The Jemaa el-Fna Square is one of the main cultural spaces in Marrakesh and is nothing short of a sensory overload. Located at the entrance of the Medina, this triangular square, which is surrounded by restaurants, stands and public buildings, provides everyday commercial activities and various forms of entertainment. It is a meeting point for both the local population and tourists alike. By day a variety of services are offered, such as tooth pullers, fortune-telling, […]
No visit to Morocco would be complete without a visit to old Marrakech and the medina. Certainly the largest and craziest of all the medinas we have visited with an almost mad, frenzied pace. This day the temps were over 100 degrees and it was a bit much for us since we were trying to wind down after 15 days on the road and facing a long day of flights the following day. We did have […]
On the last leg of our tour of Morocco, we stayed at the beautiful Riad Madada Mogador. While there we had the opportunity to spend the day at their Moroccan cooking school. We had certainly eaten our share of tagine on the trip, and although they were all quite tasty, we were quite tired of eating them daily. So when they told us that that is what we were going to be making, we were […]
After almost two weeks on the road, we were so looking forward to spending some downtime on the beach in Essaouira. Our riad, The Madada Mogador, was a gem with private balconies, each with a great view of the water, and probably the most comfortable beds of our entire trip. I also spent some quality time in the beautiful bathtub with a glass of delicious wine they had in stock for their guests-a rarity in […]
This is more of a drive actually than one destination but well worth it. Passing through the Dades Valley, Todra Gorge, and Ouarzazate, travelers are supposedly treated to 1,000 kasbahs. We certainly didn’t see all of them, probably not even one quarter of them and most of what we saw were crumbling remnants of kasbahs. Others had been turned into hotels or restaurants. All in all we enjoyed the ride and scenery and the history […]
By far the most memorable thing we did on this trip was to visit two Berber families at their cave homes. They are considered Nomads but have lived in the same caves for over 8 years–in places so remote and camouflaged that you would not even notice them if you drove past. In general, everyone in Morocco had been a little cautious of us but these people seemed actually excited at our arrival and as […]
Another highlight of this trip was a visit to the Gnaoua Music Cultural Center. The Gnaoua are local musicians and there is a Gnaoua music festival each year held in Essaouira. The festival provides a platform for exchanges and a meeting point of music and dialogue between foreign artists and the Gnaoua. This consists of jazz, pop, rock and contemporary world music and about 500,000 visitors over four days attend. Here at their cultural center, […]
This was a surreal experience to say the least and one we feared and were most excited about all at the same time. My biggest fear was the heat, and I’m not going to lie, it was hot – about 124 degrees that day. That being said, we didn’t set out on our trek until almost dusk and it didn’t really feel that hot since the sun was not beating directly down on us. It […]