- Marrakech, Morocco — starting of the Morocco segment of our 2026 adventure
- Essaouira, Morocco
- Ourika Valley and the Atlas Mountains, Morocco
- Errachidia and the Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp
- Fes, Morocco
- Volubilis and Meknes, Morocco
- Chefchaouen, Morocco
- Tangier, Morocco
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Rabat, Morocco
Getting to Marrakech from the Canary Islands should be easy — it’s not. While less than 60 miles away from Morocco, we had to fly back to Madrid and then on to Marrakech. That’s when we got our first surprise — vans from the airport can’t enter the Medina (old city). Instead, we got dropped off at one of the city gates and had to schlep our stuff through the Kasbah, the oldest part of the city, where our hotel was. I should mention that we are staying in a Riad (essentially an old home converted to a hotel). The Kasbah is, more or less, a rabbit warren with twists and turns in every direction (city planning wasn’t high on the agenda when the city was founded in the 11th century by the Berbers). Anyway, with the help of a local who was wearing a CIA ball cap, we finally found our hotel and settled in. From that time, the Riad Dar Karma became our home away from home — friendly staff, great accommodations, and even a hammam (which we took advantage of).
The Medina grew significantly over the years, but has been bounded by 11 miles of walls that encompass the city, pierced by 10 gates (known as babs). They were generally locked at night to protect the city. Some are quite plain and others, like the Bab Agnaou, were royal entrances. We spent the next two days wandering around the Medina and immediate environs (the first day on our own and the second with a guide). The first thing we noticed walking around was how friendly people are here. Everyone greets each other and there is a lot of laughing and hugging going on. The second is that things are for sale everywhere, whether in the more formal souks (markets) that have both focused (e.g., leather, spices) wares or general that sell pretty much everything. Beyond the souks, there are impromptu stalls everywhere. Having said that, the auxiliary police are quick to shoo off vendors that aren’t licensed; the same goes for “tourist guides.” But make no mistake, there is a network of relationships between the shopkeepers. We even had one shopkeeper have us informally “guided” to another shop, but we had to stay well behind the man so as not to raise the suspicion of the auxiliary police. We spent the day wandering some of the local neighborhoods, avoiding the historical sites since we would be seeing them with the guide. I was thankful for Apple Maps, especially when wandering through the souks as it is incredibly easy to get lost there. We also enjoyed our first tagine (a stew of meat (or fish) cooked in a shallow earthenware dish with a conical lid) that is normally served with couscous. Ours was rabbit with raisins and carmelized onions, perfectly spiced. Yum! After a long walking day, we went back to enjoy the hotel’s hammam, essentially a steam bath where we were soaked with hot water, scrubbed with mitts using a special soap/salt mixture and then massaged. Not a bad way to end the day!
We spent the next day with our guide, Abdel, a young man recently finishing his Masters in English Lit. He provided us a good history of the city, starting with the Berbers and the rise of Arab influence as they expanded into Northern Africa from present day Saudi Arabia. The uptick in the arts, architecture, and science was both rapid and dramatic. With the expansion into Andalucia and what is modern-day Spain, the cross-pollination was even more dramatic. A lot of the results of all of this interchange was evidenced in the Bahia Palace. The palace has an irregular layout comprising around 150 rooms organized around multiple internal courtyards and gardens. Apparently, the somewhat haphazard layout was due to the periodic upgrades over the years. The palace is most notable for its decoration, particularly its painted cedar wood doors and ceilings, along with its elaborately sculpted stucco (using Andalusian artists) and the amazing tile work. From there we went to the Koutoubia Mosque, the largest in Marrakech. It’s actually the second mosque built there with the base of the earlier mosque still next door. The architecture of the more than 250 foot minaret was quite unique at the time and inspired other buildings around Morocco and Andalucia. I asked our guide about the unique shape of Arabic entry gates and he said that they related to horses (either horseshoes or the shape of a horse looking from the rear) because of their importance in the geographic spread of Islam. From there, we made our way through the Jemaa el-Fnaa, one of the biggest and most famous squares in Northern Africa. During the day, it is crowded with merchants and a myriad of performers, including snake charmers (no thanks). While we haven’t gone at night, it’s apparently where the locals hang out to watch a variety of live performances. But we were on our way to the souks where we spent too many hours learning about the various crafts/trades, dickering, and buying. We finished the day, leaving the Medina, to visit the Majorelle Gardens, once the home of the landscape painter Jacques Majorelle. After his death, designer Yves Saint Laurent bought and restored the property, which features the Museum of Islamic Art, which is housed in a dark blue building. The garden itself has a large collection of plants from five continents including cacti, palms and bamboo. Visiting this area also gave us a view of the New Marrakech, thoroughly modern and attractive where many of the people who live in the Medina live. While staying in Marrakech, tomorrow we are off to visit the seaside city of Essaouira.
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
