Marrakech- The end of the road
Trip Start
Jan 14, 2012
1
11
Trip End
Jan 29, 2012
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We arrived in Marrakech later in the day after a three hour public bus ride. Dinner that night was in the public market. The market is a crazy place with lots of noise, smells and food. We found a stall and had a feast of Moroccan tapas. Across the row was another stall selling goats head soup.... It smelled good, but I couldn't bring myself to try it.
The next morning was a hands on Moroccan cooking course, We were met at the hotel by a young woman (her name escapes me) and went to the city market to buy food for cooking. We will be making chicken tagine with olives and lemon and a Moroccan salad. Buying the vegetables was easy, but the chicken was a bit more interesting. When you buy chicken it is alive until you buy it. The butcher then breaks its neck, drains the blood and removes the skin all in a matter of minutes. I suspect this is the freshest chicken I have ever had!
The cooking course was held in a Riad somewhere in the old medina in marrakech. We started by preparing the tagine with the herbs onions and spices. The cylindrical tagine dish is placed over hot charcoal and the chicken is slow cooked for two hours. After two hours the lemon and olives are added for the last half hour. What remains is a nice tender price of chicken in an amazing lemony sauce.
The Moroccan salad was much easier. It consists of finally chopped onion, green pepper, tomato and herbs. Cumin, salt and pepper and some olive oil make the dressing. So tasty!
After the cooking course, a group of us wandered around Marrakech. The main square in the medina is a crazy place with lots of snake charmers who will randomly put the snake on your neck and then demand money. There are also guys with monkeys who will chase after you demanding money if they see you take a picture of the monkey. The whole thing was too much for me and we all quickly left.
We ended up at the Bahia Palace which is one of the oldest places in Marrakech. It was built in the 19th century and is very typical in layout. The rooms are grand with amazing detail in the walls and ceiling. There are open courtyards with lush greenery and water features.
As the day drew to a close, so did the trip to morocco. Marrakech is e end point for this adventure. Morocco was an amazing experience. This intrepid tour was a great way to see both cities and countryside. I liked that we were able to meet locals and not have a typical tourist experience. What surprised me most about morocco is how modern the country is and how easy it was get on. It certainly didn't feel like I was in Africa!
But of course I have to rave about the food! I could see that people would be out off by the limited selection in some restaurants. But when you look a bit deeper, there is are many different options, aside from tagine and cous cous!
Thanks for reading! Until next time! Rob
The next morning was a hands on Moroccan cooking course, We were met at the hotel by a young woman (her name escapes me) and went to the city market to buy food for cooking. We will be making chicken tagine with olives and lemon and a Moroccan salad. Buying the vegetables was easy, but the chicken was a bit more interesting. When you buy chicken it is alive until you buy it. The butcher then breaks its neck, drains the blood and removes the skin all in a matter of minutes. I suspect this is the freshest chicken I have ever had!
The cooking course was held in a Riad somewhere in the old medina in marrakech. We started by preparing the tagine with the herbs onions and spices. The cylindrical tagine dish is placed over hot charcoal and the chicken is slow cooked for two hours. After two hours the lemon and olives are added for the last half hour. What remains is a nice tender price of chicken in an amazing lemony sauce.
The Moroccan salad was much easier. It consists of finally chopped onion, green pepper, tomato and herbs. Cumin, salt and pepper and some olive oil make the dressing. So tasty!
After the cooking course, a group of us wandered around Marrakech. The main square in the medina is a crazy place with lots of snake charmers who will randomly put the snake on your neck and then demand money. There are also guys with monkeys who will chase after you demanding money if they see you take a picture of the monkey. The whole thing was too much for me and we all quickly left.
We ended up at the Bahia Palace which is one of the oldest places in Marrakech. It was built in the 19th century and is very typical in layout. The rooms are grand with amazing detail in the walls and ceiling. There are open courtyards with lush greenery and water features.
As the day drew to a close, so did the trip to morocco. Marrakech is e end point for this adventure. Morocco was an amazing experience. This intrepid tour was a great way to see both cities and countryside. I liked that we were able to meet locals and not have a typical tourist experience. What surprised me most about morocco is how modern the country is and how easy it was get on. It certainly didn't feel like I was in Africa!
But of course I have to rave about the food! I could see that people would be out off by the limited selection in some restaurants. But when you look a bit deeper, there is are many different options, aside from tagine and cous cous!
Thanks for reading! Until next time! Rob
Comments
Absolutely great reading. Where are you headed now?
Lynn, you posted exactly what I was going to say!
I enjoy your travelogues Rob, and all agog for the next exciting edition!