Morocco – Marrakech

We decided to spend one week of the kids’ two-week fall break in Morocco. We started in Marrakech, and stayed in the medina (the old walled part of the city). We arrived after midnight and were woken just after 5:00 a.m. by the morning call to prayer. After a few minutes, a groggy Corinna said, “Mommy, that is so annoying. When will it ever stop?” Our riad (guesthouse) was wonderful and included a nice breakfast each morning. We spent our time wandering through the maze-like streets of the medina, dodging bicycles and scooters, and taking in new sights and unfamiliar smells. The Jemaa el Fna had plenty to keep us busy: snake charmers, monkeys, horse-drawn carriages, story tellers, performers, fresh squeezed orange juice stands, and many food carts that opened up just for the evening. We negotiated with vendors in the souks. Our day trip to the Atlas mountains was memorable, including a visit to an aromatic garden, our driver being pulled over by the police (for speeding), camel rides, spotting monkeys on the mountain, and a hike to a waterfall. Parts of the hike were steep and tricky, and Reid was very unhappy about the possibility of falling down the mountain, mumbling frequently to himself and us about that possibility. We had some delicious meals, and the kids had more Fanta and Sprite than they’ve ever been allowed to have.  Our time in Marrakech was fun, but after four days, we were ready to move on to our next stop – the coastal town of Essaouira.

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