What've I missed?
Fancy hearing all about my Moroccan adventure and looking at some photos of interesting doors? Well, your prayers have been answered!
I'm not quite sure exactly what I'd expected Marrakech to be like, beyond colourful pyramids of spices and plenty of tagines, but it turned out to be generally so much more than I'd anticipated. More colourful, more exotic, more intense, and definitely louder.
We learnt very quickly that the most important thing to carry round with you (besides loo roll and sanitising hand gel!) is a sense of humour; because most conversations seemed to be a lighthearted sales pitch for one thing or another. Once we'd found our feet, we wandered for hours on end through the maze of never-ending souks in the Medina, feasted in delicious restaurants staffed by French Hipsters in the Ville Nouvelle, and tried to take in everything we could see until our minds were saturated with colour.
We made the most of the French influences that create the weft of the tapestry that is Morocco by breakfasting on pain au chocolat and custard tarts, and embraced the wonders of African heritage which forms the warp, from dusty streets to bustling markets to lush gardens filled with the sound of tinkling fountains.
One of many mint teas |
We basked in golden sunshine within the walls of ruined palaces, attempted (and failed) to avoid the snake-charming touts in the Jemaa el Fna, and scrambled up almost sheer cliff faces in the Atlas Mountains to see a waterfall.
Some of us got sweatier from the climb than others. Haha. |
We got the hang of haggling, to the point where the sellers declared I must be "half-Berber" (which I was weirdly proud of, even though I'm sure they say that to everyone) and spent a dirham or two on artisan goods from the sense-awakening souks.
We've decided to declare our holiday a definite success :)
If you want to see any more of my photos, you can find them on flickr.
Katie xxx