mosaic road

Rue Yves Saint Laurent - part 1

I am lucky to have the above very prestigious sounding address. The street is quite long and by day it is very busy and then by nightfall it becomes calm and quiet. As well as being my address it is also the home of the famous and very photographic Marjorelle Gardens and these draw many tourists . My end of the street is lined with covered Cinderella carriages pulled by horses {also called caleche} and offer  sightseeing rides around the city. They begin to line up from 6 am and I often hear the early clip clopping hooves, a sound I love.

The big yellow Mercedes taxis are called grand taxis and take six people but those six all must want to go to the same destination and they sit parked till the car is full so this is not ideal if you are in a hurry. If you are very fat then you must pay for two seats !! No seat belts either !!

The horses and carriages await tourists at quite a few differnt spots around Marrakech and big water troughs have been installed at these locations. I loved seeing this handsome duo being offered a drink, just shows you can lead a horse to water.......

 

These Boots Were Made for Walking...

But I have done more wading today than walking. I purchased this fabulous Moroccan version of Hunters this week knowing that the forecast ahead was for very heavy rainfall. I have worn them solidly for two days and they are so comfortable and not in the least bit rubbery and come with 4 interchangeable coloured 'belts'. The roads here are totally awash but my feet have been bone dry. As much as I love wearing them I really hope it stops raining sometime soon.

Salad Days and Nights

Moroccan salads feature heavily in Moroccan cuisine and are usually served as first course. There are many variations and each restaurant will have a speciality  or perhaps 12 !! Luckily recently my friend M and I decided to share a first course when we ate at Restaurant Morocain at Hotel Jardins de la Koutoubia - have a look here at this beautiful place. Twelve mini tagines came to the table and as each lid was lifted a different salad was revealed. I loved the presentation as much as the lovely food. Amongst the little offerings my favourites were the pickled vegetables, a cold carrot collation and the traditional aubergine salad.

Price Comparisons

I think Australia is a very, very expensive country to live in and I have been of that opinion for some time now. Over the past few years water, gas, electricity and petrol prices have risen astronomically with follow on price increases in food and other items. My salary , like most, barely ever altered unlike politicians who all seem to enjoy an annual hike in their pay packets plus perks. I can make no comparisons here regarding petrol prices as I categorically will never get behind the wheel whilst living in Morocco but I can tell you all that my amenities - water and electricity - are way lower than Australia. Food on the whole also is very cheap, unless you are purchasing foie gras and lobster, as is wine.This very big fresh bread roll costs 1 DHM or 12 Australian cents.

Two punnets of  local raspberries were 8 DHM each or $1.00AUD and they were delicious !!

And today I purchased two wonderful big bunches of long stemmed roses at a total cost of 100 DHM or $13.00 AUD.

 

Roses and raspberries are, for many, considered luxury items in Australia and  although I am not a bread buyer or eater I do know that ‘nice’ bread is pricey and grainy artisanal loaves have a prohibitive price tag. Supermarkets here have masses of French items lining their shelves and true, they are not cheap but luckily I cannot see I will have much need for these imports when I can buy such inexpensive , fresh and lovely local goods .

Baking Woes !!

I was keen to trial my new oven and cannot go for lengthy periods without baking so I decided to make a cake to take to the riad. The oven is electric and if my translation of the French manual is at all on target {which is doubtful}  then it is also fan forced. As I have limited appliances I opted for a boiled pumpkin fruit cake. For this I only needed a big saucepan, a stirring spoon and a cake tin. Once I had these assembled I reviewed the ingredient situation. I pureed my own pumpkin, used sultanas and snipped dried apricots but things came undone a bit when it came to the flour. I had no idea if my flour was plain or self raising.

 

Once the cake was cooked I knew the flour contained no rising agent.  The cake was ok to look at and tasted good but was flat and dense. My next challenge was locating baking powder and then once I found it determining how much to use as it comes in sachets and my language skills are too poor to read the packet.

 

I did another cake using half a sachet and it was clearly not enough. A full sachet will go into my next attempt and I will probably have a cake flowing out onto the balcony !!!!

 

Visiting the Saadian Tombs, Marrakech

I have recently visited this historic site in Marrakech  that dates back to the 1570’s.  It has a fascinating story. It comprises a beautiful mausoleum where 66 male members of the Saadian Dynasty are entombed and a large outdoor area of tiled tombs for females, soldiers and household workers. The whole site was sealed up by the dictator of the incoming dynasty so he did not have to ever see his predecessors. This dictator goes by the lengthy name of Alawite Sultan Moulay Ismail and he was bloodthirsty and cruel. In 1917 an aerial photographic survey by chance revealed the sealed burial grounds so now we all have chance to visit theses tombs and see the wonderful Carrera marble, mosaics and cedar wood that fills the mausoleum.

 

Those of the Islamic faith are buried with their tombs facing towards Mecca. The faithful retainers that were either Jewish or Christian are in tombs positioned horizontally to the others. It is wonderful that all believers whatever their faith and creed could be placed together here in death as they lived and worked together in life.

Spoilt for Choice - part 2

I was drawn to a bright, bright pink 100% cashmere wrap with black fringing. Think soft and warm !!  It is quite big and will be very versatile as a scarf, a shawl or even a throw. Cost was 250 DHM or $32.00 AUD or $28.00USD

I am happy to take orders. Colours also on offer included black, deep red, beige, silvery grey, aqua, pale pink, purple, 2 different browns. Most have black fringing and are a lighter shade on the reverse side. So let me know !!

 

Spoilt for Choice - part 1

As most people know I am the Imelda Marcos of scarves. My family had, in fact, this year banned me from further scarf purchases but they are not here to see what I am up to !! So, I have free range to buy up big !!! I was taken by my friend M into the souks and we went to a stall where she is a regular customer. A fabric rainbow rose up before me. making a choice was nigh on imposssible but as it is getting a bit chilly here now I decided on cashmere.

As you can see - scarf heaven !!

Scarves to the left , scarves to the right. A veritable scarf banquet for someone like me.

Even the kaftans are eye catching and are beautifully made and often elaborately decorated. We do wear a uniform here and one of these will be mine in time. I am looking forward to choosing one.

 

Cafe with Amazing Ceiling

I do not recall the name of the cafe where we sat lunching in the Place Jemaa El Fna but I do know that in Morocco even the  smallestl spot has something interesting to see  !! I looked up from my meal and saw this amazing ceiling. So my useful tip here is to remember  to cast your eyes upwards as you munch.

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And a word of warning - the bread in this country is delicious and addictive, freshly baked and served at every meal. 

 

 

People Watching

The main square in the old part of Marrakech is called the Place Jemaa El Fna and is always swarming and teeming - day and night -  with tourists , vendors, snake charmers, local residents, musicians and anyone and everyone else you can think of. It is fringed with cafes and little shops and can be a little daunting. This is the square always featured on TV travel shows like Getaway and what you see is what you get plus a whole lot more.  But it irks me a little that these travel shows show very little else of Marrakech when there is so much else to see and do here. The square though is an ideal place to do some serious people watching so we found  a perfect ringside seat , ordered a light lunch and enjoyed the passing parade.

 

Many horse drawn open Cinderella carriages take tourists on tours of the city.

This vendor is selling pomegranates. This is a hugely popular fruit here ,always lush and full of blood red seeds.

Motor bikes and scooters are to be feared !! They come from nowhere, from all directions !!

Above is my favourite photo as I have inadvertently managed to get into my shot three wonderful mosques .