Marrakech, Maroc
Marrakech had a rusty, tan color and was a very flat city, aside from the mosques looming in the distance
Though my first week of spring break adventuring through Western Europe was an incredible experience, nothing could compare to what my friends and I had in store for our final days of break. From the moment we decided to study abroad, a few friends and I had made a pact to travel to Morocco. This didn’t involve just planning a trip but coordinating a meeting of friends studying all over the world. Though I had high hopes that the trip would become reality, I secretly figured that it would never actually happen. But believe it or not, it did!
Our group of 6 landed in Marrakech Tuesday afternoon and even stepping off the plane we knew we were somewhere unlike anything we’d experienced before. The entire country just felt different. It smelled different, looked different, sounded different. Though it was a bit of a culture shock at first, we immediately embraced the new and exciting.
Immediately leaving the airport we learned that they do things differently in Morocco. Just catching a cab proved to be a test of our bargaining skills and luckily we had our friend Ken who has been studying in Cairo and could use his Arabic to win us points with the cab driver.
We were dropped off at Djemaa el Fna, the central squar in the middle of the Medina, and pointed in the direction of our place. Unfortunately his directions weren’t the most helpful in the maze-like streets that we found ourselves walking down.
About 30 minutes and 5 sets of directions later we finally made it to Riad Rahba. A riad is a traditional Moroccan house with a central courtyard or garden. Because of their size, many have been turned into accommodations for visitors. Our riad was nice and decorated in traditional Moroccan décor, and they even had a rooftop terrace with beautiful views of the city.
The view of Djemaa el Fna from a terrace café
During our first afternoon of sightseeing we decided to stay close to home and explored the Djemma el Fna, the main square in Marrakech. In the afternoon it was full of tourists, street performers and fruit stands selling fresh squeezed orange juice. We were also right near the Souks, the merchant stalls built under tin roofs that formed their own winding streets of brightly colored bowls, tea sets, rugs and Moroccan sweets.
We then headed out to the Kasbah, in the southern end of the Medina, and stopped inside a government-owned artisan craft shop. There, a woman showed us how to use a loom and gave each of the girls orange yarn to tie around our wrists. One of the workers also made comments to the boys about how we were pretty and good picks for marriage, which we were soon to discover was a common topic of discussion.
I had been worried that 3 very American looking girls would run into some problems in Morocco, but we actually had very few problems. We all made an effort to dress conservatively and the most common remark was something along the lines of “You’re beautiful” or “I love you.” We also each received an offer of a 4,000 camels in exchange for marriage. Not too shabby if you ask me? With offers as appealing as those, it’s a surprise I made it out of Morocco without an engagement.
That first afternoon we ended up back near the Djemaa el Fna and drank tea at a café overlooking the square. It was fun to watch as the sun set and the square transformed into a huge bazaar. There were tents full of delicious smelling food, tea and oranges; street performers with monkeys and snakes or guitar-like instruments called ouds; and people (both tourists and locals alike) milling around everywhere. It was definitely a sight to behold and we made a point of eating traditional Moroccan soup and couscous in the square later that night. We also watched the street entertainment and Ian, Jessie and Kari even got pulled into one man’s magic act.
La Koutoubia, the central mosque in Marrakech
That next morning we explored La Koutoubia, the central mosque, but were disappointed to learn that we were not allowed inside (even though all the girls had made an effort to cover up and bring headscarves).
Though a little bummed, we quickly rallied for the central event of our day, a trip to a traditional Moroccan hamam, or steam bath. We arrived with an hour left for the women’s bathing time so the three girls went first, and let’s just say it was quite the experience.
First we were led into a dimly lit room with white lounging chairs and a calming atmosphere. Then a woman came in and demanded that we remove all our clothing. A little nervous, we did what we were told and followed her into another room and rubbed down with various goo. We were then led into a sauna and told to sit there. So we sat, marinating for quite a while before they came back to get us. We were then each led to a table and completely scrubbed down, from head to foot. The amount of dead skin they removed was impressive! After, we were covered in a new, brown substance and sent back into the sauna. Though the sauna felt great at first, the heat eventually got to us so we were removed and put into showers to rinse ourselves off. Then we were led back into the first room, given fluffy bathrobes with funny pointed hoods and warm tea to drink while we relaxed. Needless to say the 3 of us became much closer during our hour in the baths. It was a lot of fun and our skin felt wonderfully smooth when we were done.
Our group meet up after the baths to visit one of the palaces before dinner. First we stopped off at the Tombeaux Saadien, where many of the ancient kings are buried. What I found most interesting was that none of the tombs were marked, which is very different in comparison to Western style graves with elaborate nameplates and decorations. We also visited Palais la Bahia, a beautiful structure completely abandoned and empty. Unlike Versailles or the other European palaces, we could roam free through the place and explore to our hearts content without worrying about expensively restored furniture or wall hangings.
That night we decided to mix things up and headed out to Nouvelle Ville, the more modern section of Marrakech outside the Medina walls. And what a different there was! We felt like we’d stepped into a tropical version of Paris, or a fancy desert resort in the U.S. Even the restaurants there were too pricey for us to eat dinner! While I’m glad we saw it for comparison, I actually preferred the Medina area. It felt more real and less like a facade built for wealthy French tourists.
Then he had yet another delicious meal of Moroccan bread, couscous and other common dishes before turning in early. Though my stay in Marrakech wasn’t entirely finished, 4 of our group got up early the next morning to catch a 10 hour bus ride to Fez. I had one more full day in Marrakech to do any final sightseeing before I was to catch a night train to Tangier for the final leg of my trip. But more on that to come soon.
The inside of Palais El Bahia. The way they use Arabic writing in the decoration of the walls is absolutely beautiful.
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