Written by Jo Malcolm
Click here to read more about Jo’s life adventures and experiences on her blog site.
Some of you fellow baby boomers may remember the Crosby, Stills & Nash lines ‘ Would you know we’re riding/ On the Marrakesh Express‘ and the Magic Bus that took the hippies from London to Morroco. There was also the Stones and Hendrix spending time in Marrakesh, and perhaps also postcards or photos of the in-your-face-and-full-of-life enormous square in the city, the Jemaa el-Fnaa, with its snake charmers and fabulously rich colours and energy.
Well, these were all the connotations that took me on a recent trip to Marrakesh, but actually, I went because, to me, it seemed to be the warmest, closest and liveliest place I could get to in January – to clear off from the freezing part of Italy I live in. Also, because I’m a very garrulous, solo traveller, I choose places where I feel there are good conversations to be had. And with all its cafes, energy, light and sunshine, I knew Marrakesh would attract kindred spirits and opportunities for encounters.
For my first week, I stayed in the upmarket Riad Kasbah. It is owned by a Frenchman and designed with meticulous taste and spacious high-ceilinged rooms, (we met briefly over breakfast one day). I then had a week in the more modest but lovely Riad Linda, mentioned in Alice Morrison’s novel, ‘Adventures in Morocco‘. Riads are chilly during winter mornings and after the sun goes down, so I made sure these two had heating and rooftop terraces for lounging in the daytime sunshine, before booking.
The main square in Marrakesh, the Jemaa el-Fnaa, is within a few minutes’ walking distance from both these riads. So if you like to watch the goings-on (including snake charmers, acrobats, flame-throwers, jugglers, henna artists, cartoonists, and tarot card readers) as you sip a citron pressé or nibble through some couscous, you can try out the French-style restaurant, Lafarmacie.
While in Marrakesh:
Recommended Read: Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud
Recommended Listening: Hejira by Joni MitchellIf you would like to know more about this story or Marrakesh or Morocco, please contact janeydaniell@mytravelroom.co.nz
Pictures of Marrakesh
