Morocco, A Million and One Sides

Morocco, mille et un facettes, 
Morocco, a million and one sides,
was the title to a magazine article I
read on Air Moroc, heading to Marrakech.

Yaelle points us in the right direction.

The 2 1/2 hr plane ride from Paris was un cauchemar,(nightmare!)

with kids and parents filling the aisles.  After the initial service of

an excellent meal, the stewards disappeared.  Apparently there was

a huge community of Jews flying to Morocco and the stewards

were told to just ignore the chaos.  I wondered if this had any relation

to the recent tragedy in Toulouse   I couldn't help contrast this chaos

to the orderliness of a North American airline. 

Marrakech airport

We were about to discover the many different sides of Morocco....

 

Donkeys are ever present amidst the congested traffic 

and are a means of transport

for numerous items;  fruits, vegetables, pottery, bread,

grasses, grains and sometimes children.

 

Taxis are everywhere and there is a distinction

between the white taxis, known as "white sharks"

and the other taxis.  Taking a white taxi is risking

life and limb as the driver believes he owns the

road at the expense of all others on the road.  

Rachel and family emerged from a white taxi

with faces whiter than the colour of the cab!

Perhaps as frightening as entering a white taxi is 

walking through one of the doors which open into

the medina, a Unesco World Heritage sight and

 "the historic heart of the city of

Marrakech.  It is one of the largest medina

in Morocco...originally built around a miltary camp

in XIth century.  Today the height of the walls vary between

8 and 10 meters and extend over a total distance

exceeding 19 km."http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakech#La_M.C3.A9dina

 

Upon walking through one of the medina's portals you are

immediately greeted by a man who wants to guide you

through the maze of alleyways.  Unfortunately this

man was quite inebriated and hard to lose.

     

Unless you hire a guide you are constantly

bombarded by vendors calling you into

their tiny booths.

Traditional, handcrafted leather, copper, pottery, and rugs

coexist among made in china items.

To get a feel for walking through the Medina I found

this clip on you tube Medina in Marrakech 

The medina is dominated by men as this is their place of commerce.  

While doing a google search for Marrakech I found it interesting

that many of the sites lead you to the posh Riads (B&B) that

dot the city.  

Yet just outside these posh places one finds

trash spilling out of garbage bins or simply thrown

along curbs or even onto rooftops.  

  

Beauty can definitely be found in the midst of trash as we discovered

upon entering Le Jardin Majorelle, created by the French painter

Jacques Majorelle(1886-1962) from Nancy, France.   

Lush, primary colours greet you around every

corner.

Yves St. Laurent and Pierre Berge discovered the Majorelle Garden and purchased

it in 1980, after discovering it was to be destroyed and replaced by a hotel..

Pierre Berge and Yves St. Laurent

 

 

And this was just day 1!  No wonder the youths look tired.

Inside the Majorelle garden is a museum dedicated

to the culture of the Berbers, North Africa's original

inhabitants.  Centuries before the Quakers or the

Amish created their functional yet beautiful everyday

items for the homes, the Berbers mastered their craft

in leatherwork, silver and copper, pottery and woven

wares.  

     

You cannot mention Morocco without talking about

Tajine, a traditional Berber dish from North Africa.

Ludo checking out his mom's Tagine

The food, either vegetables or meat is placed in the shallow bottom of the clay

pot, covered with the conical lid and cooked over briquettes or gas.

The shape of the clay pot encourages the meat or vegetables to be steamed.

         

   

Stay tuned for the road to Safi, pottery capital of Morocco and

a Portuguese fortress.