Girls Trip to Morocco

Fez

Day 6

We were supposed to have a hammam and a cooking class today, but some travel changes needed to be made, cutting into our time here in Fez, so we cancelled the cooking class and got a guide for the afternoon instead. But first, the hammam, or Turkish bath. It started with a steam in the most beautiful steam room you ever saw, marble domed room with mosaics tiles decorating it. So pretty. Next we were scrubbed with a glove that took off a gross layer of skin and dirt, then a massage. Pure bliss! We had a lovely lunch after our hammam, and then off with the guide!

Fez is quite different from Marrakech. It’s less touristy, though there are lots of tourists, but it feels more like a functioning, breathing city than Marrakech did. Also, there were more layers of history her to be found, and varied architecture and crafts from all of the different influences around. Between the Ottoman, Spanish, French, Arab influences that have come through, the city has incorporated them into a beautiful, ornate tapestry of a town.

After our tour, we decided to go to a restaurant with some live entertainment and found it. There was live music, belly dancers, Berber drums, and they even reinacted a traditional wedding with jade dressed as the bride. It was fun for sure. When we finished dinner, Jade and I sat on the roof with two of the men who worked at our hotel and had some more wine and finally went to bed.

Day 7

Tomorrow we make our way back to Marrakech to catch our flight home, so today we thought we would take it easy. We woke up late, had breakfast, lounged by the pool, and slowly got ready to have a leisurely day.

We explored the Medina and got a little lost, had lunch, and then, when my mother had enough, we dropped her at the hotel and jade and I decided to do a little hike up to the ruins we saw from the rooftop. It was a short hike but worth it! The views from that vantage were stunning.

For our last night in Morocco we decided to splurge on a fancy dinner, it was a lovely dinner but I was exhausted and we had an early car scheduled, so we head home and hit the sack!

Girls Trip to Morocco

Day 5

Travel to Fez

Today we spent the whole day in our car traveling to Fez. We stopped at another pretty landscape of arid mountains and a fertile valley, called Ziz valley. There are over 30 varieties of dates growing here, an no pictures did it justice. We also drove through a beautiful little town called Ifran. It was built by the French as a resort town in the mountains. They have skiing in the winter, and lots of wealthy expats living here year round. It was so cute!

Along the way, we drove through a forest with monkeys that were so used to people, they came right up to us and we fed them fruit.

When we finally got to Fez, we were ready for some rest, but our hotel was incredible! The Riad Laaroussa was so beautiful I can’t describe it! And the views! We could see the rooftops for as far as we could see, with ruins on the hillside. Breathtaking! We decided to have dinner at the riad and call it a night, we were exhausted.

Girls Trip to Morocco

Day 4
The Sahara Desert

We woke up in our beautiful hotel in Dades Gorge called Chez Pierre. I really wanted to stay an extra day, but we had to go, so we said goodbye to Ismael after a feast for breakfast and headed off.

Our first stop was Todgha Gorge, which was really impressive.

 

As we drove along, I was fascinated by the nomad culture here. These people live exactly as they have for thousands of years, with no running water or electricity, no phones, no comforts, just their animals and whatever they can fit into their tents. They move so that they can find their animals food and water when they’ve eaten all the vegetation in their current location.

As we drove along, we could see the sand dunes of the Sahara ahead of us and it was really exciting.

We didn’t expect how cool it would be when we actually go there, though. Riding camels about an hour into the desert was quite an experience. Seeing nothing but sand everywhere you look was breathtaking.

When we arrived at our camp site, we first sat atop a dune to watch the sunset, then made our way to our tent to freshen up for dinner.

 

After dinner, we were treated to some live music and dancing by a campfire. What a day!

Girls Trip to Morocco

Day 3
Atlas Mountains

Today is the first day of our trek into the Sahara, Jade’s most highly anticipated part of the whole trip. Our guides picked us up at our hotel and packed us into their 4x4 Toyota and we were off for the 10 hour journey!

We drove through an interesting and varied landscape, with cacti, olive trees, palm trees, desert, Berber villages, nomads moving their herd of camels, goat herders tending to their flock on the mountainside, rivers, mountains, forests, golf courses, donkeys carrying goods, mopeds puttering along, and so much more I’m forgetting.

It was a long journey, and I started to really long for our hotel the last hour. I didn’t know what to expect, we paid for the top tier (luxury) accommodations, but here in the mountains, who knows what that could mean. In Yellowstone, the fanciest place in the whole park was really probably 3 stars. Well, was I wrong! We showed up to this place and it’s amazing. It kind of reminds me of Gocek the first time we went there. Calming, beautiful, relaxed, elegant. I love it here. I would come back here and do lots of hiking and rock climbing, it's beautiful! I'll take pictures of the hotel tomorrow before we leave.

Oh! The candlelit 5 course dinner included in our trip was superb, too!

Tomorrow we head into the Sahara! Our first time in a legit desert (Las Vegas, Utah and Palm Springs don’t count).

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!