Marrakech Express

I think there’s a song along these lines? Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. But this won’t be an Express today. We travel to Marrakesh and along the way we climb up into the High Atlas Mts to the highest pass at 2260 m: Ichka Pass (tizi).

The road is lined with tiny villages with accommodations and stalls; or there is nothing. It is brown and arid except for the land close to the river deep down in the valley where trees and crops are grown.

The original caravan route went where there was water and kasbahs. The current road made in 1931 by the French is the only road that connects Marrakesh to the Sahara. There is a tunnel being made; they say 5 years but probably will be 10. It is often blocked by snow in winter and rock falls.

At the top of the pass are amazing views - and the wind! We were are nearly blown away!!

A big set of switchbacks wind down the western side back to the plains below. 

We stop at a market at Zerkten and walk around. We ‘snagged’ a quick coffee (white; ALWAYS accompanied by cubes of white sugar!): noos-noos/half and half - it was very good!!

The weather becomes fog shortly after. There are lots of roadworks and some delays.

Plains now to the Atlantic Ocean: lots of tourism and agriculture - oranges, olives. Marrakesh is in a very strategic in location.

After checking in, we high-tailed it to the Marjorelle Garden. This is a two and half acre garden created by French Orientalist artist, Jacques Majorelle, over almost forty years, starting in 1923. It also features a Cubist villa designed by French architect, Paul Sinoir, in the 1930s. In the 1980s, the property was purchased by fashion designers Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé who worked to restore it. Today the garden and villa complex is open to the public. The villa houses the Berber Museum which we found very interesting. It was very pretty, if busy. Thankfully Khalid had organised entry tickets ahead for the 4 of us that went - this saved us waiting in the queue when we arrived.

On our return back into central Marrakesh, we wandered the souks and watched the food market setting up for the evening in the Djemaa el-Fna square. Quite a hoot! Snake charmers, monkeys, touts, bikes, everything was happening. The place really has a buzz to it.

We joined the rest of the group for dinner at one of the food stalls we’d seen earlier in the afternoon being set up in the main square. We enjoyed a variety of street-food and let the business of the market wash over us. There was just so much going on!

We finished off with an icecream from a nearby icecreamerie - Marrakech has a good reputation for icecream. We said good night to the others and MF and I made our way to the 11th century Koutoubia minaret which towers over everything else in Marrakech.