The following morning, we were woken by the faint sounds of children being sent off to school and people walking in the alley way below. We stayed in Riad Badra, a beautiful homely riad, with friendly staff who immediately made us feel welcome. A breakfast was prepared for us, consisting of various breads, jam, coffee and juice, in a cosy living room of low down seating and mosaic tiled walls. I loved this riad straight away, painted in warm red shades with a gorgeous selection of Moorish furnishings. The atmosphere was relaxed and tranquil, just what we needed to wake up to.
By mid morning, we found ourselves wandering through the maze of souks, to the familiar grounds of the main square, or Jemma el Fna as its known. Our riad was located to the north of the souks, so this area of Marrakesh was new to me. We passed endless stores of spices and colourful skins, stretched over frames, to form decorative lamps. Unusually, we were not approached by sellers and left alone to continue through. I think as soon as they spot your pace slowing and your head turning to look at something that catches your eye, the store holders pounce and begin calling after you. I find the solution is usually to smile and say, non Merci, while continuing to walk forward.
Already, the sun felt quite hot by the time we had made it to Jemma el Fna. So we decided to go for mint tea, at the Princes patisserie on Rue Bab Agnaou. There is always something calming about a glass of mint tea before going out to face the chaos and intensity of Marrakesh, with street hawkers and entertainers on every corner. We decided to do something touristy for a change, and took an open tour bus around the city. It was the perfect amount of distance, letting us observe the city, while being free from the endless interaction from people trying to sell things or just make money from the nearest tourist. We took the romantic route, which led us around the palmeries on the edge of the city. I enjoyed looking out across open views of palm trees with the mountains in the distance, especially after the bustling streets of Marrakesh.
We arrived back in the new town, where we decided to have lunch. We looked at the menu of quite a few cafes until finding one that we liked the look of. We were led inside, but the place stank of smoke, so the waiters found a table for us outside. We both ordered chicken brochette with fries, but the meal was a disappointment as the chicken was pink in the middle. Under cooked meat seems to be a feature of Marrakesh and I recommend going vegetarian (their cheese is best avoided) or only eating meat in expensive restaurants.
We returned back to our riad, to enjoy the late afternoon sun, while relaxing on the roof terrace with a book.
In the evening, we had dinner at Narwama, a previous favourite restaurant of mine, complete with strong cocktails, a water feature that shoots flames into the air and a luxurious decor. They do a Thai and Moroccan themed menu, with far more flavour than the surrounding restaurants. Also, they seem to be one of the few places that consistently served properly cooked meat and a choice of something other than tagine.
The following morning was sunny and I felt very relaxed. Despite it being my fifth visit to Morocco, there were parts of Marrakech that I hadn't explored and wanted to. One of these areas was the grounds of the Koutoubia. I enjoyed wandering though gardens of cacti, on to well kept pathways with orange trees on either side, heavy with fruit and birds chirping away. There were plenty of benches to sit on, looking out across green hedges to the Koutoubia with fountains in the foreground. We headed to Portofino's for a lunch of pasta and a view back to the Koutoubia.
In the afternoon, still intent on trying things that I had never done before, we took a celeche around the old city walls. After a discussion over price, we settled on half an hour for 100dh. We sat in a carriage as our driver shouted and whipped the horses to trot. He had a brief tour around the old city walls and through an exclusive part of town with new hotels and casinos. The experience was fairly forgettable and not something I would recommend, but I wanted to try it in case I was missing something.
Once back in Jemma el Fna, we went into the souks and did some shopping. I bought a bag of harissa for 20dh and mint tea for the same. We also bought some colourful fabric poufs for the living room and made our way back to the riad. We spent the last day light hour exploring the residential area in the north east of the souks, with its beautiful doorways.
