Marrakech, Morocco, Day 1

I haven't quite kept up to date with my travels here. I have been quite a few places before heading off to Marrakech...to name a few...Paris, Rome, Salzburg, Venice...perhaps one day I will catch up to those. I felt that Marrakech deserved a few minutes of my time to share my experience.

My Mom and I decided on Marrakech for our 'exotic vacation our husbands wouldn't want to go on'  because of the shopping it promised, and it sure did deliver. We used Ryanair, which is a discount airline, to fly from Frankfurt Hahn to Marrakech Menara Airport, which took about 3 hours. We highly recommend paying the extra for a checked bag, and an even heavier checked bag on the way back (I'll get to the reason later). The most important thing about booking a trip to Marrakech, is booking the right riad. We did not go to Marrakech to sit in a gated resort somewhere and sit by a pool. We wanted to immerse ourselves in the culture and see the city. A riad is a bed and breakfast type of accommodation. We stayed at Riad El Mansour, and it was amazing. They arranged our airport pick up and drop off, and we didn't have to worry about money right off the bat. Every expense we made through the hotel was saved until the end, including a personal guided tour through the souks, or market stalls, and taxis to and from the dinner reservations they helped us make. They were more than happy to help us with anything from getting medication for us to giving us directions and recommendations. They had freshly made dishes available almost the entire day, and had spa amenities available too. The entire place was gorgeous, from the bathroom in the room, to the courtyard.

Okay enough about the Riad (but seriously it was the best oasis from the heat and bustle of the city one could ask for), now onto the visit itself. The first day we ventured out on our own to explore the Medina, or old city. The walk was about 15 minutes to our first site, and it was definitely a bit of culture shock; from donkey carts about to run you over, to calls to prayers, to mopeds buzzing everywhere, to watching people be human 'froggers' trying to cross the street. There was a lot to take in, and our first stop was to Palais La Bahia, a must-see historical site. As we were heading to our next site, we came across a small bead shop, and then the spice market. The spice shop was our first Marrakech-style shopping experience. The shop worker was very informed and eager to show us all of the different kinds of spices they offered. It was really neat to see some of the spices in raw form. He also offered us tea, a common custom there. After purchasing a few things (and not enough!), we were off to Palais El Badi, which were historical ruins. It was neat, but not as much to see as the last one, and please be careful walking around on the uneven surface....

We were ready for a much-needed break at that point considering it was probably about 100 degrees Fahrenheit and we were dressed modestly to respect the culture and to avoid any trouble. I would recommend to any women to wear maxi dresses or skirts and a t-shirt. There were tourists and even locals in shorts and tank tops, but I felt it was safest for me, as a young women, to not call attention to myself. I found that the maxi skirt was the coolest option vs. capri pants I had worn the first day.

We got lunch at a cafe called Kosybar, which had some nice lunch options and a roof terrace to sit at. At this point we were both overheated and a little injured, so we hailed a cab back to the riad where we cooled down in our air conditioned room. My best recommendation is not to go in the summer but sometimes it is unavoidable, so plan to retreat back to your riad for a break in the day. Our overheated selves were not up for another outing, so we ordered light fare from the riad and ate in the courtyard.

The stray kittens were oh so cute, and there were dogs too. Poor things.