our Marrakech riad which is located in the Medina so we are just steps away from shopping carts, restaurants with terraces and food stalls. It’s perfect for us for the next few days!
Day 2: The Secret Garden and Djama al Fna
We had a very chill morning then decided to venture out of our riad into the Medina. We shared our first Moroccan meal of tagine, couscous and lentil soup and mint tea. We wondered through the market and our senses were overwhelmed with the sights, colors, smells and tastes around us. We stopped by a stall with artist painting with saffron, tea and indigo. He would use these as watercolors and then once he was done painting, he would heat the paper using a propane tank and fire and the faint image would emerge darker! He explained that they use to send secret messages this way.
Then we were drawn to a nearby stall selling wood products. We were mesmerized by a talented carpenter who was carving chess pieces using his feet! With one foot he would steady a carving knife and with the other he anchored a spool-like pulley and rope that he would pull with his hand. His precision and speed was incredible! He carved a necklace for the kids within a minute or 2 and was generous showing us his skills and wood carving products.
We spent the afternoon shopping in the stalls and honing our haggling skills, an important part of reaching a fair price in the medina! Spices, clothing, bags, paintings, pomegranates, meat, bread, sweets, even turtles were up for sale!
In the afternoon, we made it to the Secret Garden, a palace and garden complex that dates back 400 years to the Saadian dynasty and was restored in the 19th century. It has been home to many political figures and sultans serving as an impressive riad for families. It has a rectangular layout, high windowless walls, and peaceful courtyard, that surrounds a private hammam for traditional Moroccan baths, a beautiful gazebo, and a tower with amazing views of Marrakech, and a spring in the center, symbolizing the Islamic symbol of life and God’s presence. The garden is divided into an exotic garden and Islamic garden with the layout offering a sacred, peaceful place for reflection.
We loved strolling through the garden, stopping at the ponds and other temporary exhibits on display, one of which by Taha Sabhi, and Iraqui artist, that we really enjoyed.
We finished up the day but reaching the Djamaa el-Fna, the large city square and market that has it all – food, music, treasures, snakes! We stopped at dried fruit stands and smoothie stands and tried different treats. We decided to try out the street food stalls and had dinner of lentil soup, couscous, eggplant, spinach and the traditional round bread. It was a memorable experience with waiters running through the tables, smoke rising from the outdoor kitchens, music playing from a drum circle nearby and cats roaming under the tables! We had a full day and loved every minute of it!
Day 3: Jardin Majorelle, YSL Museum, the Berber Museum, and Agafay desert
We had an earlier start today and ventured over the Jardin Majorelle Garden complex that includes the Yves Saint Laurent fashion museum and Berber museum. We bought the combined ticket that gave us entry into all 3 sites. The Jardin Majorelle was first established in 1931 by painter Jacque Majorelle, but fell into disrepair after his death in 1962. In 1980 Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, who had become enamored with Marrakech and were living in the city for years already, acquired the site and restored it. We loved walking through the garden lined by walkways of exotic plants and Majorelle blue décor and planters.
The Berber museum located in the old painting studio of Jacque Majorelle, showcases the artistic talents of the Berbers, the oldest people in North Africa. It houses over 600 objects collected from the community from the Rif mountains to the Sahara desert.
We also skipped over to the Yves Saint Laurent museum highlighting his development as a designer and the influence of Moroccan culture and vibrancy of colors had on his artistic creations. We really enjoyed seeing is sketches of his designs and the collection of his garments which rotates every 6 months!
After some lunch and rest at the riad it was time to meet our tour to the Agafay Desert which lies 1.5 hours south of Marrakech. This is a great alternative for visitors who don’t have the time to make the 10-12 hour drive out to the Sahara. We boarded our tour van and left the city limits of Marrakech and went out into the barren rocky desert which extends over several hundred acres. We reached there just before sunset and were immediately introduced to our camels! We did about a 20-minute ride which was really fun! We then took in the sunset and entered our site for dinner.
We had veggie tagine and bread by candleight under the stars. We could see the milky way galaxy, Jupiter and mars! We then sat around the fire and listened to the rhythmic tunes of our hosts singing Berber music to a guitar and drum. The kids loved it! We topped it off with some mint tea and then it was time to head back to the city.
Day 4, 5: Imlil Berber Family Lodge
We wanted to learn more about the Berber culture so booked a night at the Berber Family Lodge in the Atlas Mountains that is owned and run by a Berber family who has lived in this area for multiple generations. We drove the 1.5 hours out to the town of Imlil where we stopped for lunch at a restaurant with the most amazing view of the Atlas mountains. We had pizza, harissa soup, fresh orange juice, spaghetti.
Then we made our way to the Berber Family Lodge in the nearby remote village of Aguersioual in the Atlas Mountains (populations 250!). We parked as close as we could to the lodge and then hiked the 150 meter staircase to the lodge with our bags. We walked into the lodge and were awestruck by the view of Toubkal mountain, the highest mountain in North Africa in the distance. The kids were immediately inspired to start journaling and sketching while looking out at the snow capped mountains!
The owner of the lodge, Mohammed Idahli shared that he has lived here with his family and has been guiding hikers in these mountains for over 20 years. The lodge has been his family home since he was a boy in Agarsiwal and he renovated it over 8 years to establish the lodge. He told us that the town’s name means “say something” as it was home to large group of Imams that studied her and wrote poetry. We took a quick hike down the bridge and took in the most amazing fall colors and beautiful river.
We had dinner by candlelight in the lodge of Berber omelet tagine, bread, and then tea and fruit salad for desert. We fell asleep to the darkness of the mountains after some star gazing.
Woke the next mourning and did a quick 1.5 hour hike ot the other side of the mountain. Our friends Patrice and Kevin who were also in the area joined us. Then we took off and made our way to the Essaouira where we’d spend Thanksgiving Day!
Day 6,7 Essarouria – City of Winds
We arrived in Essarouria at night and walked through the center of the market to get to our riad. We were energized by the activity in the market - smaller than those in Fes and Marrakech but definitely more accessible with everything all together lined in rows. We bought falafel sandwiches, olives, hummus, roti and make to the Riad for a street food dinner. We immediately felt the damp coolness of the beach climate.
The next day, we were excited to head to the beach! We reached there and the kids immediately ran into the water only to turn around quickly as it was chilly! The waves of the Atlantic were strong and unpredictable! The kids built multiple sand castles and forts that were quickly washed away by a encroaching waves. At one point, we were all having a conversation when a giant wave overtook our beach chair area and swept everything away – our shoes, socks, snacks and drenched our dry clothing and towels! We laughed so hard as we chased down all of our shoes and bags! We packed everything up and made the long walk through the market back to our riad with whatever dry clothing we could use to cover up. It was hot showers for everyone when we made it back and multiple loads of laundry!
We dried out and cleaned up then headed to our Thanksgiving meal of Thai food that was amazing! We strolled the food stalls and got crepes for desert – a banana and chocolate and an apple cinnamon. We then headed to the local Café de las Ramparts to listen to for Gwana music, traditional music of Morocco played with heavy iron castanets and a 3-string lute known as the hajhuj, a direct ancestor of the banjo. It was amazing watching the group sing, play and dance together and a great end to a very memorable day!
Woke up the next morning and headed back to Casablanca to stay for the night. Our family leaves early the next morning back to the states. We are so grateful to have spent this time with them and we look forward to our next adventure!
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