Marrakech, Morocco
Visiting Morocco over Memorial Day weekend meant that we were there right at the start of Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims. It was actually pretty cool looking back on it to experience that first handed while we were there interacting with the locals. Marrakech is a city full of culture and we had plenty of that during the long weekend. From visiting the colorful Medersa Ben Youssef, to eating street food at the Jamaa el Fna square, and experiencing a traditional hamaam, all of it was very cultured. Simply walking through the narrow and winding streets of the Medina took us back in time. Lots of street vendors lined their shops with metal and wooden artwork along with food stands selling local sweets such as dates and fruits.
When looking for accommodations in Marrakech, staying at a traditional Riad is the way to go. It’s basically a guesthouse with a traditional interior garden and courtyard, surrounded by the rooms. We stayed at the Riad Reve d’Or in the heart of the old town Medina part of Marrakech. The riad was wonderful, including a full-enclosed courtyard, roof deck with cabana along the traditional pool. Because our riad was located within the city walls of the Medina, all the major sites such as Jamaa el Fna square are within minutes of walking which we visited quite often with it’s bustling market and food scene, both during the day and even more so after sunset.
One of the days, we took a day trip to see the Atlas Mountains along with historical sites such as Telouet and Aït Benhaddou, hiring a tour guide to get us there. Driving on the winding roads throughout the Atlas Mountains provided some amazing scenery while at the same time a sense of living on the edge quite literally given the sharp drop-offs and lack of railings along the curvy roads. The Kasbah Telouet was a hidden gem, just as nice and sophisticated as the better-known Medersa Ben Yousseff but with so many less visitors given it was a few hours away from Marrakech. The visit to Aït Benhaddou was also amazing, seeing the village of mud houses built on a hill overlooking the area.
Morocco Photos
