Week 18 Photos: Marrakech

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I present to you, my photos from Marrakech! It took me nearly a week to edit all of them. This is merely a sample of the amazing-ness that Morocco was. You can see all 200+ photos (yea I know…) on my Flickr page. For some accounts from my adventure, check out below the fold.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from Marrakech. My friend Jess, over at Mike and Jess in Malta, had warned me that I just needed to be prepared mentally and know that I may get anxious. So I made sure to prepare myself. I was ready to have to stop at take deep breaths and know that i could get through it. I was worried about the food, I really didn’t know what to expect.

I was fully prepared for the hard sell everywhere I went. We had dealt with it in Istanbul, but I, for some reason, imagined it being 10x harder in Marrakesh. Boy, I was wrong. Yea there are some vendors who will attack you until the end to come into their shop or eat at their stand, but if you declined them, they usually left you alone – unlike Istanbul.

The food was nothing short of amazing. I seriously don’t think I have eaten that much in a four day span, ever…and I come from a big Italian family. I was a big fan of the brochettes (kabobs) and tanjine. The best food, though? Sliced oranges with cinnamon. I know, I know. But don’t knock it until you’ve had it. I don’t like oranges and I loved it. We had been told to eat at food stall #1 in Jemaa El Fna Square, but I was hesistant to eat the Moroccan version of, what I call, street meat. On the final night, my friends, mom and I finally grew the balls to try it. I regret not having it early. It was all served tapas style, it was cheap, it was fast and most importantly…it could have been the most delicious meal we had in Morocco. It takes a lot to silence my friends and I, but the four of us sat there, not talking, just devouring the food. It was gone in a flash. In fact, we had to order more.

I think my favorite moment of Morocco was… I dont know. I have so many. Spending time with my mom. Definitely. We stayed at a lovely Riad in the Medina that was recommended to us, Riad Palais des Princesses. It was fantastic. We had a room that connected to a huge terrace. We were the only room on that floor, so essentially, the terrace was all ours. Our bathroom was out there too. No, not an outdoor bathroom, but something similar to a bathhouse. It was quite lovely. The other thing I learned, well I knew but it became more apparent on this trip, a smile is universal.

When we arrived in Marrakesh, the gentleman at our hotel was watching the Morocco/South Africa Africa Cup game. He told me, “We suck.” As mom and I walked into the square later in the evening, I noticed men huddled around a TV in a barber shop. I stuck my head in to see the score. Despite a language barrier, we used smiles and thumbs up to indicate that Morocco was winning. When I smiled at the fact, the guy jumped up, hugged me and showed all his friends that I was a Morocco supporter. Everyday when we walked past the barber, he would smile at us. It’s the little things in travel that matter sometimes.

There are pockets of great food in Spain, but there are also pockets of very mediocre food in Spain, and the same in morocco and the same in Croatia and the same in Germany and the same in Austria. – Mario Batali