The New Normal - Traveling to Marrakesh (on Eid) in Morocco

Marrakesh Train Station

"All aboard the train.  Wouldn't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express. They're taking me to Marrakesh."  

"Take the train from Casablanca going south ... traveling the train through clear Moroccan skies" was surreal and mesmerizing to me. We sat in a compartment in the front car with four other people.  I found myself staring out the window for most of the 4-hour ride. Leaving the city sights and sounds (and smells!) of Casa and traveling through the ever-changing Moroccan countryside was an amazing education.  The terrain ranged from brown and flat, to hilly and almost mountainous, with real mountains in the distance. Occasionally, swampy water areas could be seen near the tracks, and we even passed by a river or two.  Both the flat and hilly land seemed to be parceled out to landowners, often divided by prickly pear edging.  Tree orchards could be seen in the distance and near the tracks, but not much in the way of crops growing right now. The train stopped quite often as travelers down the line joined us. Sometimes the stops were in small towns, but other times they seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.  

Traveling south from Casa

Relaxing in our compartment

View of some cultivated fields

We arrived in Marrakesh, aka the red city, around 1:30 in the afternoon.  This city is quite different from Casa in many ways. The first thing that struck me was all the green...trees, plants and flowers abound, and the fact that the buildings are mostly red (as opposed to white in Casa). The air is fresh and dry, and devoid of the city smells, to which I have become accustomed.  Our lodgings, Savoy Le Grand Hotel, was nothing short of paradise. There are two huge pools, beautiful grounds, comfortable rooms and impeccable service. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone traveling to Marrakesh.  (Oh, and did I mention air-conditioning!?)

Evening view from Hotel; Atlas Mountains in the distance

Our first night we had a great tajine dinner in an open-air cafe, followed by yummy ice cream. There were misters on poles between the tables in order to put moisture into the air; it felt great.  (It's so dry here that even a wet bathing suit on a person dries amazingly quickly.)  After that, we hung out at a nearby fountain that was huge. It was basically a light show to music, with the water being shot out, up, through, etc. to go along with whatever music was playing. Its hard to describe; suffice to say it was hard to pull ourselves away from it.

However,  we finally did break away and decided to take a horse-drawn carriage ride. Our driver was friendly, speaking to us in French and a little English. We got a good feel for the medina and other places we wanted to see in the daylight. 

Ok, so Richard wasn't really driving!

Sunday was day two of our mini vacation.  We went down to the hotel's unbelievable complimentary breakfast buffet at 7AM  I have never seen such a huge spread for breakfast.  After that we headed for the medina, a very traditional Moroccan site with winding alleyways and colorful souks. The narrow passageways were crowded and the shop keepers were mostly too aggressive in my opinion.  Motor cycles were allowed, weaving in an out of the crowds. 

Take your life in your own hands!

The spice section was particularly impressive and a shop owner who spoke English very well educated us on the values of the various spices and dyes. Some were for medicinal purposes and others for cleaning, plus there were aromatic spices and of course, those for cooking. 

  

Spices for all purposes

Dyes

We also found an interesting shop with an owner who spend a lot of time with us. There is so much inventory in there, a variety of copper, silver, pottery, jewelry, rugs, blankets and so much more . He took us upstairs where he claimed to keep the "good stuff", putting this inventory in the context of his grandfather and the fact that there were true artisans back then.  Upstairs is where we found and bought two hand-woven Berber blankets to use this winter. 

Narrow stairway to second floor "The Good Stuff"

Room after room of inventory

Later, we toured the Bahia Palace, which is also located in the medina. It was built in the 19th century by grand viziers to the Alaouite sultans. Here we saw beautiful workmanship including intricate zellige floors, detailed painted cedar ceilings, impressive wooden doors and carved stucco. The grounds included pretty gardens and courtyards.  We were allowed to tour only a small part of the castle; it is officially part of the Royal Palace and covers 20 acres and has 150 rooms.

Intricate carving 

Colorful Tiles

Lush vegetation

We almost were able to leave medina without having to deal with the snake charmers. But, alas, we were accosted as we were looking for a taxi. I'm not big on snakes, but Richard actually ended up with one around his neck. 300 MAD later we escaped in a cab and went back to the resort. 

Transporting Sheep for Eid

On Monday, the official start of Eid finally arrived.  Eid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice) is a major Islamic holiday. (This is why we had vacation from school from Monday through Wednesday.)  The exact dates of Eid are determined by the lunar calendar and it is celebrated throughout the Muslim world. Ibrahims's sacrifice is commemorated by ritual sacrifice of sheep. Throughout the days before Eid we saw sheep being transported in every kind of vehicle imaginable. The king kicks it off by being the first to sacrifice a sheep, then everyone follows suit. Every part of the sheep is eaten, with a portion being given to the poor.  

Rather than sacrificing a sheep, we started our Eid with a visit to the Marjorelle Gardens. This Moorish villa and gardens was built in the 1920's and 30's by Jacques Marjorelle, a French orientalist painter.  Years later, the house was bought by Yves Saint Laurent, who preserved the villa and gardens.  After the death of Saint Laurent in 2008, his partner Pierre Berge donated the jardin to a foundation set up in both of their names.  There is a memorial to the French fashion designer on site.  

The gardens are spectacular and like nothing Richard and I had ever seen before. The foliage is dense and I had to remove my sunglasses to see the vegetation clearly.  The bamboo is very tall, as are many of the varieties of cactus.  Trellised vines abound and there are multiple types of plants and trees.  The brightly-colored pots and multiple reflecting pools add to the beauty and peacefulness of the place. We also enjoyed looking at the artwork of Saint Laurent in the "Love Gallery"; he created these collage "love posters" and sent them as New Years greetings to his friends and clients of his fashion house. 

Koi and coins, Fish and Wish! 

"Love" Gallery

Colored Pots

Bamboo, new and old

   

Beautiful Trellis

Memorial to Yves Saint Laurent

Awe, isn't he cute?

Pond

For lunch, the hotel offered a gigantic Eid buffet. I even ate lamb to celebrate along with the Moroccans.  

Tajine, a very small part of the buffet

Eid Watermelon

Hanging out poolside for the balance of the afternoon and Tuesday morning rounded out our first Moroccan holiday.  

Sunset from the rear of the Savoy Hotel

Postscripts - A friend's view of Eid:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/desiree-michael/hitchcockian-view-into-mo_b_11991936.html

Another co-worker's perspective of Eid (a comparison to Christmas):
http://dngrudda.blogspot.com/2014/10/just-little-different.html

Addendum:
Below are Berber blankets we bought at the medina in Marrakesh, "The Good Stuff".  We really liked the owner of this shop; highly recommended with LOTS of stuff to buy.

When we asked about how to wash the blankets, the man replied "you never need to wash them, just hang them out to air dry."  Interesting.

Addendum 2:  If you travel on a holiday weekend, get your train tickets ahead of time.  Also, travel first class, which is a compartment with 6 passengers.  It's not much more money and is well worth it!