Marrakech

Our trip by train was relaxing. Marrakech has a very modern and clean railway station. We had a positive feeling coming into the city as opposed to Casablanca. We caught a local bus to the Djemaa El-Fina which is a huge atmospheric space in the heart of the medina and the backdrop for one the worlds greatest and most curious nightly spectacles. It is a page out of medieval pageantry. There were snake charmers, acrobates, musicians, male dancers (maybe), food and juice stalls and stalls where you could buy just about anything your heart desired. We stumbled upon a really funky hotel completely covered with brightly coloured ceramic tiles. Some walls had full tiles but others were a collage of fragments of tiles. There were honey-combed stuccoed ceilings and doorways. The place looks like a modern art museum piece. We were told that this was a magical place and it is.

We may be out of contact for a few days as we are off on a trip into the desert. Very exciting!