As soon as we arrived in Marrakech in the early afternoon on Sunday, March 22, we had to barter to get a taxi (nice work, Molly!). We finally arrived at our Riad after trying to navigate our way through the tiny streets filled with market vendors. It was hectic...but we finally found our way to this cute little place. Here's a picture of the doors to our room (looking down from the terrace):
View from the terrace...
Here's the terrace:
Then, out and about in the medina. So many stalls and the shop keepers were extremely persistent about trying to get us to just "look" in their shops - they were sure they had something we needed to buy.
Here's a mosque in the medina square with a carpet stall next door...
And, here's where we decided to eat lunch on our first day. We shared a couple different traditional moroccan dishes - yum, it was so delicious! also, nice to sit on the balcony overlooking the medina square.
Another busy street in Marrakech.
The Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech...
It was interesting to hear the call to prayer throughout the day...
Yum, the fruit in Marrakech was delicious! Here are some fruit stands - they would make fresh squeezed orange or grapefruit juice right on the spot. Delicious oranges in Morocco!
Contrasts, the colors, the light games seem go out of one of the pictures of Jacques Majorelle. It was one of the more important collectors of plants of his era, and this is in this spirit than enlarges itself from day to day the flore of the garden. Plants of the five continents are exposed in an enchanting framework. This that was the workshop of Jacques Majorelle, inspiration place and of contemplation, shelters today the magnificent art collection Islamic of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent. The originality of these places lies in the combination of a luxurious végétation and architectural elements allying sobriété and traditional aesthetic Moroccan. The power of the blue Majorelle participates in the freshness impression and of quiétude."
Molly and Grace posing for a picture...
My shoes matched the gardens - so I had to take a picture!
After walking back to our Riad, we had a quick rest and then went to eat at one of the stalls. The cooks were entertaining and we discovered this delicious drink - Hawaii, which we continued to drink throughout our stay.
Later in the afternoon, we walked to the Jardin Majorelle Gardens. This was such a peaceful place, we stayed here for hours (you can tell by how many pictures I've taken). The information below is directly from the website (http://www.jardinmajorelle.com/en/) about the history of the gardens.
"Jacques Majorelle is born in 1886 in Nancy (France). In 1919 he settled in Marrakech to continue his career of painter, where he acquires a ground which was going to become the Majorelle garden. Since 1947 he opens his garden's doors to the public. Following a car accident, he returns to france, where he dies in 1962. in 1980 Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent repurchase the garden and restore it.
Contrasts, the colors, the light games seem go out of one of the pictures of Jacques Majorelle. It was one of the more important collectors of plants of his era, and this is in this spirit than enlarges itself from day to day the flore of the garden. Plants of the five continents are exposed in an enchanting framework. This that was the workshop of Jacques Majorelle, inspiration place and of contemplation, shelters today the magnificent art collection Islamic of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent. The originality of these places lies in the combination of a luxurious végétation and architectural elements allying sobriété and traditional aesthetic Moroccan. The power of the blue Majorelle participates in the freshness impression and of quiétude."
Molly and Grace posing for a picture...
My shoes matched the gardens - so I had to take a picture!
After walking back to our Riad, we had a quick rest and then went to eat at one of the stalls. The cooks were entertaining and we discovered this delicious drink - Hawaii, which we continued to drink throughout our stay.
When we returned to our Riad, there was a minor water "explosion" - water was dumping out of the pipes and we could smell gas. We quickly gathered our belongings and left with the other group of travelers that were also staying in the Riad. After a discussion (and the Riad's unwillingness to recognize the strong smell of gas), we decided to contact our booking agency. So, at 10:30pm, we waited in the medina to be picked up and taken to another Riad. We ended up at this new place:
Here's our breakfast table:
...the hallway in front of our room...
the courtyard...
...and where we usually ate breakfast...
Here's the ceiling of the room pictured above...
Here's our breakfast table:
...the hallway in front of our room...
the courtyard...
...and where we usually ate breakfast...
Here's the ceiling of the room pictured above...
On Monday, eating breakfast before our hike in Imlil...
Well, I spent two days and one night in Imlil, but Molly and Grace went on the hike and then went back to Marrakech Monday afternoon. Next, I'll show you Imlil's charm (it was my favorite part of the trip!)...but, I think I'm going to wait to post that tomorrow. It's nearly morning and I need to get some sleep! See you tomorrow!
Love Nat
