Place Jemaa el Fna

Marrakesh

The medina is more pleasant than that of Fez. The passageways are wider and maybe because it seems more French than Arab, we feel more comfortable. Also the goods available seem higher quality, better presented, more fashion and design oriented- like MOroccan fusion. We have also tried some fusion restaurants which are great- using the same ingredients found in "local" cuisine, but prepared very differently (Mama Tilee and Un dejeuner . Place Jemaa el Fna is the huge famous square- vendors galore- 4dh for fresh squires orange or grapefruit juice, 1dh for a photo of snake charmers or transvestite belly dancers, huge food court for BBQ meat or fish that are set up at night and disappear during the day- electric bikes and donkeys zipping by. Basically impossible to describe. Le Palais el badil and le Palais de la Bahia 

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Marrakesh delights

Palais Amani - Fes- Christmas Eve

It was almost dark by the time we arrived, although we had been driving through "Nouvelle Fes" and along he walls of the medina walls (60 miles in total) for sometime. We eventually found the correct gate (there were originally only 7) and waited in a car park for someone from the hotel to fetch us. It ended up being very close, but would not have been possible or fine by ourselves. There are 8000 small alley type street- few signs, and as they are all in Arabic, one might say there are no signs.  Also no cars- donkeys bring EVERYTHING in and out. Forget using an umbrella (it did rain a bit yesterday and we heard that it was major flooding in Tangier), as  the passageways are not wide enough. Also everything is cobblestone so comfy and safe shoes a must. All women have at least a suni (head covering but you can see face) and some a seeii (covers entire face) and a jalaba (long robe with hood). Men also are wearing jalaba a or western dress(younger men).  Our hotel has only 14 rooms on 3 floors- an amazing restored Riad with huge interior courtyard with beautiful orange trees and other plantings. More mint tea and hot towels as we were welcomed and given a map etc. it turns out that there are now color coded route signs which a tourist can (attempt to) follow- a route for historic sites, for the tanneries, for the carpet sellers etc.  Our rooms were again very large with wonderful bathrooms (no tub but rain showers again. When we booked the rooms we had been told we would be obligated to dine at the hotel for Christmas Eve. Drinks and canapés 7-9 in a courtyard level common room where they set up a bar, as too chilly (it is 15C and drizzling now at 1130am and I am told was 5C at night but I thought warmer)  for the 3rd floor Terrance where there is a bar. We showered and "donned our gay apparel" as it approached 8pm. We enjoyed the other guests, Simon and his wife from London whom now have retired to Avignon, an American family from California with 3 daughters ages 17, 15 and 13, and an Indian couple now retired to Calgary Canada with their son who had just arrived from Japan ( he went to Harrow...). We made our way to the dining room at 915pm. Four hours and seven courses, and having gotten almost the entire hotel to join us to sing Christmas carols, we retired to bed.

Riad ksar ighnda

We arrived very late at our hotel- both due to leaving the desert late and the bad lunch service- there was also a "misunderstanding" about whether dinner was included or not/ Ali said we had to stop at the tour operations office which in the end was good as we each understood each other's position and they ended up taking us to dinner- a much more local place in the hotel they would have organized for us if we had not organized our own. Drivers and guides have their own room to eat and relax away from clients. The menus are all more or less the same but obviously always a bit different- we each have our thoughts as to which was the best tangine, salad (not what we call salad), bread, brochettes, cous cous. Our hotel (riad) was beautiful and had interesting little details such a magnificent curtain ties, silver hooks for towels made of Fatima's hand, shampoo and body wash holders of silver filafgree, and unusual  toilet paper holders. It was very windy and chilly. Julian and Niles needed a break from each other so Julian and I bunked together and Niles with the other ladies. Te other nights so far we have stayed as respective families. 

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Views from the hotel