Girls Trip to Morocco

Marrakech

Me, Jade and Mom in Marrakech

Day 1
So at Thanksgiving dinner Jade said she was trying to plan a trip to Morocco with Tarek, but it wasn’t getting anywhere. I told jade that I always wanted to go to Morocco, but it was never really on Jason’s list so let’s go together. Then my mom chimed in that if we were going she was going to come.. so here we are! Three generations in Morocco!

We arrived in the evening, exhausted from the trip. Assuming this would be the case, I had prearranged for our riad (our private home for the next two nights, to pick us up and to prepare dinner for us. The drive from the airport to the riad in the walled old town was quick, and somehow watching the city go by from the car, it was not what I expected, but yet actually what I expected at the same time.  Somehow I thought it would remind me more of Istanbul, but instead it reminds me of exactly what you picture when you picture a Middle Eastern or North African city... clay colored, short, rectangular shaped, nondescript buildings; palm trees; crowds of people walking, riding mopeds, and sitting in groups chatting... it was an absolute maze, and we were totally lost in it.

I wish I had taken photos of our dinner, but Miriam made us the most delicious traditional Moroccan lamb Tagine. The lamb was cooked so perfectly, it melted in your mouth. The vegetables, the spices, were all so good, we have high hopes for our culinary experiences that lie ahead!

Tomorrow we’ll have breakfast at the Riad, then Youssef, our tour guide for the day, will pick us up to explore Marrakech!

Day 2

There was so much today, I forget where to start! Well, let’s start with breakfast. Our hosts made us a delicious breakfast poolside, then we head out with our tour guide for the day, Youssef. He picked us up at our door and whisked us off to learn all about this city.

First stop was Jardin Majorelle, names after French painter Jacques Majorelle who designed it. It was later bout by the great Yves Saint Laurent, where he lived until his death, upon which he had his ashes scattered here because he loved it so much. It really was beautiful.

Next stop was the oldest mosque in Morocco, Koutoubia Mosque. We weren’t allowed in because it’s not for tourists (my mother couldn’t contain her disappointment). So we pushed on.

The Saadian tombs were next, where the royal family was buried along with their most trusted and honored servants and soldiers. The women were in one tomb, the children in another, the chosen civilians in the gardens around them, and the king and royal men in the center tomb. The kings tomb was surrounded in Italian marble and had a glistening gold ceiling. Quite the expense and show of wealth!

Speaking of wealth, our next stop was Bahia Palace, named after the kings favorite wife (of 4 wives and countless harem women), hard to wrap your head around that.

We stopped for lunch, then hit this little shop where they explained how Argan oil is made, along with countless other natural remedies and natural herbs and ointments.

Making Argan Oil

We explored the markets, learned about how the community uses the markets for everything in life like the Hammams and community oven, very interesting.

Youssef, our guide, was so informative, such a gentleman, and took great care of us. We said goodbye and headed home to freshen up for dinner. With a better understanding of the city, we ventured off on our own to see La Mamounia Palace Hotel, the most beautiful hotel you've ever seen. We had one very expensive drink there and walked to dinner, walking through the Medina. During the day the Médina was pretty tame, but at night, it was unbelievably crowded!

We found our way to dinner at a place called Nomad, which had a more modern take of Moroccan cuisine. It was very good, but our favorite meal was still the one Miriam made us at our riad. After dinner we walked home, which was a little scary as the streets around us were closing and we had to turn around a few times, but we made our way and finally got to bed.

Tomorrow we head into the Atlas Mountains and then into the desert, so we need our rest!