Morocco Day 13

Morocco Day 13
Today was an optional day for activities. Ilene and I had talked with Mustafa about hiking somewhere near Marrakech and he had arranged a guide for us to hike in the High Atlas mountians. However Illene was up most of the night with a GI issue (has attacked most all of us at one time or another this trip) so we had to cancel. Illene rested this AM and I went on the tour with a few of the others.
The Jardin Majorelle is a highlight of things to do in Marrakech. Yves St Laurent and his partner adoptees of the city of Marrakech, bought the villa and gardens in 1964. They restored the gardens, added a well-curated Berber museum and gift shop. The botanical gardens include plants from 5 continents. Many cacti to represent the Sahara and throughout the gardens electric blue building, canal and large pots of every color. Terrific ambiance and so pleasing to the eye. So glad I did not miss this.
Next another walk through a different section of the medina – more upscale products and work areas. The colors, sights, and smells are so great - a constant stimulation of your senses. In this section a lot of smaller souks for woodworking, metal working, leather, dyeing, etc. A short stop at the Marrakech Museum housed in a restored palace. More lovely mosaics – one of the things I will remember most about Morocco.
Lunch in the median, the traditional Moroccan way – lamb on a big plate and eaten with your fingers.😊 Very sticky and very good lamb!
Back to the hotel for rest and packing before a discussion in the early evening with Hind, a 22-yer-old Moroccan member of an organization in Morocco promoting women’s rights. She was simply amazing. So well spoken for a 22 year old. She reviewed for us what is good in Morocco about the rights of women and then things that “need more work for change”. No topic was off limits and we spent about an hour and a half discussing marriage laws, educational system, abortion, gay rights, birth control and many more. Highly enlightening.
Our “farewell” dinner at the Red House. Cornish hen couscous and good wine in a lovely setting.Read more