We arrived in Marrakech, went through the normal new country routine and were escorted by our airport assistants to the meeting area for new arrivals. There was no driver holding a sign with our name. Our airport assistants scoured the area and kept insisting that we should hook up with one of the riads that were there. Or we should get a taxi to our riad. Finally Hassan, our driver for the week, showed up and our Morocco adventure was underway, First stop or riad. A riad is traditional Moroccan house built around a courtyard. Many of these have been converted to hotels/guest houses.
We were shown to our room. It turns out that it isn't the room we reserved. Hassan, in an attempt to help Granny had asked the manager to put us in a room that had no steps. We didn't realize this until later and it was too much trouble to move so we didn't.
There was nothing scheduled for the afternoon so Granny and I decided to take a peek at the portion of the medina that was very close to us. It was only a couple of short blocks and we didn't stray too far. We did get a little feel for what it was like and I took my first video of medina life. Click HERE to see the video.
We didn't venture too far. That way we wouldn't get lost and never found,
Besides, we were supposed to meet Hassan at the riad so he could take us to the Yves St. Lauren home and gardens.
We decided to have dinner at the Riad the first night. They had a rooftop dining area where we got our introduction to tagines.
Touring in Marrakech with our guide Najib. First stop the mosque. What looks a little like a gallows, is actually a direction pointer to guide the prayers to the East.
The gardens are not what I expected. I thought we would see various varieties of plants and shrubs, etc. Instead it was a display of cacti. All sorts and varieties of cacti. There was also a nice museum of fashion - they didn't allow pictures - that was very interesting.
Next we ventured into the medina. As usual, I like the colors and patterns of the displays of spices, grains, and other offerings.
Do you think the lady in the picture upper left is asking for directions to the synagogue? It's only a very short distance down this street. We were visiting the synagogue a few days after the end of Sukkot. They were in the process of taking down the sukkah. There was quite a collection of shofars, a large, impressive mezusah, and a nice sanctuary
More Marrakech on the next page.
