A tactically positioned AirBnB and a ridiculously easy-to-navigate airport made saying ‘so long’ to Dubrovnik a piece of cake. Sadly, it’s not easy (or cheap) to get a direct flight from Croatia to Morocco, so we found ourselves flying all the way to London to get to Marrakech.
When we arrived, it was very clear we weren’t in Kansas any more: the traffic, the clothing and the sights were exotic and exciting. We were dropped of at Jamaal El Fina square in the heart of Marrakech’s medina (city center) as cars aren’t allow into the center of the old city. After Grant outrageously overpaid our porter ($10! But also our smallest bill…), we settled into our beautiful riad, complete with amazingly carved and painted plaster ceilings!
As it was getting late, we headed back out into the square and set about picking one of the many stalls that sell fresh food each evening.
There were rows and rows of these pop-up grill cafés, easily close to one hundred of them!
After a short meander, we made eye contact with one of the hawkers for just a second too long and before we knew what had happened, we were plopped into seats and a very tasty meal of veggie and chicken kabobs, couscous and lamb chops steaming in front of us!
It really was dinner and a show…
Anxious not to miss any of the carnival-esque atmosphere, we meandered from cluster of observers to observers, watching everything from what we think were either storytellers or a serious gambling operation, to cross-dressing belly dancers and carnival games.
We had to soon give up our wanderings however, as a surprisingly cold breeze made the night too cool for our shorts and tank tops. Back to Hidden Riad for a (much less crazy) night’s rest!
-J & G