14 December, Marrakesh

 A new day begins and we have mixted feelings about going out. 

Going our facing the crazy world of Marrakesh. 

One thing at a time, we will photograph our riad, eat breakfast and decide who we are going to spend our day. 

By the way the riad is called Dar Mirai, it is owned by a Berber guy and his Japanese (!!) wife. Hassan is their friend, also a Berber who makes breakfast and keeps the riad. Berber people are different than arab people, desert tribes with a very different culture than muslim culture. 

Breakfast is really good, moroccan bread and psemen, the arab pancakes, as well as olives, olive oil, and amblou, a moroccan spread which is a mix of roasted almonds, argan oil and honey. I really liked it!  

After breakfast we go up to the terrace. The weather is really warm and we can see the rooftops of Marrakesh. We also see the two mosques, Bab Doukkala whish is really close, as well at the Koutoubia mosque, one of the emblematic mosques of Marrakesh. 

It's time to go out and explore the city. We take Hassan's advice very seriously and off we go to see the famous Marrakesh. Its' million colours, its' million flavors, its' million surprises. 

In the guide book as well as the internet articles, everyone said that you will surely get lost in the medina of Marrakesh and you will pay somenone a tip to take you back to a central place. I made it my personal objective to never get lost, especially with no internet at hand.

It was really weird to see donkeys everywhere, used as vehicles to do works, mainly building works. It may shock some people, but I am not shocked, Lon long ago in Greece, donkeys were tools and not animals. 

Marrakesh is the base for many artisans, and you will see people on the street who use their foot to carve the wood. You stop and look and the guy will make you a "lucky charm". It is just a trap to make you buy something from his wooden stock. K. bought a domino. We went home, he opened it, there was a missing piece, we went back, the guy made a whole  in the middle of the number four to make a number five. He said he used another piece of wood but it is just resin. We played along, their scam game, it is part of the Marrakesh experience!

In the medina, there are a million shops, there are a million colours, and there are Caravan Serais. When the people of the dessert came in Marrakesh, with their camels and the families and all the merchandise, they had to sleep and stay somewhere. So these big houses, two stories high, with a garden a fountain in the middle, where their homes for a while. Nowadays, these Caravan Serais, host shops for artisanal works. Here nobody will push you in buying stuff. You can go inside, look around and take photos. 

Everywhere you look there are wonders. Shops, cats, turtles eating salad, vehicules coming out of nowhere, motorcycles, bicycles... we are walking and walking and walking... 

My goal of not getting lost is accomplished! I have understood how the labyrith works and I am very proud. After wandering around the medina and buying some delicious sweets from the shop, we are going to see Koutoubia, one of the biggest and oldest mosques in Marrakesh.

My feet are killing me. Walking around you don't realise how many kilometers you walk. I need to go back now and rest. 

Today is the football match between Morocco and France. 

Our plan for the rest of the day is to come to the Jamaa el  Fna square before the sun sets, to look around, eat dinner and return home before football starts.

When we go out, it's a little bit chilly and we regret not taking our jackets with us. 

In the morning it was really hot, but now the wind is really strong and rain might start falling. 

I read about this restaurant with a terrace where you can see the whole of Jamaa el Fna and her craziness. 

As we walk towards the square, we see that thay have put up a huge screen for the match! There is a festive atmosphere and "inshalah" Morocco might win today!

We have chosen to sit on the terrace, but near the back, where it is covered. We are protected from the wind and the possible rain but it is cold. 

Our meal is really good but the rain starts coming down! 

We eat and wait for it to calm down.

We choose a moment that it is not really raining and we walk fast to go back home, a 15 minute walk from where we are. 

Tomorrow we will know the score!