Essaouira

While our trip in Morocco was planned impeccably, sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. Because of the Moroccan storm, the road we needed to access to get up into the High Atlas Mountains was blocked. After experiencing less than ideal road conditions, meaning flooded roads with crowds of people watching as cars try to get across, we didn’t really feel it was worth the risk…and even if the road cleared, we still would not have been able to do the hiking that was planned up there, so we decided to be nimble and change the plan on the fly. We were driving back towards Marrakech anyway, so we decided to do one more night there and then move on to Casablanca so that our early morning flights on Sunday would be more convenient.

Luckily for us, our tour company booked us in a top-rate hotel in Marrakech. While we really liked our Riad the first time around, Palais Khum was next level. Our very spacious room was decorated fantastically, with Berber clothing and jewelry hanging on the walls. And there were rose petals (seemingly very typical in Morocco, or at least in Marrakech) everywhere…even in our toilet bowl! And don’t get me started on the shower (not amazing by Western standards but compared to the others we had been in in Morocco this was luxury all the way!). Needless to say, we traded up!

Can you imagine wearing something this heavy around your neck??

We took the day to do one more walk around the city and visit the La Momounia Hotel and Gardens. Stepping inside the grounds here is like visiting an entirely different city. Our hotels were inside the core of the medina, so we experienced the hustle and bustle of Marrakech;but at La Momounia you could very easily stay inside the property walls and never see the real Marrakech. Now don’t get me wrong, I would gladly stay here (if someone else was paying), but I’m really happy that I’ve first seen and felt and heard the city the way that I have.

After a luxurious night of our own at the Palais Khum, we hit the road again for our final stop, Casablanca. Now most people have a romanticized vision of this place because of what they’ve seen at the movies, but in actuality this is the center of commerce and isn’t a huge point of interest for tourism. However, having said that, there is one site in particular that is incredible – The Hassan II Mosque.

On our walk to the Mosque we stopped at a popular lunch spot, Sqala. We over-ordered, and overate, but we got to have some of our favorite Moroccan dishes one last time so it was well worth it!

After stuffing ourselves we kept following the path towards the mosque, a landmark literally impossible to miss. It has the world’s tallest minaret, and is the largest mosque on the continent. Additionally the mosque has a capacity of 105,000 worshippers at once!! The mosque is massive, and incredibly intricate in its decoration. Truly a sight to see!

While taking a tour of the mosque in French (it was the final tour of the day so it was better than nothing), we met another American and decided together to pay a taxi driver to take us around to see the other sites worth seeing. The negotiation process alone was an event, but once we settled on an amount, we went to see the very posh seaside area, with restaurants and clubs galore, as well as the Cathedral, which just so happened to be holding a fashion show inside. We took a walk in because we just couldn’t resist!

After our tour of the city we went out for our last meal in Morocco. Our hotel (Novotel, NOT to be confused with the Sofitel, which our driver first took us to, and got our hopes up for, before realizing his mistake and taking us right next door to the right place) was right by the port in Casablanca so we went to a fish and seafood hotspot right there. We decided to finally try a fish tagine, seeing as it would be our last chance, and had grilled calamari as well. The tagine wasn’t my favorite unfortunately (and in fact the best tagine we had over the entire trip were actually the 2 we had for lunch on day 1, go figure), but the calamari was delicious…plus I’m glad we tried the tagine before heading home.

That about wraps it up for Morocco. It’s like nowhere else I’ve ever traveled and I’m so glad that we went…and that we survived without getting sick. I’m now back in Madrid for a couple nights, and still readjusting to the fact that I can drink the water here. Tomorrow, off to Segovia for the day (you might remember this is where I tried to go previously but missed my train). More later…

After 3 nights in Marrakech we headed to the coast, to a small fishing village called Essaouira, where Jimi Hendrix allegedly wrote Castles Made of Sand and Bob Marley visited. On the way, we stopped off at a women’s co-op for Argan Oil. Here we saw the process of harvesting the nuts (which starts with goats), and then the many steps that these women perform, essentially in their version of an assembly line, in order to make the oil. We tested products, and of course bought some (only later to discover how overpriced it was!).

Goats play an important role in the making of Argan oil.

When we arrived in Essaouira we were immediately told about the big storm that was on its way. The weather was gorgeous, so it seemed hard to believe, but we figured we might as well pack everything we wanted to do outdoors into that day just in case these rumors were true.

It was lunchtime, so we strolled down to the port and towards the fish market and grill stands that we had heard so much about. We were warned that we would be harassed by all of the guys trying to get our business, but even with the warning we weren’t prepared. We decided on our particular stand, for no particular reason, seeing as each one had the same exact offerings…but there were locals eating there so we thought it had legitimacy! Not much as far as seasoning, but fresh and delicious nonetheless.

BEFORE

AFTER

We walked around the town and saw all the sites within a couple hours before settling in to watch the waves get larger and larger as the storm really did get closer.

For dinner we took the advice of Lonely Planet and headed to this really tiny, cool place called Elizir. We felt like we were in someone’s apartment at a dinner party as the French ballads played. The menu was tiny but perfect. We split a pumpkin and leek soup and a cuttlefish risotto to start, followed by a grilled seabass for dinner, and a really delicious chocolate cake for dessert. If you find yourself in Essaouira, I highly recommend!

We had a big day planned for Thursday (Thanksgiving). Cooking class in the morning, and then a relaxing hammam (traditional Moroccan steam spa) in the afternoon…perfect for a rainy day.

After eating all of this delicious Moroccan food all week, we were excited to learn how to actually make a Tagine. The menu was a zucchini starter with ginger, garlic and parsley, and a lamb, apricot and almond tagine.

While our tagines cooked for 2.5 hours, we took a trip to the spice market to learn a bit more from Medicine Man, Mohamed. He took us through all the different traditional Moroccan spices used for cooking, as well as different teas, perfumes, natural remedies…and even things you can use to poison someone. Moroccans use every part of what they find in nature, so it was all really interesting to learn about. I couldn’t resist – I bought some tea and two spice blends to try out when I get home…which now just means my luggage has taken on a new smell. Only 2.5 weeks (or so) left to lug it around…oy 🙂

After our little spice lesson, we went back to our finished tagines and it was time for lunch. It was a proud moment for all 4 of us in the class!

A long leisurely lunch led to a food coma, not unlike what most of you were feeling on Thanksgiving, I’m sure. And what better way to indulge that further then a relaxing steam, heavy duty body scrub, and massage?!? It was 2 hours of pure relaxation. Unfortunately I have no pics from the Hammam…but honestly, “[you] don’t want to see that!” (thank you, Valerie Cherish)

And to end an already full, great day, we went to a little local restaurant for even more tagine and pastilla (the sweet and savory chicken pastry I wrote about a couple days ago) and some great live music. 3 local guys were singing reggae and classic rock, which was fitting for the stories told about the musical legends in this town. Their song choices were infectious. I only wish I knew the name of their band so I could find them on facebook – they were really that good!

The storm did hit, but it wasn’t as epic as we had originally heard. And luckily, it didn’t stop us from enjoying our 2 days in Essaouira!

The Laid-Off Life

IMPROV:MOROC

A HAMMAM THANKSGIVING