10/1 -- Explore Marrakech

We headed out at 8:30am to avoid the heat and hopped into horse-drawn caleches (carriages). Our first stop was a shop that specialized in silver jewelry. I found several things I liked, but we didn't have time to really make decisions, so we will go back tomorrow morning.

Mary and Mike in the caleche.

From there, it was back into the horse cab for a jaunt to the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech and the surrounding gardens. On our way, we stopped to learn about a hotel which had been the home of a sultan, and later converted into a fancy hotel. The Koutoubia Mosque was started in the 10th century, but the original builders were defeated and a new mosque was started right next door instead of completing the work started by the losers. You can still see part of the original wall and short restorations of all the pillars that had been done.

Former palace, now a hotel

Old incomplete section of the mosque. The finished part
and large minaret are to the right.

Then it was back to the horses and a trip to the Bahia Palace, named for one of the wives of the sultan's grand vizier who built it. There were tons of cats as well as a few storks. We have been seeing stork's nests all over Morocco, but rarely have seen the bird. Today resolved that problem. Apparently they have all moved here! The palace had an administrative and a residential section with 'apartments' for 4 wives and a large suite for the grand vizier. It was clear that not all wives were equal. Some rooms for the wife and children were a single largish space that would have been divided into sleeping and living areas by folding walls, sort of like a big studio apartment with no kitchen or bathroom. Another one was quite a bit more extensive with several rooms beyond the initial large receiving room.

Gardens in the administrative part of the palace

Inside one of the audience rooms. Many
 of the ceilings were elaborated carved and
painted wood.

I loved the detail on the arch and the door frame.

Jim caught this stork on the wing

Two storks planning to use their nest.

Interesting juxtaposition of cultures just outside the
Bahia Palace.

Outside the palace, it was back to the horses again for a trip to a spice shop where we got saffron, and a couple local spice mixes that I will have to learn how to use as well as a luscious lemony glycerin soap of the type Jim likes. Then we walked to the Saadien tombs, a mausoleum of sorts for former rulers. The hotshots were in tiled areas inside building with varying sizes of headstone-like structures. The bigger the structures were, the more important they were. In the courtyard were the tombs of the workers, and even those had some very limited structures on top, apparently supervisors.

Spice shop vendor explaining what is available.

Outside (low level) tombs with some evidence of status

Inside, royal tombs with status indicators too.

Then we headed to a VERY large souvenir store with fixed prices. While this was probably a bit more expensive than shopping in the souks, it was certainly lots less hassle and faster. I even found a pair of comfortable slippers with turned-up toes. After a short ride to the main square, it was time to say goodbye to the carriages and go to lunch at a pizza place.

After lunch, Driss found an artist to give me a henna tattoo. I was looking for a bracelet style and could choose from photos, but the only bracelet she did had hand and finger elements I didn't want, so Driss bargained her down to 40 dirham from 80 for the part I wanted. She worked on me with one hand and was on the phone with the other for part of the time! At the end, she wanted 50 and sprinkled glitter on it to help it set (a common but questionable action).To me the 10 dirham was meaningless -- the total cost was under $6. My tattoo was a darker brown than the ones the group got -- and a bit more visible than some of them. Apparently there is more than one type of ink and like pens, different thicknesses of the lines.

Then we walked the nearly 2 miles back to the hotel in the heat of the day. This called for relaxation in our room for a couple hours to recover. As sunset approached, the day cooled and 9 of us with Driss hopped into a van for the trip back to the main square, which becomes much more active at night. I was kind of hoping to find my henna artist, since a prominent section of the dye didn't take very well and was a lot lighter than the rest.

This was about spectacle and shopping and eating. There were dozens of food carts with tables setup, there were even dessert carts that came along to the tables. There was entertainment of all sorts and music, and after dark, lots of illuminated toys that shot up into the air and whirled colorfully to the ground. I did find the henna artist -- she had worn veil and gloves while working on me, but was less covered tonight -- she spied me and wanted to know how I liked the tattoo -- when I showed her the faint spots, she grabbed my hand, sat me down, and redid the iffy sections, which turned out great the second time around.

The square got much busier as night fell.

Driss joining in with a music/dance group

A game of chance setup in the square.

After wandering around, Driss led us to a safe vendor cart for kebabs, pastilla, or fried calamari, which was inexpensive, filling, and tasty. We had about 30 minutes to wander before heading back, so we looked at the souk, but I found I was pretty shopped out and we were glad when everyone had gathered for the return trip.