Sadly a terrorist exploded a bomb in Marrakech on that Thursday, April 28, in a popular tourist cafe in the center of town. After speaking to the American embassy in Marrakech and checking out updated travel advisories we were convinced it was OK to still go and probably the safest time to be there. So we headed down Friday morning with our good friends Sonya and Daniel and their 10 month old son, Connor.
We arrived in Marrakech and were taken to our resort a few minutes outside of town. The Jnane Tamsna was a gorgeous resort with 5 pools and extensive gardens where they grow their own food for their delicious restaurant!
Saturday morning the owner of the hotel arranged a driver for us to go into town and visit an old Koranic school and some local tanneries. The school, Ben Youssef Medersa is attached to the local mosque and was opened in the 14th century. The walls and archways are covered with beautiful tiles and inscriptions in every available space.
The pool at our hotel
Downtown Marrakech
After the school our guide took us to 2 local tanneries. We had to carry mint leaves to avoid being overwhelmed by the smell. The first tannery was worked by Berber families who cured cows and camels and the second worked by Arab families who cure goat and sheep skins.
After the tanneries we headed back to give the boys a nap and then visited the Jardin Majorelle, a french garden in the middle of Marrakech that was purchased by Yves St Laurent in 1980.
That evening Daniel and Sonya were kind enough to babysit Theo while Shane and I headed back into town for a Moroccan meal with traditional music and belly dancers! The Dar Majana was a beautiful restaurant, buried down a long tunnel off the road that opened into a huge courtyard where we had drinks and then dinner in a small dining room off of the courtyard.
Sunday morning we bundled up the boys and headed into town to visit the souks which are the main market stalls in Marrakech. It was pouring rain, which I think happens about 2x a year in Morocco, and we were solidly soaked at the end of the morning. The souks were very fun though and Theo got to taste some Moroccan sweets from one of the stalls. Moroccans love kids, Theo was constantly hugged and kissed wherever we went, but Theo was a little unsure about them!
That afternoon Sonya and I had massages at our hotel while Shane and Daniel watched the kids. We then switched off and the men took a Moroccan cooking class. The meal they made was served to us outside of our rooms that evening, under the stars and an outdoor heater :o) It was a beautiful night and a great way to end a great trip.
Miss you all!
Love, Sarah, Shane, Theo and T4!
