where's wolmut?: morocco's medinas

gate to fez medina

essaouira fishing fleet

skipper

white washed medina of essaouira

streets of chefchaouen

laurel says:

morocco didn't morocco my world as much as i had hoped it would. i have wanted to come to this northern africa gem for a long time. and now i leave it feeling satisfied yet slightly mistified by all the buzz. over our 10 day trip we were able to sample 4 different flavors of morocco, and i have to say the much hyped drawcards of marrakech and fez were outshined by the intimacy and charm of the lesser known essouria (a seaside working town) and chefchaouen (a white and blue washed mountain village). the trouble with morocco for travellers, is that most of it's towns can be explored in 1-2 days but the vast distance between tourist destinations makes it difficult to hop from place to place, unless you want to be on the move every other day. of course the highlight of my time in morocco was being joined by my mom and sister and experiencing morocco together. and it was an ideal place for a rendezvous because for me, much of the allure of morocco is enjoying a mint tea on a roof deck of a cafe overlooking the centuries old medina or relaxing in your riad (traditional courtyard home) and marvelling at the incredible moroccan architecture while surrounded by the ones you love (and a skipbo deck). in terms of sites to see, museums, etc morocco does not have a ton to offer. instead it is more of an atmospheric experience of wandering the labrynthine medina streets and shopping in the frantic souqs. and travelling to morocco is not for the faint of heart. westerners are constatly harassed for money and in the 90+ degree heat, it can really test your patience. but if you want to experience northern africa while enjoying stunning boutique hotels, scenic restaurants and vibrant markets, morocco is the way to go. thank you to my mom and sis for making the journey here. i miss you already!

mom getting henna scammed

sipping tea in the riad

gritty essaouira harbor

rocking our new frocks

marrakech at night

emil's harem in marrakech

getting lost in the marrakech medina

our fave rooftop restaurant

emil says:

when i think about what places i have loved or hated or been simply ambivalent about it seems to come down to the expectations i bring to said location. most of our life experiences are judged on the basis of the personal biases and baggage we bring along for the ride. for morrocco i was thinking humphrey bogart, rick's cafe and a whole slew of yet to be determined exotic magic carpet riding aladdin-type inspired flavorful adventure. morrocco is a colorful country but it's more about the atmosphere and less about 'things to see and do'. it's more about sipping mint tea and escaping the scorching sun. it's more about meandering through the endless maze that make up the old medina parts of town in fez and marakesh and watching snake charmers blast their flutes in the face of bothered cobras. it's an atmospheric place and luckily we had laurel's mother and sister with whom to experience the flavor, get lost in the medinas together, get bullied by local henna pushers and just simply catch up. a great time was had simply taking in the 'feeling' of morrocco with family and this was the highlight of the trip. also enjoyed the fiercely bubbling fishing town of essouria and the picturesque greek-styled blue and white mountain town of chef chaouen. the off the run towns have more of the authenticity i was hoping to find, while the big touristy towns of marakesh and fez with the locals constantly pushing and peddling anything from carpets, to tea kettles, to scarves, to pigs knuckles and pigs kankles gets a little irritating, and some of the flavor gets lost in the fray.