Morocco - Part 1 Marrakech

This summer Papa T, Mamma T and I packed up our rucksacks, grabbed the map and headed to Africa for a road trip around Morocco. Armed with an itinerary, a road map and a family playlist we hit the road and drove a total of 1,500km to discover the beaten tracks of Maroc. 

Our adventure started in the incredibly dreamy city of Marrakech, where we spent 3 days wandering the streets and getting lost. We stayed in the most beautiful riad Dar Habiba where we were welcomed by Mustafa and Hanna into their glorious oasis of calm in the midst of the bustling town. The small guesthouse was so quiet and peaceful and just oozed peace, complete with the delicate aroma of incense and Hanna's home cooking. 

Over the three days we spent time exploring the city, visiting the Palace and the Royal Tombs as well as the Koutoubia, the main Mosque in the city. I found it incredible, the more we discovered, to feel how calm and tranquil areas of the city were compared to the chaos and craziness that occurs in most of the city streets. These narrow little alleys are used by donkeys, mopeds, pedestrians, cars, cats, carts and bicycles creating, what seemed to me, absolute mayhem. I was expecting the Palace to be grand, ornate and covered in gold however I was surprised at the simple elegance that replaced ostentatious displays of grandeur. Wood and mosaic replaced precious metal and were ornately craved and crafted to create a stunning, open and charming palace that focussed around a lush and beautiful garden courtyard. 

The Koutoubia is the tallest building in Marrakech because no other building is permitted to be taller, allowing the Koutoubia to dominate the city sky-line and to stand proud for all to see. The dominance of religion in the country is very prominent and religious places are sacred and honoured. The respect that the people have for their landmarks is, in my opinion, very admirable and retains an element of secrecy and uniqueness to their buildings. I would have loved to see inside a mosque, rather than just hearing its calls to prayer in the early hours of the morning but sadly only Muslims are allowed in, which I greatly admire and respect. 

Marrakech didn't stop surprising me and around every corner we found a pretty little spot which was too good not to photograph and to remember. As much as its is true that everyone takes the same photos I find that each person has a unique way of capturing scenes, different things they want to remember and alternative opinions about what they find beautiful and worth of a photo. I also think that sometimes we get caught up in trying to take photos that we forget to look, to really see, to create mental images and memories. Part of the reason I write this blog is to have a record, a memory and a store for all the things I want to keep and look back on. So please excuse the amount of photos, I realise they are not interesting for everybody but I think its important to remember why we write and to get back to the personal roots behind the blog. 

Mood - Inspired

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