Marrakech, Morocco

Some may say it's an improvement!

SUNDAY 1 JUNE 2008

Yesterday, we had a 7 hour train journey to Marrakech. Traveling First Class in Morocco is quite cheap but very comfortable. We arrived at our hotel, the Rhiad Catalina, which is a beautiful restored 19th century palace.

Today we wandered around the Medina on our own and saw the dyeing souk where wool is dyed using natural products such as saffron, poppy, coal etc. Roger had raiki performed on him and bought lotions for his feet. There were many workshops making shoes, metal workshops making lanterns, carpenters making tables, individuals spinning wool and weaving blankets from sheep and camel hair.

We had lunch in the Place Jemaa el-Fna where there were acrobats, snake charmers, fortune tellers and stalls selling figs and fresh orange juice. In the afternoon we went to the Ben Youssef Medersa, one of the largest in the Maghreb with space for 900 students, the Koubba Ba’Adiyn, and the Musee de Marrakech which is set in the 19th century palace of Dar Menebhi. The architecture just seems to get better and better.

We went back to the hotel and relaxed by the pool before going out in the evening to the main square Place Jemaa el-Fna. Once again, it was alive with henna stalls, snake charmers, dancers, musicians and lots of food stalls, each one touting for business. One young boy said he thought we came from Wales and started speaking excellent Welsh to us!