Marrakesh

First of all I would like to preface this by saying that I spent the weekend lost in the souks where Sex and the City II was filmed. It was filmed in Marrakesh NOT Abu Dhabi. Marrakesh is like the Disney world of Morocco. Although it is extremely touristy, it is a lot of fun. The souks of the medina are incredible. There is some of the best shopping I have seen in Morocco thus far. That being said, prices are a little more expensive, storeowners are very pushy and grab you off the streets into their stores and women are constantly grabbing your hands, attempting to paint some henna on you. The food section smells incredible but everyone is yelling every which way at you to

 come to their food stand and eat with them “for the best price!” We shopped as soon as we got there on Friday night and pretty much all day on Saturday. Although many of the shops are repetitive, it is so much fun just to wander around and discover the magic of Marrakesh. There are street performers, horse rides around the city, snake charmers, and stands beyond stands of fresh fruit, dried fruit and nuts, fruit juices, etc. One thing that really struck me as I walked around was the amount of white people in sight. Almost everyone spoke at least some English and people were wearing some very culturally insensitive outfits. I understand it is not Fes or even Rabat, but I saw women in short shorts and tank tops and it was so shocking to be around that after living in djellaba nation over in Rabat. There were also just SO MANY people, it was crazy. Between the music, people and atmosphere it definitely did not feel like the same Morocco I had just come from.

courtyard at the school

me popping my head out a window on the second floor of the school

Our hotel was right outside of the main square so it was very easy to get to and from. On Saturday after hours of wandering through the souks and buying way too many things, we saw an old Quranic school, which was one of the most beautiful sights I have yet to see in Morocco. Every detail of this place was so intricate and beautiful. We spent a while in the school taking pictures and just soaking it all in while we lied in the courtyard and looked at what was around us. We then went into the art museum next door and were even more blown away. There we found not only some incredible exhibits but also, again, every detail of every windowsill, door crevice and corner were some of the most beautifully hand crafted work we had ever seen. The museum was huge and open and truly an incredible sight.

art exhibit main room

After hours of being on our feet, we got a big, late lunch (chicken shwarma and frites with my favorite “ju de peche” - which is basically a delicious peach smoothie). Then we went back to the hotel to rest up before a night out on the town. That night we went to “Pasha” which is the biggest nightclub in Africa. We went fairly early so there was no cover charge but it was a n extremely nice, legitimate, nightclub. Although we were by far the youngest people there (definitely a 21+ crowd), we had a blast. The next morning we woke up just in time to grab some fresh Malaui bread from outside our hotel and caught an 11:00 a.m. train back to Rabat. It was such a fun weekend and definitely a place I cannot wait to return to in November.