discover Marrakech
As the world buzzed around in the two squares stories below me and I sat sipping a mint tea super soft on the roof of a cafe in the center of Marrakech in Morocco.
Reflecting on a wonderful tour of 10 days , I realized that I had just had one of the best vacations I've ever taken.
From Glasgow , me and three friends had flown first in London and then connected to Casablanca before taking a flight on short final in Marrakech. At the airport of Marrakech, the heat hit us like a wall as we walked down the tarmac.
For safety, we were greeted by our guide who organized our luggage to be taken care of and came up with transport to take us to our hotel. We did not go directly to the hotel though. Our guide decided to take us directly to the extremely exciting Djemaa el- Fna . It was dark in Marrakech and it seemed like the whole city had gathered at the famous for the evening. As the minibus slightly towards the penultimate dressed and masked individuals we look to the snake charmers, storytellers and groups of people hanging out . The place was half-covered tables with grills and outdoor cafes cooking any number of strange and exotic dishes, wonderful aromas floating through the open windows of the minibus.
Unfortunately, that night , we did not stop at the place and instead were taken out of the 4 star hotel we were in. The hotel was beautiful with a mosaic fountain and pool in the lobby and exquisite rooms .
Outside the doors of my room was a beautiful pool area with bar. I had asked if it would be possible to get a beer in a predominantly Muslim country , although it was .
Throughout our week , we were escorted around the ruins of the royal palace , let loose in the souks behind the site ( which we reviewed several times) and had a very memorable trip to the Atlas Mountains , just hour drive from Marrakech.
Mountain trip began with a drive to a mountain market that seemed a million miles away from the tourist -oriented center of Marrakech. The stench of some of the meat for sale on non-refrigerated shelves was overwhelming. Our guide has closely followed the procedures and provided his own advice and translation when we were interacting with a stall - holder .
Further up the mountain on a dirt road looking decidedly dodgy we arrived at the village of Imlil in the shadow of the highest peak in Morocco , Toubkal . Here we met a mountain guide who personally knew one of my friends in Scotland. We drank tea with the villagers before returning to Marrakech.
There were many other tours and meals were memorable and I sat in the coffee room for the last time, I felt really sorry to be going home . Morocco had made a deep and lasting impression on me and I could not wait to book another trip and head back to explore more of this fascinating part of Africa .
As the world buzzed around in the two squares stories below me and I sat sipping a mint tea super soft on the roof of a cafe in the center of Marrakech in Morocco.
Reflecting on a wonderful tour of 10 days , I realized that I had just had one of the best vacations I've ever taken.
From Glasgow , me and three friends had flown first in London and then connected to Casablanca before taking a flight on short final in Marrakech. At the airport of Marrakech, the heat hit us like a wall as we walked down the tarmac.
For safety, we were greeted by our guide who organized our luggage to be taken care of and came up with transport to take us to our hotel. We did not go directly to the hotel though. Our guide decided to take us directly to the extremely exciting Djemaa el- Fna . It was dark in Marrakech and it seemed like the whole city had gathered at the famous for the evening. As the minibus slightly towards the penultimate dressed and masked individuals we look to the snake charmers, storytellers and groups of people hanging out . The place was half-covered tables with grills and outdoor cafes cooking any number of strange and exotic dishes, wonderful aromas floating through the open windows of the minibus.
Unfortunately, that night , we did not stop at the place and instead were taken out of the 4 star hotel we were in. The hotel was beautiful with a mosaic fountain and pool in the lobby and exquisite rooms .
Outside the doors of my room was a beautiful pool area with bar. I had asked if it would be possible to get a beer in a predominantly Muslim country , although it was .
Throughout our week , we were escorted around the ruins of the royal palace , let loose in the souks behind the site ( which we reviewed several times) and had a very memorable trip to the Atlas Mountains , just hour drive from Marrakech.
Mountain trip began with a drive to a mountain market that seemed a million miles away from the tourist -oriented center of Marrakech. The stench of some of the meat for sale on non-refrigerated shelves was overwhelming. Our guide has closely followed the procedures and provided his own advice and translation when we were interacting with a stall - holder .
Further up the mountain on a dirt road looking decidedly dodgy we arrived at the village of Imlil in the shadow of the highest peak in Morocco , Toubkal . Here we met a mountain guide who personally knew one of my friends in Scotland. We drank tea with the villagers before returning to Marrakech.
There were many other tours and meals were memorable and I sat in the coffee room for the last time, I felt really sorry to be going home . Morocco had made a deep and lasting impression on me and I could not wait to book another trip and head back to explore more of this fascinating part of Africa .
