Carol's Travels

The palace in Marrakech is the most visited palace in Morocco.  It took over ten years to build and decorate it.

More intricate decorations on the palace walls

This was our mode of transportation today.  It was practical for the narrow streets, and it was lots of fun.  We rode in the carriages to three different places:  the palace, a spice shop, and a mosque.  We ended up in the main square.

After lunch we visited a large shop that sold high quality Berber carpets.  We didn’t buy any, but I really enjoyed watching others in the group bargaining.  A couple of people purchased rugs.

Last night we ate a delicious duck dinner at a restaurant in Ouarzazate.  The walls were covered with photos of movie stars that actually ate at this restaurant.

Today we took a scenic five-hour bus ride to Marrakech.  This unusual door was at one of our photo stops.

I love the red rocks of the High Atlas Mountains.  The highest point on the highway was about 8,000 feet.

More rock formations

There were a few villages along the way.

When we arrived in Marrakech, we checked into the Riad.  We relaxed in the room for a while.  Then the group took a walk through part of the market.  Paul and I didn’t want to shop, so we went to a cafe with Mohammed to drink water and watch people go by.  He left to get some cookies. I thought we had to meet at another restaurant at 7:00, so we walked there in a light rain.  We met about half the group there, and we started walking toward Mohammed.  It rained even harder, so we went into the restaurant where we were to have dinner.   Then it started pouring.  At 7:30, the correct meeting time, the rest of the group started walking toward our restaurant.  Three got drenched, and the rest went back to the French restaurant.  One came to our restaurant, but the other two went back to their room at the Riad to change into dry clothes.  They finally arrived at the restaurant.  Mohammed bought dinner for the others at the French restaurant.

Today we visited Ait Benhaddou, a picturesque mountainside town.  First, we visited the home of a well-to-do family.  The husband and wife had an arranged marriage. They had several grown children. The wife is pictured here.

The water tank is pictured here.  The shower is through the door.  The oven where bread is baked daily is behind another door.  The donkey and other small animals are kept inside the walls of the house too.

The colorfully decorated house is very large.  Take your shoes off before stepping on the living room carpets.

One of their sons is a painter who paints pictures of camels and buildings.  He uses natural pigments, then he holds the completed painting over a flame.  The yellow turns brown because there is sugar in the paint.

There is a film school near the town.  Many major movies have been filmed in the old city on the hill, including Game of Thrones episodes.

We visited the Women’s Co-op.  The women are becoming more self-confident and independent by working in the co-op.

We learned how they make couscous out of flour.  We also rolled out cookie dough and cut cookies like they make to sell.

After this, we ate lunch at the home of one of the women who is in the co-op.