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Meet Me in Marrakesh

ByStefanie Bielekova

The stench of urine is noteworthy. And beware of the motorcyclists, forever zipping past impossibly close through mixed crowds of locals and tourists alike. Wind in their hair. Cross, if you dare.

Pedestrians, take care!

Marrakesh, the Ultimate Gritty City

The streets are steamy, with smoke coming from grills and burners and kitchen exhaust pipes. Fumes from motor bikes mix with the scent of sizzling animal flesh: chicken grilling, camel tucked between two buns — but the scent of bacon won’t meet your nostril.

Steam floats past pastel buildings, dilapidated, in varying states of decay. And the lights of the night shine through the haze and down on the mass of humanity — upon the crowds of people, making their way who knows where. Garbage, here and there. Mist in the air.

Marrakesh is the ultimate gritty city.

A lovely cafe terrace with pastel views of the city of Marrakesh beyond. The Koutoubia Mosque -- the largest in Marrakesh -- peeks out from under the awning. The peach colors of the cafe and mosque are punctuated by the green palms in the distance and a blue sky that shows under the peach awning.
View out on the Koutoubia Mosque from Café Kif Kif

From Naples to Athens, I love gritty cities — as long as they have plenty of character or charm. Marrakesh has oodles of both.

Confidence is Key

After two weeks of exploring the North African Kingdom of Morocco, I still manage a polite, but adamant, “no, shokran,” to hustlers along the way. By far I get more “Hola, Chica!”s in Marrakesh than in Madrid. The place is thriving. Streets are for the people, and I adore the spectacle of it all.

Marrakesh is where I became master of studying directions in advance, then walking confidently out into the world, checking my GPS only ever so discreetly as I go. Looking competent is key. Ignore the “helpers,” or they’ll be all over you.

It’s past dark the first time I venture outside my hotel to explore. I just arrived on my maiden visit, and already I’m walking around like I own this town. I’m sending out my best don’t-mess-with-me vibe. It’s for survival. The weak get eaten alive.

Slender woman with short, dark hair stands by an intricate wooden door at the end of the hall. The geometric pattern of brightly colored tiles in black, white, green, and yellow are a focus of the foreground
Photo op at Bahia Palace

Marrakesh is my kind of city.

Peachy pastel-colored gate of bricks with matching wall in the background and matching brick road. All of that peach is only punctuated by a sliver of blue sky seen under the arch of the gate.
One of the many “Babs” of Marrakesh (“Bab” is gate in Darija — Moroccan Arabic)

My strategy of charging off in confidence regardless of whether I know where I’m actually going has led to slight embarrassment on a few occasions, when I’ve bolted off in one direction only to realize it was the wrong direction. I backtrack past merchants like I really don’t care. But they know I’m backtracking. And I know they know. And they know I know they know.

A couple sits on a blue and green tile bench taking a selfie. Behind them is the blue-est of royal blue walls framing a rectangle of yellow and white geometric patterns. Plants in colorful blue and yellow pots sit to either side of the blue and green tile bench.
A couple “selfie-ing” at Majorelle Garden

Meet Me In Marrakech?

OK, so one does not really get “eaten alive” in Marrakesh. And not every street smells of urine — though as in downtown Seattle or in New York City, you can catch a whiff now and then. Let’s just say I took a bit of artistic liberty in this stream-of-consciousness piece. Think of it as a dramatic ode to this Moroccan mecca I’ve come to love.

But, pedestrians, you really must take care on any visit to Morocco. (Pedestrian street lights are purely decorative, I’ve found.)

Picture of a pedestrian street light that has the red standing man lit up -- meaning, do not cross! Behind the pedestrian light is a crumbling white wall with a mess of plants and palm trees sprouting over the top. Blue skies in the background.
A decorative pedestrian street light in Morocco’s capital city of Rabat

As I type this, there is snow falling outside my window here in Edmonds, Washington. So I’m thinking quite fondly on those five weeks I spent traveling through Spain and Morocco (but mostly Morocco) in November and December of last year. The further south I got — Marrakesh, Essaouira, Ouarzazate, Agadir, and even as far as the Sahara — the more spoiled I got by the weather. You can sign me up for enjoying December temps in the low 70s (Fahrenheit!) anytime.

Coffee in a tall glass casts a shadow across a shabby-chic table as it sits atop a circular colorful doily. A small plate of tiny fluffy white meringues takes it's place on the doily next to the coffee.
Coffee at Zwin’ Zwin’ café’s rooftop terrace

How about you?

