Marrakech Adventure - Day 2

Me at the Majorelle Gardens

This morning, we woke up to a delicious breakfast provided by our riad. It had breads, yogurt, pound cake, omelets, crepes, jellies, fresh orange juice, and tea. What a great way to start the day! Then we walked through the crowded streets until we found a taxi that would take us to the train station to get our tickets to Fez in a couple days. We drove through the new part of the city, which was infinitely more luxurious than the old part – it literally looked like Boca Raton with endless fancy hotels. The train station was also very nice, and we felt like we were out of Morocco. We got the tickets and took another taxi to the Majorelle Gardens. After waiting in line for a little while, we entered this oasis. It was like a jungle filled with cacti and brightly colored pottery. We enjoyed the peacefulness there and checked out the museum filled with fashions by Yves Saint Laurent that were inspired by Marrakech. We wandered back through the new city to the old city and had lunch outside at a restaurant, which included more yummy couscous. It is funny to see the locals sit outside at cafes because they are all men and almost all sit on one side of the table and just people watch.

Medersa Ben Youssef

We got lost finding our next destination – the Medersa Ben Youssef. It used to be an Islamic college and is now a really cool building to walk around. It reminded me a lot of the Alcázar in Sevilla. We also explored a museum and ruins in that area. Then we went to a really nice spice shop, where we bought some amber and other gifts. It was beautiful with all the different colors of spices and various products in glass jars, including snakeskin and dead birds. We got sucked into spending way too long in a Berber rug store, but the rugs were very pretty and the people were nice. Eventually, we wandered through the “big market,” got some orange/grapefruit juice, and headed home. That is easier said than done, especially at night. We walked for way too long and ended up having little kids help us out. Everyone here offers to lead you places for a tip and then complains about what you give them. These kids were really cute until they begged us for more money, but they did point us in the right direction. With the help of many people on the street, we eventually found our way to a spot that we recognized. On the way, I saw a child pushing another child in a wheelchair who was wielding a gun. I hope it was fake but I was not going to ask. I was relieved to make it back to our riad and sit down for what felt like the first time all day. It was another exhausting and exciting day in Marrakech!