So we left the rainy, muddy music festival and landed in Marrakech, being greeted by 50 degree heat. We hopped in a cab and were well aware we were being hugely ripped off but we were willing to pay any price to get out of the heat. Our knowledge of Morocco was limited although we knew that it was best to book a place called a "Riad" instead of a hotel and so we did. Driving through the tiny streets of Marrakech that let's be honest, are not that attractive and then pulling up at an unsuspecting looking door we were a little uneasy as to what we had booked. We buzzed the doorbell and as the door opened our jaws dropped. We soon discovered that a riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with a courtyard and garden in the centre and to us this riad could have well been a palace. We walked straight out into the courtyard which is surrounded by rooms and then a level above with balconies encircling the entire courtyard. Everything was white (Hayley heaven) with small blue tile detailing and dark timber doors, then to our relief there was a small splash pool too! Even our room was stunning with beautiful furniture and a gorgeous traditional looking bathroom, first impressions of Morocco were good.
Our gorgeous riad in Marrakech
The pool at our riad
Over the next couple of days we braved it out in the heat to take in the sights of this beautiful city. We wandered around the medina (main square) and through souks (markets - Jay kept saying he felt like he was Assassins Creed) bursting with colour and everything you could possibly want to buy from spices to carpets and lamps and jewellery. We dodged our way around crazy locals speeding through the tiny streets on scooters and hoards of donkeys carting things around. We stuffed ourselves silly with tagines and cous cous and then spent most afternoons cooling off by the pool in our beautiful riad. We visited some stunning traditional Moroccan palaces and a beautiful garden oasis called Jardin Majorelle that was once owned by designer Yves Sant Laurent and now has a memorial inside the garden dedicated to him. We managed to fit in a day trip to the high atlas mountains which was a huge contrast to the city. We drove all through the lush green valley in the mountains along a pebble ridden river covered in cafes/restaurants that had set there tables and chairs up quite literally in the river. We even took a short hike up to waterfall filled with locals taking a dip.
Jay with his newfound love - THE TAGINE!
Anyone for a carpet?
The river cafes in the mountains
In the Jardin Majorelle (once owned by YSL)
From Marrakech we caught the train to Fes where we stayed in another riad even grander than the last. In Fes we tried to do the same as we had in Marrakech and wander through the streets on our own but we couldn't stand being harassed and followed by all the faux guides so we got ourselves an official guide and it was definitely money well spent. The medina of Fes has over 12, 000 streets and alleyways so the knowledge we were able to gain from the guide was priceless and we saw things we could have never found ourselves. We visited the oldest university in the world in the heart of the medina and stopped at a tannery where you see exactly how they colour all the leather, and of course we again enjoyed even more tagines.
The oldest university in the world
The tanneries in Fes
Our time in Morocco was incredible and we are so grateful we were able to see this culturally diverse country although if were to return there are 2 things that we would change. 1 - Go in winter (or a cooler season at least), we would have appreciated this country a lot more if we weren't winging about the heat half the time. 2 - Consider doing a tour, unfortunately everyone in Morocco was trying to rip us off. This may be a stereotype but everyone we came across only really cared about taking our money so we would assume that doing a tour ensures you are getting a fair price and would also make you feel a bit safer.
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