Marrakech Day 2

After an early Moroccan breakfast (French continental) we walked to the Majorelle Gardens  named after the creator James Majorelle. These are 12 acres of superb
botanical gardens. They were subsequently owned by Y St Laurent so didn’t have the same volume of visitors as now. This I think is why it is all in such spectacular condition.  There are already signs of ‘wear’ which are evident in other Tourist hotspots around.  Anyway , the light was not conducive to my poor photography techniques so I hope you get the flavour.
  We then took a petit taxi to the Menara Gardens this is more a public open space. To be enjoyed by Moroccans at the weekend for picnics etc. A wide Boulevard led to the entrance, where there were a few token Camels available for rides. We did have to pay entrance to see the poolside minzah.  The gardens are mostly laid to olive trees and a few roses.
Taxi to Bahia (Brilliant) Palace. Most outstanding were the cedar wood painted ceilings, zellij fireplaces, stucco friezes and stained glass windows.  There were plenty of rooms not all restored and others for use on Royal visits not open to the public. It reminded me of the Royal Palace in Seville probably due to the historical connection.
 Just round the corner (figuratively speaking) was the smaller Dar Si Said a smaller version of the Bahia Palace.  This has the Moroccan Museum of Arts on the second floor so we spent some time perusing the artefacts.  Once again the woodwork was ‘IMPRESSIVE’ my pictures don’t do it justice.  No photography allowed here - a shame since it has the oldest relic in Morocco –a large rectangular basin dating from 1005. Amazing that it has survived all the wars and sackings over the years !  It ought to have better publicity and position.
  Quite tired out we had tea above the Square and thought about the missed lunch. Decided to eat early at Jemaa square.
Managed to catch Hassan when we got back and arranged to do the Ourika Valley tomorrow.

Marrakech 30th October. Day 1

While we have been in Rabat we have met numerous people who have given mixed views of Marrakech. So after returning from the UK for Mums 80th birthday party we decided to make a trip to see for ourselves.
An early start for the 07.40 train (which was 20 minutes late!) and it was raining quite hard.  We arrived to blue skies and dry warmth.  The guide book put petit taxis between 10 & 15 dh depending on distance. We never paid less than 20 dh!  That said we did manage to find the Riad where we were staying. I’m always pleasantly surprised when I find a jewel amid general mayhem. We checked into a warm welcome from the manager Hassan (who also provided us with mint tea a street map and ideas for sights to see) and set off for a wander.  The map was helpful for streets (sic) but fell short for the hundreds of Dars– alleyways. The first task was to exit the Mouassine area to the first main road. This was quite a feat in that even the smallest alley took motor cycles, larger ones had hundreds of shops (a souk area) which meant wares on show outside which slowed the traffic down. Here amidst the pedestrians were donkeys pulling cement carts, hand carts over laden, bicycles, cars, taxis, and the frequent beggar sitting in any space available.  We were so concerned about not getting lost we failed miserably to take snaps of these areas. Jemaa el Fna square above looks quite empty by comparison.
  We did manage to find La Koutoubia 70m high.  It is interesting that it is the oldest of the three Almohad towers built. The others being the Giralda in Seville, and the Hassan Tower here in Rabat. All have been visited on our travels.
  Next stop via another souk and the crowded bus station was the Saadian Tombs.  This was the burial site for the dynasty of the same name, who, ruled Morocco from 1554-1669.  They lay unforgotten until the French did an aerial survey in 1917 and were then restored for viewing. The site is quite small and we had to queue to see the interior tombs .
The El Badi (Incomparable)  Palace It is mostly ruins now but in its heyday must have been astounding.  The shear size parallels places like Dover castle but was far more than defensive.  Rooms for receiving foreign diplomats with sunken pools, summer pavilions and a large central pool with fountain.  Around the ramparts storks now nest.  We didn’t have time to do it justice having been misled by the guide book which said it was open ’til 17.45 when it actually closed at 17.00!

We wandered back to the Riad through Jemaa el Fna Square to see snake charmers and monkey handlers foot painters and food stalls.
Dinner that night was a typical Moroccan meal at the Riad and quit delicious!
Images are in Picasa.

Casablanca 8th October

Decided on a day out of town and so took the train to Casablanca with a picnic lunch.  Rather a lot of bustle when we arrived but we managed to find our way to the old town (Medina) and walked through the souk towards the Hassan II Mosque.  Building began in 1980 and it was inaugurated in 1993.  It is absolutely colossal second only to Mecca!  St Peter’s in Rome could easily fit inside it. With it being Friday we weren’t able to take a tour inside and better descriptions are found elsewhere so just help your selves to our snaps.  We meandered back through the souk and along Art Deco Streets past the Law Courts and French Consul in the modern part of town to the Park de la Ligue Arabe where we “snaffed” lunch.
  During the afternoon we took a petit Taxi to the  Habous Quarter which is a New Town area being built in the 1930’s.  This was by far the most European style seen so far with neat but haphazard streets and exceedingly clean souk.   We stopped for afternoon tea overlooking the village green. Ever the opportunists Malcolm was asked at least 3 times if he wanted his shoes cleaned by itinerant workers.  He did succumb so everyone was happy.
Apart from a non eventful train ride home that completes the Casablanca day out. If we had another day or two I’m sure we could have filled it.
  Images are in Picasa.- maybe not today as this looks as though it's corrupted and the wifi is poor