One Day and Two Nights in Marrakech – the Red Rose of Morocco

Marrakech, also known as the Red Rose of Morocco, is a desert city at the slopes of the Atlas Mountains in the Northern Africa. It was a short but sweet and colorful stay in February 2020. Initially planned as a two-full-day stopover on a longer trip to Aotearoa (NZ), Australia, and Japan, it shortened to a one day quick immersion due to delayed and re-routed TAP Air flights.

When the last plane finally landed at Marrakech airport it was almost sunset. The driver from our riad was already waiting for us just outside the main exit and soon our car merged into the rushing river of vehicles. After going through one of the Medina (old town) gates, another young man took us over and led us through another river of people and bikes, into Riad M’Boja – a traditional, family-owned hotel.

Staying in the riad was a very nice experience from the first cup of mint tea and plate of local sweets till the last huge breakfast before continuing to travel to the far East. The entrance to the riad was from one of many busy souk (market) streets and through a huge wooden door to which we got a small round key a bit later. The first thing I remember about entering the riad is the soothing coolness and silence opposite to the built up intensity of hot and noisy outside. Despite my tiredness I quickly found my passport and purse to proceed check in but ignoring my rush the owner of the house invited me and my partner to sit down on a sofa. In a couple of minutes mint tea and local sweets appeared in front of us and we were left alone to enjoy it. In a while, all relaxed and amazed of hospitality, we were led to our room. The house was beautiful! It was built like a well – there was an empty space in the middle with windows facing into it, and rooms were behind small doors. Natural light went down the main roof and then through smaller spaces into the bathroom, so the clay walls had warm earthy tones in the sunlight.

We only got one recommendation that evening as the owner was kind not to overwhelm us with information and it was where to eat. After a half an hour walk from the riad we found ourselves in a beautiful restaurant at 5-star hotel “Dar Donab” or “Palais Donab” on 53 Dar El Basha, Bab Doukkala. The traditional food was delicious and even more enjoyable as it was served by candlelight accompanied with swimming-pool-blue-lit garden of orange trees. My eyes were wandering around spectacular ornaments of tiles and carvings as much as they could see. Tiredness was pushed away by the curiosity and new sensations created by observing the environment. My first impression of the Medina felt as if time has stopped in there and the old way of life in its narrow busy streets was only interrupted by modern motorbikes and tourists wearing shorts. Streets were shared by pedestrians, bikes, horse carriages, and carriages pulled by men. Nobody stopped for anybody so it was important to stay awake and turn all our senses on to reach the destination safe.

The next morning, the owner of our riad proposed us a route that passes by the main sites to see in the Medina in one day. It sounded something like this:

“Follow souk streets to the main square “Place Jemaa el Fua” and go to the Cafe de Paris for a coffee. Sit in the terrace with a view over the square and soak in the atmosphere of it from a distance. Then go down and walk to the Palais el Baldi, perhaps, the Jewish quarter, and later get some juice in Place Jemaa el Fua from a stand number 14. And please, do get lost. Find lunch when you feel it is time to eat and in the afternoon head to Jardin Majorelle.”

Indeed, getting lost in the streets was a mandatory experience in our journey through the Medina to discover beautifully-carved doors of a mosque, to see colorful Moroccan rugs that were drying on the walls, and to challenge our awareness and rationality when random people tried to direct us the wrong way. Cafe de Paris was a very must-see spot which allowed us to take a break from being aware of every step and to observe how daily life works in Marrakech from a distance.

The afternoon trip to Jardin Majorelle was another adventure in adventure. In order to reach the gardens we had to go out of the Medina. When we walked out of the gates another reality hit: cars were driving fast, a bus station was full of local people with big travelling bags, streets were covered in concrete and trash was flying around homeless looking beggars. After this small interlude and a few streets later, suddenly, I found myself in a fancy street with fashionable people and expensive cafes. We reached our destination in 20 min on foot and got tickets to yet another reality – one created by Yves Saint Laurent. It was a cool and refreshing feeling to wander under bamboo and many other unknown to me trees. There were ponds throughout the garden giving some humidity to the dry desert air. In one of the houses I found a fourth reality and, for a little bit, wandered among most beautiful clothes and jewelry of Bedouins, finding out bits and pieces about their unique culture and lifestyle.

For a desert of aesthetics we left the last of the three museums included in our ticket and followed a street into the Yves Saint Laurent museum where we enjoyed an exhibition of his clothing and a documentary in the cinema hall. All inspired and soul lifted by beauty of creation, we got back to the Medina and I wasn’t noticing the 20 minute walk back through a modern streets. We went straight to feed our bodies with Moroccan food. One of amazing and affordable places was “Chez Yassine” on Rue Lalla Fatima Zahra. Our slow and delicious dinner lasted over an hour or maybe two as there was a set of chess to play. Then we strolled down to the riad through darkened streets, saw people closing their market stores, heading home for dinner, or on the contrary, young people driving around and searching for whatever their needs were. The heat of the day was over and it got a little bit cool so I wrapped into my scarf which I carried around just in case I had to enter some religious places. The air smelled of many things but mostly of a cooled down dust with which the desert bellow reminded me of itself.

Many buildings, including our riad had rooftops, which were reached by climbing up narrow and steep steps. That evening our hosts brought us some mint tea and sweets which we enjoyed looking at the last bits of sunlight giving the sky to the Moon and the Stars. A long and exciting day of traveling behind and another long one ahead made us want to rest properly, so we soon followed the stairs down to our fairy-tale like bedroom. Dreams were absent that night and I didn’t even feel I was sleeping when birds woke me up with the first rays of the dawn. It was a time for coffee and new adventures.