If the Sahara Desert was dessert, then Marrakech was the digestif - or multiple digestifs - as we finished our travels with a mix of experiences in this marvellously manic mecca.
A Riad is the accommodation of choice in Morocco so we surfed around to find that perfect one for 2 middle aged men celebrating 25 years and a 50th. We were a little late to the party and many places were already booked as October falls right in the middle of high season. Fortunately, Riad La Terrasse des Oliviers, in the Northwest of the Médina, could accommodate and at check in, we were told to treat it like our home. This was the exact welcome we hoped for. The place was comfy, well-appointed but not-fussy-or-stuffy and we actually COULD feel at home to enjoy an oasis amidst the madness that is Morocco. The c’est-ne-pas-un-probleme staff made us feel like part of the family and we took advantage of our little retreat.
Besides a place to rest your weary head, a Riad can also come alive for dining and entertainment and we found plenty on offer, most taking place on the rooftops of those in the Médina. Our own "home away from home" set the tone with a complimentary arrival dinner of Moroccan salads, homemade traditional bread and a tajine of chicken with olives and preserved lemon. That chicken dish became a favourite and we revisited it time and again. And every morning we lazed around enjoying a beautiful breakfast on the rooftop - it was hard to not just end our trip with a few days of this! But staying home was not enough and the variety of Riads around the Medina was outstanding. We made a date with Dar Cherifa and its beautiful interior, Cafe Arabe for the chilled-out rooftop-bar vibe, Riad Mounceau’s La Pergola for its Wednesday night jazz session, and Le Fondouk which oozed romance and introduced us to now one of our top ten desserts of all time: pistachio creme brûlée with a perfect quenelle of chocolate mousse. Unexpectedly good.
Mixing it up during the day as well, we put Robert’s bartering skills to the test in the criss-crossed streets of the souk, sampled a Hammam to scrub away the day's grime, had a lazy pool day or two in an elaborate garden setting and just got lost in the old town’s maze on our way to nowhere. The streets are a site in themselves with occasional donkey-meets-Vespa traffic jams, old-meets-new attired Marrakechians fighting the traffic, and never ending booth-size shops on either side of you complete with barker-style-salesman or craftsman-at-work.
Of course we made it to a number of tourist sites. This was our last stop before flying home, and we still weren't tired of the travel. There's loads on offer culturally and we took our minds off the upcoming reentry with visits to the Bahia Palace, Jamma El-fna square, the Majorelle Gardens, Musée YSL, and the Saadian Tombs, but gave a miss to many others including the El Badi Palace ruins (mistakenly, as we learned too late that it was influenced by the Alhambra and would have been great to compare to the original). While most of our time was spent in the Médina, a wander into Gueliz (one of the newer sections of town) shows that Marrakech is a tale of two cities: one - a gorgeous relic of the past and another - a modern, everyday global city complete with Starbucks, H&M and Zara. This neighbourhood is also where the Yves Saint Laurent museum and Majorelle Gardens are located - definitely worth a look but get there early as it is a major tourist attraction drawing large crowds. The combined ticket includes the permanent exhibition and screening room of the Musee YSL, entrance to the temporary exhibit - which on our trip was a beautiful tribute to the original Berber women rug weavers, entrance to the gardens and finally entrance to the Berber Museum which presents the history and culture of Morocco’s earliest inhabitants.
It’s an interesting paradox that one of Marrakech’s biggest tourist draws is a place that was restored by Saint Laurent and his life partner in a land where homosexuality is still illegal and punishable with up to 3 years in prison. It was also not lost on us that this was the place where we chose to finish the trip that celebrated our 25 years together as well as our recent marriage. Fortunately, all of our encounters were on the positive side of that paradox and the marhabaan that was often said, was in fact, true.
With all its frenetic energy, this city seems like a travel destination that people will either love or hate. We fell into the love camp. It is definitely manic which can take its toll after a long day out in the 40+ degree streets, and as all tourist spots you have to be aware of the scam. But there is so much beauty in the mix of its everyday realness which is often missing in our white-washed western cities, we couldn't help but swoon a bit. From the first mournfully melodic call to prayer (at about the same time as the first rooster crow), to the white-coat-clad kids setting off to school against the backdrop of street-side shop’s colour explosions, to the smell of tanjia marracheckia wafting from the kitchens (with a hint of motorbike diesel fumes) - manic Marrakech hit on the perfect mix of sensual delights. شكرا Shukran, until we meet again.
Sweeping cobwebs from the edges of my mind Had to get away to see what we could find Hope the days that lie ahead Bring us back to where they've led . . .
from Marrakesh Express by Graham Nash
And . . . in 24 hours, it's all over just like that. We are really back from where we led . . .
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