Stefanie, a tall and slender dark-haired woman, walks toward the camera along the beautiful green and white tiles of a courtyard in Marrakesh's Bahia Palace. A circular design in the ceiling acts as Stefanie's halo in this image.
Wandering around Bahia Palace with my halo!

Travel with Me to Morocco and Beyond

I’ll be posting more on my Moroccan journeys in the coming weeks, but for now I’d like to tell you briefly about a friend and colleague who runs tours beyond Europe — including to Morocco! He’s a Rick Steves’ Europe tour guide and the founder of Imprint Tours. His name is Reid Coen, and I’m excited to announce that I will be guiding some of his future tours — most likely starting in 2021. And so I’d like to gauge your interest!

Imprint Tours offers a wonderful Morocco itinerary, but the world is Imprint’s oyster, as there are many incredible destinations waiting to be explored by a merry band of enthusiastic travelers like us! Let me share a bit more about Reid Coen and Imprint Tours. 

Two tall palm trees -- dark silhouettes against the bright blue sky. A splash of white cloud on the lower part of the horizon is punctuated by two birds passing by in mid flight and adding drama to the photograph.
Blue skies for days in Marrakesh!

Imprint Tours

Reid has been leading tours for Rick Steves’ Europe for over 20 years — since 1996! Once he even had Rick himself as a tour member, which Reid talks about in this guide interview. “Having Rick on my tour was a completely positive experience. He blended in like any other tour member — just there to enjoy Europe and the tour. The other tour members were initially a bit star-struck, but quickly got used to him and he became a regular part of the group.” 

Reid founded Imprint Tours in 2005, and his company is all about “traveling with intent” by broadening horizons through cultural experiences. In short, according to the Imprint Tour philosophy, “travel broadens horizons, introduces new ways of seeing the world, equips us with a new frame of reference for evaluating our own society, breaks down prejudice, and promotes global understanding.”

For me, those are words to embrace and to live by. If these ideals and an enthusiasm for travel resonate with you, too, I’d love to share these exciting tour happenings with you. If you’d like to join me for fabulous explorations abroad, or would like to stay in the loop on what’s to come, please submit your interest below. 

Travels with Stef

A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single click.

Shokran! Merci Beaucoup! Muchas Gracias! Vielen Dank! Thanks so much! 

Marrakesh is Photogenic

In the meantime — before I wrap up this post — I’d like to leave you with a few more pictures I took in Marrakesh to conclude today’s written and visual journey!

The pastel peach brick tower of the Koutoubia Mosque is the center of the picture. It's framed by a blue sky, and the green bushes, trees, and palms that line the road leading to the mosque.
Koutoubia Mosque views
The main focus is a bright green smoothie with a single slice of cucumber sitting upright on the top of the glass, erect straw in the middle. The green drink on the brown wooden table are contrasted by an out-of-focus background of brightly colored cushions on a light pastel couch.
As a rule of thumb you won’t see alcohol on restaurant menus, but Moroccan fruit juices and smoothies are to die for!
The sun shines down on a colorful feast of dishes: vegetable tagine in earthenware bowl, bright green smoothie, small glass containers of six different colorful salad varieties. In the background a small red vase holds a single white flower. In the foreground a bright green plate is covered with a variety of the colorful foods on offer.
A meal fit for a queen — vegetable tagine and Moroccan salad at Zeitoun Café
The sun shines down on an orange cat looking up with the brightest green and orange speckled eyes imaginable.
Significant chunks of my travels involve paparazzi-ing cats. This feline resident of Marrakesh sure has gorgeous eyes!
A single blooming white rose is the focus of the foreground, with the blue sky and pastel peach walls of an aesthetically pleasing building making up the slightly out-of-focus background.
White rose in the Saadian Tombs garden
The sun shines brightly on a bright pastel terracotta-colored wall. The sky beyond is a striking deep blue, and one tall and lonely palm tree in the foreground casts its shadow on the wall.
Saadian Tombs — sepulchres of the Saadian dynasty
More geometrical tile work in this open-air inner courtyard of the Bahia Palace. This time the floor is made of black and white designs, with a white fountain in the center. The arcades around the sides have blue and yellow embellishments across the arches connecting each white column.
Inner Courtyard of the Bahia Palace
The carvings on this tree are reminiscent of those on Native American totem poles. Perhaps the tree is no longer living, as there are no leaves -- only branches that have all been shaped and trimmed as part of the geometric design that makes its way up from the trunk.
Marrakesh tree carving
A few fish are visible in this pond, along with the reflection of many palms that dance on the surface of the water.
Pond reflections in Majorelle Garden — Can you spot the turtle?
Light, pastel shades of color interspersed with a mainly cream-colored background of intricate patterns: there are columns and pointed arches throughout this room of carved plaster and intricately tiled flooring.
Saadian Tombs
It's Stefanie posing again! She stands, yet again, by the intricate wooden door at the end of the hall. The geometric pattern of brightly colored tiles in black, white, green, and yellow are a focus of the foreground.
Being a poser (again!) at Bahia Palace
A wall and floor mosaic of very brightly colored tiles in white, black, blue, turquoise, orange, and maroon are arranged in beautiful geometric patterns with a banner of Arabic script across the top.
Detailed tile mosaic at the Saadian Tombs

