2 Sweaty Scherms Morocco 2017

After a lovely dinner on the terrace at Nomad we walked through the large square in the medina to take in the smells, sights and sounds for our last night in Morocco.  A view from Nomad's terrace into the spice souk below A photo just can't do it justice; there's no way to capture the vividness of the experience. Here w e are on the outskirts looking into a group of people surrounding musicians. You can see the smoke from grills and lights from the fresh juice, dried fruit and chachkie stalls. On a corner of the square, heading back to our riads Such an amazing feeling being amidst the people on the square Our last treat - fresh pressed sugarcane juice w/ fresh lime...delicious! We were so happy to see the same night watchman aka breakfast server Youssef this eve, greeting us w/ a handshake and a smile. T omorrow morn after breakfast we leave for the airport to Madrid, where we will spend the night before flying home through Dallas.  Our riad is about 1/2 hr drive to the ai

We are now back in Marrakech for our last night in Morocco. We parted ways w/our driver Abdel, who invited us to his family's home just outside of Marrakech next time we visit. We had fun listening to one another's music in the car. He shared Berber and Arabic music as well as current US tunes, while I shared rock and roll and Rach 80's and cutting edge music. Wa'alekaim salaam Abdel! It's really hot...I mean reeeeealllly hot - 108 degrees outside. We went to Le Jardin, a short walk from our riad for a small bite. It was almost pleasant eating outside surrounded by pomegranate, fig and orange trees. There were fans on the tables but no amount of fanning could keep the sweat from dripping down our backs.  Le Jardin in 108 degrees Although our riad told us Le Jardin takes credit cards it wasn't at the moment, so an employee walked us to the nearest ATM. Our payment experiences have been that  1) nearby establishments share 1 credit card machine, 2) there is never

Salue! Apps & drinks at our friends' riad then a rush to get to the esplanade to watch the sunset over the Atlantic. Sunset in Essaouira  Dijana, Nadia, Rach & I After sunset we headed back to Adwak to share our final meal together in Essaouira before we drive back to Marrakech tomorrow. Besides, we wanted to say goodbye to our riad-employee/waitress friend Noel since we would not have a chance to see her again before we leave.  We were all tuckered out, the girls after spending a few hours tanning on the beach while Dijana & I walked and shopped then took a break at the oldest coffee shop in town. This morn Dijana had one of her walking adventures while Nadia, whose tummy wasn't quite right, slept in. Rach and I had some souvenirs to buy and asked Noel to map out the best spots for shopping.  Noel took it a step further, offering to show us around town during her off hours, showing us the small artisan shops in and outside of the souks. We talked about life, again

Wonderful city on the Atlantic coast. Water too cold, beach very windy this time of year especially heading away from the Medina, but oh to have such a perfect temp after scalding Marrakech! We arrived after a 4.5 hour drive after a cafe stop and argan oil co-op stop. Here the ladies are cracking then grinding the nuts to make oil. All parts of the nut are used - the shell for burning, the nut for oil for salads, cosmetics & lotions, the bitter nuts are roasted and mixed w/ honey to make "Moroccan Nutella", black soap for Hammans, or paste to feed the goats and cows. Essaouira is a busy fishing port, and the local food reflects it. Grilled dorado and sardines fresh off the boats...YUM! Fish stall at the port Nets, fishing boats at the port Large expanse of windy beach-somehow the sand stays put until you get to where the windsurfers and camels are near the dunes at the far end We have enjoyed strong coffee and sweet teas at cafes, accompanied by cookies or peanut and choc

About a few of the Moroccan people we met...At our picnic lunch w/ Laasan & Abdel we were put to shame by how much Abdel knew about the US in comparison to us, although we could name more African countries! We also came to learn that he graduated from university w/ a degree in physics. His family owns an Olive farm w/ fig and other fruit trees, and his brother's family lives on the farm, too. They have 2 big guard dogs w/ no names who need to be put away when Abdel comes home so they don't attack him! Laasan, our Berber guide on the left w/ Abdeleghani "Abdel" our driver at Tinmal When together they spoke Tashelhiyt, one of the Berber languages, then as we traveled west Abdel switched to Arabic, while we used French in the mts. and French & English elsewhere.  Berber language alphabet Stop sign in Arabic, pronounced "kif" w/ a soft cough from the back of the throat 'k' (pronounced w/ a hard 'k' it means marijuana). Rach can say it but

After dinner we shared a bottle of white wine w/ our friends then went up to the deck to stargaze and Rach found Scorpio, her sign, in the sky. I made birthday wishes on 2 shooting stars before heading to our cabin in the trees to sleep. 3-dog star-gazing deck, Douar Samra View of one of the many sitting areas & the inn's main house from our mountain cabin/below view of inside of our cabin Next day we met Laasan, our Berber guide, and our driver, Abdel, for a 2 hour windy drive through the mountains & Ouirgane and Nfiz Valleys  to the 12th c. Tinmal Mosque which was absolutely stunning! Definitely worth the drive through small Berber villages, green valleys and by a large irrigation dam & lake.   Tinmal Mosque We had a lovely picnic lunch on the grounds of the Gite du Lac on the way back from Tinmal and stopped at the posh Kasbah Tamadot (Richard Branson's hotel) for a quick tour. Under the shade of an olive tree at our picnic spot with grape vines on one side &