Marrakech, Morocco
We have spent nearly a week in Morocco, but internet problems have hindered my ability to post. These internet problems along with Dave getting sick again have also hindered our ability to do a lot of activities while we were in Morocco, but we did get to get out a few times and see some of the sights Morocco has to offer.
We are staying in Marrakech, which is in the center of the country. Morocco is similar to Egypt because it is also a Muslim country, but its close location to Europe and French occupation until 1956 give it a somewhat European feel. There are a lot of French visitors, and most Moroccans speak Arabic and French. It makes me wish I could remember some of my French from college.
Our first excursion in Marrakech was a city tour. We were surprised to find out it was a walking tour, but it gave us a great opportunity to see the city from a different perspective. Our guide took us through the supermarket first, and it definitely made me thankful for our supermarkets in America. The beef and fish are already dead, but people come to the market and buy live chicken and pigeons. They just pick out which chickens they want, the butcher weighs them and then takes them to the back to kill them. They are handed over whole to the people. People can also take them live if they want. Now that’s fresh!
After leaving the supermarket, we went to the souks. I had long heard about Moroccan souks, and it was interesting to visit the shopping areas. Everything was for sale from goat leather to woodwork to metalwork. There were plenty of shops only appealing to the tourists as well.
After visiting the souks, we made it to our first destination: the former home of the
former prime minister. The architecture of the home was beautiful, and represented Morocco with beautiful ceilings, large gardens, and rooms for the prime minister’s four wives and twenty-four concubines. We also visited Ben Youssef Medersa, a Koranic school (no longer in use). It had similar beautiful architecture. Our city tour ended with the beautiful Majorelle Gardens outside the medina (city walls).
Our other tour took us an hour into the Atlas Mountains. We got to see the way the Berber people lived. Morocco is shared by the Arabic and Berber people. The Berber people have lighter skin and sometimes have green or blue eyes. They live fairly simply in small mountain villages. Berbers will move into the city as adults to find work, however. Visiting this village was fascinating. The way of living is so much different from ours with small houses and livestock sharing the living space.
After visiting the Berber village, we took a hike about twenty minutes up a mountain to get to the Kasbah (castle) where we ate lunch. We had the opportunity to visit with some British college students who were very fascinated with our American accents. Their perception of America was a bit funny; one girl compared our lives to an MTV show where sixteen year-olds get Jaguars for their birthdays.
We are leaving Marrakech tomorrow for Ouarzazate, further into the Atlas Mountains. I hope we have better luck with the internet while we are there! I hope to hear from you all soon! We miss everyone!
We are staying in Marrakech, which is in the center of the country. Morocco is similar to Egypt because it is also a Muslim country, but its close location to Europe and French occupation until 1956 give it a somewhat European feel. There are a lot of French visitors, and most Moroccans speak Arabic and French. It makes me wish I could remember some of my French from college.
Our first excursion in Marrakech was a city tour. We were surprised to find out it was a walking tour, but it gave us a great opportunity to see the city from a different perspective. Our guide took us through the supermarket first, and it definitely made me thankful for our supermarkets in America. The beef and fish are already dead, but people come to the market and buy live chicken and pigeons. They just pick out which chickens they want, the butcher weighs them and then takes them to the back to kill them. They are handed over whole to the people. People can also take them live if they want. Now that’s fresh!
After leaving the supermarket, we went to the souks. I had long heard about Moroccan souks, and it was interesting to visit the shopping areas. Everything was for sale from goat leather to woodwork to metalwork. There were plenty of shops only appealing to the tourists as well.
After visiting the souks, we made it to our first destination: the former home of the
former prime minister. The architecture of the home was beautiful, and represented Morocco with beautiful ceilings, large gardens, and rooms for the prime minister’s four wives and twenty-four concubines. We also visited Ben Youssef Medersa, a Koranic school (no longer in use). It had similar beautiful architecture. Our city tour ended with the beautiful Majorelle Gardens outside the medina (city walls).Our other tour took us an hour into the Atlas Mountains. We got to see the way the Berber people lived. Morocco is shared by the Arabic and Berber people. The Berber people have lighter skin and sometimes have green or blue eyes. They live fairly simply in small mountain villages. Berbers will move into the city as adults to find work, however. Visiting this village was fascinating. The way of living is so much different from ours with small houses and livestock sharing the living space.
After visiting the Berber village, we took a hike about twenty minutes up a mountain to get to the Kasbah (castle) where we ate lunch. We had the opportunity to visit with some British college students who were very fascinated with our American accents. Their perception of America was a bit funny; one girl compared our lives to an MTV show where sixteen year-olds get Jaguars for their birthdays.
We are leaving Marrakech tomorrow for Ouarzazate, further into the Atlas Mountains. I hope we have better luck with the internet while we are there! I hope to hear from you all soon! We miss everyone!
posted by Lindsay | 6:06 AM
1 Comments:
I am really enjoying your blog posts! It's too bad the internet connections are so spotty...looking forward to the next one (loving the pictures, too!).
Erin
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