As always, thank you so much for stopping by! Please share your questions and thoughts in the comments section! And don’t forget to submit your travel interest above!

Shokran!

Related article: Two years ago I spent time journeying to Morocco’s imperial city of Fez and came away with much more than I could have imagined.

 

 

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16 Comments

  1. “The stench of urine is noteworthy.” Haha, what a way to start an article. Honestly though, I love how you are so candid and honest in your writing. It was entertaining to read, but also helpful. I agree that confidence is key and studying a map before entering an unfamiliar city is a good idea. We made the mistake of not doing that in Stone Town, Zanzibar and we got led around by all kind of guys looking to get some cash out of us.

    1. Hi Cecilia! I’m glad you appreciated the candor! Haha! I hope you had a great time in Zanzibar, despite being led all around by guys with an agenda. It looks so incredible in pictures, so I hope to make it there myself some day. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

  2. I like your honest opinion about the stench of urine, steamy streets, garbage, the motorcyclist, crowds, and the scent of the sizzling animal flesh. Never read or heard about that before from people who traveled to Marrakesh. Yes, it’s not everywhere but it’s there. Making a visit to Marrakesh more exotic. Just like in the movies.

    1. Hi Umiko! Thank you! I like to try to give honest descriptions — and these were indeed the first observations I made upon arrival in Marrakesh. Although, as can be seen from the pictures, it’s so much more than the initial sensory-overload experiences I shared! There’s also so much beauty and culture to be experienced. Happy travels!

  3. I loved Marakesh for the architecture and the patterns, those are so beautiful. I also miss Marocan tea with mind, that was so delicious to eat with roasted almonds. I should probably visit again as I see from your post that there are some places I haven’t seen.

    1. Hi Anita! Yes, I need to visit again too! I think there’s still so much more to explore! And I also adore the Moroccan mint tea and how it is served so sweet and full of ceremony — when it’s poured in such a tall stream cascading down from the kettle to the glass! Thanks for your comments!

  4. I really want to visit Marrakesh. Your photos were amazing and the tiles at the Saadian Tombs – wow!

  5. I’ve always considered Marrakesh to be such a romantic city: full of history, movement, enticing (and gross) smells, where anything can happen. I totally get what you say about survival of the fittest. There are so many beautiful colors and patterns all over the buildings and architecture. So cool that you’re going to be able to start guiding tours. Sounds like a fun adventure!

    1. Yes, Marrakesh — and Morocco in general — is full of such interesting, colorful, and enticing contrasts! It’s such a unique place that is full of character and authenticity. I wouldn’t have it any other way! Thanks for your comments and for stopping by, Rachelle!

    1. Thanks so much, Bhushavali! I hope to make it back to your part of the world — to India — in the not-too-distant future. I really loved my introduction to the big country and feel that there is so much more still to explore! Happy travels!

  7. It was really interesting to read about your Maraksh experience and I really enjoyed every line of it. Congrats on your new job as a tour guide, I hope you have a lot of fun on the way. I would definitely love to meet you if I visite Marrakesh (hopefully, later on this year).

    1. Hi Daniel! Thanks for stopping by and for your comments! I’m very excited for you that you might be traveling to Marrakesh later this year! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 🙂

  8. Marrakech is a pretty city and you have captured the pictures so well. It is great to know that you will be getting into being a guide just like your friend Reid. I am sure the experience will be thrilling! Rick Steeve’s Europe Tour is really popular, and I am sure, you will gain valuable experience of your lifetime with them. Wish you good luck! When I visit Marrakech, I would love to meet you!

    1. Hi Shreya! Thanks for your comments! If we ever end up in the same place at the same time, it would be great to meet in real life! Take care and happy travels!

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