More of Marrakech

Trip Start Sep 20, 2012
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Trip End Nov 13, 2012


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What I did
Bahir Palace, Koutoubia Mosque

Flag of Morocco  ,
Saturday, October 13, 2012

This morning we drove out to the Ourika Valley to visit a Berber family in their home. We drove into the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains but wished we were climbing higher. We were invited into their home which was a mud brick compound, dirt floors, primitive washing and cooking conditions but the family were charming. The old lady ( I don't know how old, but she looked old) had had 11 children in the home, 3 of them had died. They had a lovely garden, a cow,sheep and chickens under the house. In the living room which was open to the sky, the old lady prepared authentic mint tea and served us freshly baked flat bread with home churned butter, home pressed olive oil and honey. All delicious. The old lady took a shine to Craig and kept giving him more tea. It was amazing to see them live in these conditions but they all seemed perfectly happy and so hospitable.
Back into town to the medina but it was nothing like the medina of Fes but still congested, noisy and smelly. We visited the Bahir Palace inside the medina which again showcased beautiful craftsmanship, visited a Berber pharmacy to get some Moroccan Oil and saw the Koutoubia Mosque which is an icon of Marrakech and some of the lovely parks. The atmosphere in the streets was quite exuberant, though, because there was a big soccer match between Morocco and Mozambique being played in Marrakech that night. People had flags, balloons, hats, horns etc and were honking car horns and congregating in the streets. Pretty exciting to watch it all. Morocco ended up winning 4-0 so there was much celebration.
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