After we eat our prepared lunch we leave our group and take a short walk to the Le Jardin Secret, a 19th century courtyard garden. It is slightly wet here and very overcast. It is nice but probably better to be enjoyed on a sunny day.
We then head into the heart of the medina. We plan to do some shopping as we each have a list of souvenirs we want to buy. We practice haggling with the salesmen who start off very high for us tourists. We attempt to drive a hard bargain but some will not budge much in price. We get some sellers to agree but sometimes with attitude. It’s all a little dramatic. We probably don’t get the optimal price for all our items but at least we don’t walk away feeling severely ripped off.
I buy a purse that I’ve been looking for. I am aiming for a purse like I viewed at the tannery shop in Fes but I had a hard time finding the exact colors I wanted. In one shop I find a bag in a lighter blue but they are able to make it darker before my eyes using some special kind of oil that may have been a vegetable oil. I think I’ll be happy with my unique bag that was made around the corner by the salesmen’s father who I also met today.
We walk down the busy corridors as we browse. There is extra bicycle and motorbike traffic that we need to dodge while we walk. Perhaps they are also trying to avoid the rain outside.
We also take some time to say hi to some more kitties.
Later that evening we have reservations at the popular restaurant Safron by Koya. It is a nice dinner environment that after 9:30 PM has periodic belly dancers, a dj, and even some live music performers. We are seated in the section they seem to put the less fun people since we don’t have as much action or show in our area. Despite our location it is still good fun. They have a strict two hour limit for each table but luckily we are ready to head back to the hotel after two hours. They do give you an option of watching from the bar though if you wish to stay. I took a chance on a new Moroccan dish and it was delicious. Our appetizers were quite good as well.
The next morning we have reservations for the famous Marjorelle gardens (Yves Saint Laurent gardens) and we go hoping for a break in the rain but we are initially miserable there, rushing through the wet gardens so we can stop getting soaked. We have raincoats but they aren’t enough. We spend some time in the Berber Museum and shop towards the exit. We plan to leave the gardens when the rain temporarily lets up. Luckily since it isn’t too busy today they let us tour through the garden again instead of exiting. It is still overcast but it is a much more pleasant experience this time.
I love the Berber blue and all the cacti.
We buy the ticket that includes the Yves St Laurent Museum. I know very little about fashion but the museum is very informative. I had no idea on the impact the designer had on history nor that he was formally a designer for Christian Dior.
The ticket we purchased also includes a visit to the onsite Berber museum. While the museum was a great place to escape the pouring rain, it also is a good historical museum of the Berber people. No photos are allowed but there is a good selection of historical items such as clothing and jewelry from different regions.
It seems like it is about to start to rain again so we hop in a taxi for the souks once more. We both have more shopping to do. I purchase a tagine bowl and a lantern among my purchases and my friend has a very successful shopping day as well. Multiple times prior to this vacation we are told to drive a hard bargain. I don’t know if it’s all for show or that we really do negotiate hard but I know this bargaining activity exhausts me emotionally and physically. I am happy we are heading home soon due to being tired and all the rain. We finish the evening with a quick dinner, trip to the grocery store and spending the last hours here trying to fit all our purchases in our luggage. Wish us luck.
We’ve discovered it snows in Morocco and it can be wet when it wants to, even in the desert. Some of our days traveling have been plagued with rainy weather – mild sprinkles and some all day rains, like most of our stay in Marrakech. Luckily we already decided to skip some of the outdoor activities in Marrakech due to the similarities of the sites to places we visited earlier in our Moroccan travels. Our exploration did include two wet visits to famous gardens and shopping at souks that are partially covered but with the constant rain streams of water flow on the ground of the very old souks making it hard to stay entirely dry.
Since there are places to still visit in Marrakech and other parts of Morocco I might be coming back. We have a not so terrible direct flight from Atlanta now to make it easier. Only time will tell if/when I return but it was a good trip overall.
Growing With Leala 