mosaic road

Urban Goats

When you live in a place with very little rainfall there is often very little feed for livestock so the shepherds take their sheep or goats , as in this case, walkabout to find something to nibble on. I was outside a hotel waiting for my driver when I heard bleating and hooves. A scattered flock, spread higgledy piggledy, over the road came trotting towards me. Truly there was little greenery that I could see to be found by the road or on the rocky building sites, so one enjoyed some paper. I can only hope they found greener pastures in the next suburb.

Daily Bread

If you follow a lady with a towel covered tray wending her way through the alleys of the medina she will lead you to the local community baker. Most homes in the very old residential areas do not have an oven and the baking is done out of the house. As bread is made every day by every family, the baker is a busy man and seems to work pretty much around the clock. I cannot imagine how he keeps going over summer when it is in the 50s outside or when it is Ramadan and he is fasting as he works in a small space with a blazing inferno beside him. Although our riad has an oven ( a rudimentary appliance  to my mind !!!!!! ) anything big is taken to the local baker. A baked fish or a pastilla is whizzed up to him and collected later. I even know one US expat who got her Thanksgiving turkey cooked by her local bakery man. He is a source of local gossip as he knows who's a good cook and who has guests and is vital part of the community. Imagine smelling hot baked bread al day !!!!!

The Tooth Fairy

The photos are bad sorry and they were hard to take. I did not want to be obvious but then people kept getting in the way. I had to keep some distance away but then the contents of this "stall" could not be seen at all well. This man is selling dentures, false teeth !!!! Note the pair of pliers !!!! Low sales day it seems. I do wonder about the price and where they came from ????

Fruit & Veg

When I went to buy my berries yesterday I thought I would take my camera as I walked through our food souk. The array of goods is pretty diverse and it is usually seething with shoppers and motorbikes. The market is made up with both stalls and barrows plus sellers that just set out their produce on hessian bags right on the cobblestones.

I Was Nonplussesd

I was in semi rural Queensland in August in a place called Eumundi where there is a well known market on twice a week. Luckily it was market day when we drove through there. I just did not expect to come face to face with a huge hand of Fatima and a market stall doing elaborate henna. Henna-ed hands and feet are seen all the time in Marrakech, it's part of the culture here. But now it seems to have been exported as a novelty to Australia and Australiana designs were available along with the more traditional. Who wants a VW combi in henna on their body ?? Not me, but once again horses for courses !!!!

Anyone for Hot Salted Crispy Chips ?

Now if you are wanting to try these then you need to go at dusk along the path that goes around the back of Koutoubia Mosque and there you will find this one man food show. If you are not in Marrakech then you don't know what you are missing out on !!!! It's a good reason to board a plane right now !!! This mobile stall has a mechanism on board to slice potatoes very finely then deposit them in a cauldron of hot boiling oil. When cooked the vendor scoops them out with a sieve, drains them, salts them and sells them. A paper cone piled high with salty crisps costs 10 dirham.

Mamounia Monday, finale

After wandering the gardens of La Mamounia Hotel, two things remained, shopping and coffee !!! So we popped into Prada, perused the goods but decided against making any purchases then headed to the outdoor terrace. The very pretty terrace is furnished with creamy rattan armchairs and low glass tables. The patisseries are also very pretty and as colourful as the gardens. Such a perfectly lovely afternoon I shared with K and L. If you come to Marrakech and crave a bit of quietude then La Mamounia will offer that and more.

Mamounia Monday, part five

My attempts at botanic photography hopefully give you the idea of the size and diversity of trees and plants in the very parklike gardens at La Mamounia Hotel. The big cactus gardens have color pops of red throughout with wrought iron cacti sculpture. The fruit trees are laden with citrus as we are heading into winter . It is a beautiful place to meander before taking tea.

Mamounia Monday, part four

La Mamounia has gracious gardens, fairly big ones with big lawned areas, groves of citrus trees laden with fruit and the obligatory desert cacti area. As it is autumn the floral display was a small offering only but lovely nevertheless. So lots of green with bursts of oranges and reds, fall colours in fact, was the overriding impression. Spring must be a very pretty time in these gardens so I have the perfect reason to re visit this old and historic Marrakech hotel in 2017.

Mamounia Monday, part three

As we did a circuit of the glam La Mamounia foyer I was really in love with the lighting, the cut outs from ceiling lamps casting dappled shadows and the chandeliers just breathtaking. There was a long textured wall frieze running the length of the shopping hallway that caught my eye and it was very beautiful in muted colours but glowing in the lovely lighting. This gorgeous frieze depicts many aspects of ancient, rural Moroccan village life. Interesting that it is right outside the Prada shop  !!!