I recently returned from a trip to Morocco, primarily to visit the Atlas Mountains and climb the highest peak, Toubkal, among others. The planning and expectations for this trip were slightly loose, as we were not sure we could even enter the country until the end of January. Morocco had been closed, even to its own citizens abroad, at least since the latest surge of Omicron around the end of the year. In addition, the requirement to have a PCR within 48 hours of the flight made the preparations a bit loose. However, negative for COVID-19, we buckled ourselves in for a short 1:45 minute flight across the Strait of Gibraltar.
This is the final post in a series about this trip. Read Part 1: To Marrakech and Beyond, Part 2: Where All the Mules Are Named “Mule,” Part 3: Ras N’Ouanoukrim and Timesguida, Part 4: Climbing Toubkal Is More Fun in a Blizzard, and Part 5: Back to Marrakech Through Snow and Rain.
The evening after returning from the mountains, we opted for a different adventure and wandered out into the bustling city for some dinner, choosing to head to the central square, Jemaa el-Fna, an UNESCO World Heritage site. After several days of few people, walking through the city was intense. It seemed nearly everyone was trying to get you into a restaurant or sell you a tour or some spices. We chose to eat at one of the food stalls that pop-up in the square in the evening. The affair was a bit stressful. We were still very short on cash, as we hadn’t yet been able to get to a money exchange, so we had to be careful about what we selected. This is extremely difficult when people are trying to bring you a million things in a flurry and make your decisions for you. In the end, we sampled some kebabs, little orange pancakes the waiter said were made with potato, and tanjia, a type of stew in a little pot.
The following day, our friend hopped on his flight, which he had rescheduled to get home a bit sooner, but my partner and I planned to stay in the city a few extra days to explore. Our first stop was the Saadian Tombs, located near where we were staying in the Kasbah.
It’s the burial place of the Saadi Dynasty, from 1549 to 1659. The tombs were blocked off from the surrounding city after the fall of the dynasty but were re-discovered in 1917. You can learn more in this article from Atlas Obscura.
After visiting the tombs, we went back to Jemaa el-FNA, quickly avoiding the snake charmers, which scare the bejeezus out of me. Not a fan of snakes. The square during the morning was much quieter since the restaurants had not yet been erected for the evening. Regardless, we crossed quickly and made our way to the Souk Semmarine, an enormous covered market.
I expected the market to be busier and more stressful, but perhaps it was the lack of tourists being a weekday during a pandemic. Overall, I found it quite enjoyable to walk through. We would actually spend a lot of time in the market over the next couple days. The narrow, covered streets made the entire area a dark labyrinth. It reminded us strongly of a cave, and we got a lot of pleasure out of finding the various sections—leather, textiles, carpets, metalwork—usually completely by accident on first and on purpose later.
On our second day in the city, we walked to Majorelle Garden, originally created by Jacques Majorelle and later bought and rehabilitated by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in 1980. You can read more about it in this article from Lonely Planet. Like many European-style gardens, it is split into different sections based on the plantings. However, the most striking is the former atelier designed by Paul Sinoir and the use of color throughout the garden—blues, teals, and yellows. In fact, the blue used throughout is named after this garden—Majorelle blue.
After the garden, we walked back to the walled part of the city, passing through a different door we walked out of. Here, hungry, we stopped at a small food truck, one of many lining the entrance to the medina, to eat a sausage pita that was DELICIOUS. In addition, the proprieter, Aziz, was extremely friendly. While we were eating on the bench he carried over for us, a woman came clearly begging for food and he made her a little pita sandwich seemingly without a second thought. In fact, I saw similar situations throughout the city and was struck by such kindness in a large city.
That night, we walked to another square, Place des Ferblantiers (the Ironmonger’s square), to eat at a calm Berber restaurant. While waiting for our couscous and tagine, I watched the upholsterer next door pack up his shop and cats for the night. Before sweeping up the front stoop, he gently moved the cat to a stool. Then, she went to sit in the doorway and watch while her kittens gambled about. It was such a cute little cat family.
There are A LOT of cats just everywhere in Marrakech and not all look so healthy and happy. In fact, just under the table next to us that night was a tiny kitten, with scraggly fur and rheumy eyes. I placed a little food next to it, but it was all I could do. Normally, I wouldn’t feed stray animals, but it seemed extremely common there, as I had already seen a number of butchers and restauranteurs, as well as a man on a bicycle feeding some cats here and there.
On our final day, before our flight in the afternoon, we wandered the market again, searching for some delicious pistachio nougat to bring back to my coworkers. We also tried to find the metalworkers area again, which was a narrow alley full of jumbled metal, small fires being stoked, and the sounds of hammering. It was such a place completely outside of my previous experience that I wanted to go back and soak it all up. But we never did find it. Such is the mystery of the caverns of the Souk Semmarine.
To wrap up, here are some of the details of where we stayed and the guiding services:
In Marrakech
This is the main riad we stayed at located in the Kasbah. It had beautiful rooms, extraordinary service, and everyone was extremely welcoming and helpful throughout our stay—helping arrange transportation and getting our friend to his last-minute flight.
Another fantastic location in the Kasbah, the owner was very helpful and gracious, especially considering we arrived just after booking and loaded down with heavy damp packs. Amazing!
In the Atlas Mountains
While the building was perhaps a bit cold, it was winter afterall. They really helped us organize what we needed to get into the mountains—mule and mule driver and a guide.
Our guide, Lahcen Idmansour and his brother own this business and guide clients in a variety of activities—biking, skiing, hiking, trekking, and mountaineering. Lahcen is a superb guide, especially for the activities we wanted to do. He’s extremely knowledgeable and calm, as well as a joy to be around—everything you could want in a guide.
The refuge, while it doesn’t have WiFi, provides fantastic meals and tea with the half board (breakfast and dinner). The rooms may be cold in the winter, but they provide plenty of blankets and a warm place to hang out.
