Explore Morocco: Day One in Marrakech

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The morning after we arrived in Casablanca, we were on our way to Marrakech!

We got two train tickets to Marrakech, which cost only 95 Dh each. After a short wait, we boarded our train at 10:55 am. The train ride took 3.5 hours, and our little cabin sat eight. I looked out the window at the mud brick houses, families picnicking, herds of sheep, donkey carts, and green rolling hills. It was springtime in Morocco, so the fields were green and full of wildflowers: yellow, orange, pink, and red. We saw an artichoke field, prickly pear fences, and shepherd huts. The red earth and green vegetation looked like the Moroccan flag!

Day One in Marrakech

We arrived in Marrakech at 2:30 pm. The train station was brand new, large, airy, and cool. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and palm trees swayed outside. I loved it!

We hailed a taxi to our AirBnB, and our host Mohamed showed us around. He took us up to the rooftop terrace, which was gorgeous. We stayed in the El Moukef district, next to the tanneries. The smell of the tanneries lingered, but it wasn’t that bad. Guests probably complain because there was incense burning and bowls of potpourri everywhere. Mohamed poured us some mint tea and offered us cookies, and showed us a detailed map of the medina. The old city, which is within the old city walls, is still home to many Moroccans. The newer part of the city has the fancy hotels and expat communities, but we preferred our neighbourhood. Mohamed said that the El Moukef district is the oldest in the city, built even before the city walls.  After a brief rest, Ryan and I set off!

Our first day was the only day where we could see the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

We wandered through the souks, not with any specific route in mind other than to make our way to the Place Jemaa el Fna. The square is just as big as I remember it. We looked at the water sellers, monkeys, and snake charmers. I bought some rosewater and cosmetic argan oil from a green-eyed man. Ryan and I weren’t too hungry yet, so we didn’t stop for any snacks from the vendors. Once we headed back to the souks, I bought a box of assorted sweets. And now, it seemed, our shopping had begun (after I knowingly and prematurely told Ryan “never buy anything on the first day.”)

Most of the locals who are in the tourist business speak very good English. Some of the vendors that catered to locals would only speak French and Arabic, but Ryan and I could manage with our broken French. One of our taxi drivers was an elderly man who spoke really fast French, so we struggled to keep up with what he told us. Another elderly man sold us some groceries from his little bodega in our neighbourhood, and he was probably bamboozled by our mispronounced, Canadian French.

My family visited Morocco (and Marrakech) the first time in 2001. Back then, I remember most of the locals wearing djellabas and babouches, the soft leather slippers. This time, however, I didn’t see anyone wearing babouches out and about. Perhaps now Moroccans use them more like house slippers? Also, while most of the women still wore beautiful, colourful, and ornate djellebas, much fewer men wore them.

Everything in the souks was beautiful. We wandered and ogled at the beautiful bronze lamps, leather jackets, colourful babouches, silver jewellery, and aromatic spices. Somehow one shopkeeper started talking to us and told us to follow him. He brought us to his brother’s carpet shop to look at carpets. His brother, wearing a djelleba, took us to the top floor of his shop where a woman was hand-knotting carpets. Then he sat us down on the second floor and started showing us a variety of carpets.

Before we knew it, we were sipping sweet mint tea and had bought two carpets! The shopkeeper wasn’t pushy at all, just very friendly, helpful, and informative. In the end, Ryan and I got two medium-sized kilim rugs. One was mostly blue and red, and the other blue and yellow. Our AirBnB host told us to make our first offer about 30% of the shopkeepers’ first price. Ryan didn’t like bargaining so I went at it! I knew we could get a better price if we bought more than one. Overall we still probably paid too much, but the carpets really are gorgeous.

We bought the blue rug on the bottom of the pile.

Afterwards, the shopkeeper’s brother took us to another brother’s shop selling herbs. We went upstairs where the herbalist (in a lab coat) showed us her wares. She brought out food and cosmetic argan oils, amber perfume, ras el hanout, and myriad other spices and salves. Like many of the shopkeepers we would soon speak to, the herbalist told us that Moroccans credit argan oil for their smooth, healthy skin and hair. Stores generally sell two types: one nutty food-grade argan oil for cooking, and the cosmetic argan oil used as a lotion and hair conditioner. Ryan and I ended up buying two packs of ras el hanout, a chicken curry spice mix, and a fish spice mix. My folks back home had only asked for spices as gifts, so I started here!

After we rushed home to drop off our purchase, we headed out to dinner. We found a nice restaurant, Merstan, which had a beautiful top-floor terrace where Ryan had chicken and vegetables with cous cous, and I had the chicken bastilla and a bowl of harira. The bastilla, I knew, was chicken (often pigeon) with cinnamon and sugar in a flaky phyllo-style pastry. What I didn’t expect was the rosewater! I definitely want to try to recreate it at home.  The pastry was thicker but somehow more tender than regular phyllo dough. The cookbooks I read call it warka. The evening was cool, but I was comfy sitting outdoors in a short sleeve t shirt and thin cotton pants. After dinner, we walked home in the dark, through windy alleyways, as the evening call to prayer sounded. It felt so much like home, but not quite.

I’m not sure what this is! It looks like some sort of mill, and being a yarnlover I had to snap a photo!