Marrakech

Leaving the chilly autumn weather of England behind us, our latest destination is warm and sunny Morocco. We began our 3 week journey through Morocco, in the city of Marrakech, and we wondered what effect the recent earthquake (Sept 8 2023) had on the city. Thankfully the epi-center was some 44 miles southwest in the high Atlas mountains, and while there was no major damage there was evidence of some weakened walls being braced while awaiting structural repairs.

Marrakech is a major tourist destination, attracting visitors who come to explore the narrow alleys located within the Medina (walled old city), packed with artisan workshops, and an endless number of shopping stalls.

The Jemaa-el-Fnaa is a large open square filled with snake charmers, monkey handlers, dancers, henna tattoo artists and fresh juice carts. Fortunately for us we arrived during pomegranate season, and loaded up on the tasty tart anti-oxidant super drink.

In the evening, the Jemaa-el-Fnaa transforms into a tent city of food stalls. These nightly pop-up restaurants all aggressively vie for your business, and like the Medina shopkeepers, each tout proclaims their stall has the ‘best quality at a special best price’.

In addition to skewers of grilled chicken and lamb, there are stalls offering snails and goat heads.....Bon Appetit!

In addition to the heady aroma of grilled meats, the square pluses with a frenetic energy supplied by the constant beat of drums, the drone of horns and the twang of traditional stringed instruments.

This is Marrakesh