Universities and "Rooftops"

Intricate plasterwork above the door.

Today, Lindsay and I took a reformer Pilates class at Evolve Studio, which was just down the block from our AirBnB. I had never done reformer Pilates before, and you could definitely tell! This was one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. That afternoon, we went to the Madrasa Ben Youssef, an ancient college located in Marrakesh. Constructed in the mid-16th century, it features traditional Moorish architectural details, including carved cedar wood and intricate plasterwork. Calligraphy is carved into the walls above the zellige. Read more about the architecture of the Madrasa Ben Youssef here: Architecture Madrasa Ben Youssef, An Islamic Masterpiece in Marrakech

Keyhole architecture is evident throughout 
the structure.

 

The Madrasa is located in the Old Medina and was commissioned for construction by the Sultan  Abdullah Al-Ghaleb Assaadi. Students lived there while studying subjects like philosophy, religion. mathematics, and medicine. The student rooms are arranged around a beautiful courtyard. It remained a hub for intellectual activities for centuries. The Madrasa officially stopped operating as a full-time Islamic institution in 1960. 

         

The colorful, intricate tile work is a 
Moroccan art form known as zellige.

Charisse booked a rooftop experience for us for the evening. Everyone who comes to Marrakech has said this is an unforgettable, lively event featuring music and belly dancers. The onlookers often become part of the show. Our show was booked at a restaurant called Le Tanjia, which we had passed by the day before in the Old Medina.  We were early and had time to wander through the shops. Lindsay had mentioned that she wanted to get a traditional Moroccan outfit while she was here, so we scoured shops until we found just the right vendor. The proprietor dressed her and Haily in scarves and caftans until nothing was showing except their eyes. He also took the time to show us how to properly wrap the scarves. We then went into one of the many shops that sold Moroccan art, and I found just the right piece to add to my collection.  I have definitely improved my bargaining skills, as I negotiated the price down to approximately $60 US from the listed $100. 

Our rooftop show turned out not to be on the rooftop due to the cold weather.  This was disappointing, but the food was amazing, and the dancers were very good. The show took place on the top floor of the restaurant, where there was only a bachelorette party and us. They still made us a part of the show, and we still had a good time. 

           

                                        

Jemaa el-Fnna

 On Haily's to-do list was a visit to the night markets in the Jemaa el-Fnna. This bustling square is in the center of the souks, or shops, where you can find all sorts of trinkets, clothing, jewelry, artwork, spices... the list is seemingly endless. 

 

At night, however, the square fills with tents, trucks, booths, and carts featuring a variety of foods. Everything from the mundane, like fresh-pressed juices, to the more exotic, such as displays that featured whole sheep's heads, is on sale in the market. 

We arrived before the market opened at 4pm, so we had time to wander down some of the alleyways, visit some local artisans, and find some photo ops. Lindsay wanted to get a henna tattoo in the square. (She wasn't particularly happy with the outcome and ended up getting another one a few days later at a shop in the souks.) The henna artists in the square are pushy, which is how I ended up getting one as well. The night markets were as vibrant and interesting as advertised. 

The disappointing henna (we're cute though.)

If you look closely, you can see
the whole sheep's head on display. 

There are numerous yummy
food options in the night markets. 

A booth that featured nothing but an
enormous display of olive varieties.

Haily enjoying her fresh-cut sheep cheek.

 

In the Jardin Majorelle

 January 19,

Today, Lindsay, Haily, and I went on a tour of the Jardin Majorelle, the Berber Museum, and the Yves St. Laurent Museum. (More on that one later.) While waiting in line, we discovered that tickets had to be purchased in advance, so we purchased a combo ticket online for the next available time. Since we had an hour to kill, we walked among the charming shops and restaurants in the area, noting souvenirs that we wanted to come back and buy once our tour was over. This was a self-guided tour through winding, plant-lined paths. The Jardin Majorelle is a botanical garden that was designed and constructed by French artist Jacques Majorelle. He built his Moorish-style house on the land and constructed the garden around it. The construction took over forty years. 

          

         

The Berber Museum was an interesting journey through Berber history, but we were not allowed to take pictures inside. The various exhibits featured weapons, tools, traditional clothing, and jewelry. I admit that I broke the rules and took a couple of photos before a guard admonished me. 

                                

What we did not get to see was the Yves St. Laurent Museum- at least I am not sure that we did. The pathways were winding, the signage was unclear, and the workers weren't particularly helpful, as most of them didn't seem to speak English and answered our questions with gestures. We went into a building that we thought was a museum but it was more of a shop. After exiting the shop, we had a light meal in the Cafe Bousafaf, which is located on the grounds of the Jardin Majorelle. I had vegetable briouat, a flaky, triangular Moroccan pastry stuffed with vegetables, a garden salad, and lemon cake for dessert.  We also sampled a traditional Moroccan tea called Sultan's tea, which was a combination of orange and mint leaves. After leaving, we returned to the shops and bought a few trinkets before walking back to our AirBnb. 

                                   

Later on, I went on a solo adventure, looking for a herb shop that I read about online. Called Herbalism Marrakesh, Lindsay, Haily, and I had tried, without success, to find it yesterday. Today, armed with a new address, I walked 30 minutes back to the souks, and continued following the very unreliable Google map, until I arrived at a shop that was surrounded by people. Apparently, there was a celebrity inside and they weren't letting anyone in until he left. I don't know who "Speed" is, but this crowd did, and they followed him through the souks as he left the shop. Meanwhile, I completed my mission, and purchased a variety of teas, soaps, and facial products before returning to the AirBnB. 

Welcome to Marrakech!

 January 16

Travel days can be long, but they are always worth it. We arrived in Marrakech, Morocco early Friday morning after an 8-hour overnight flight and immediately headed to our AirBnB in the area of Marrakech called Gueliz. After a little rest, a grocery trip was in order. Food is fresher here than in the US, and the markets are one-stop shopping for everything from freshly ground spices to hard liquor to meat counters that feature whole hogs. The daughters went out to dinner at a nearby artisanal pizza restaurant called Black Pan, and we called it a night. 

                   

January 17 

Today I had booked a walking tour of historic sites in the Medina for Charisse and me. The tour started in the square in Jemaa el-Fnaa and took us to Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, and Koutubia Mosque. We were both underwhelmed by Bahia Palace. According to our guide, Abdul, repairs started last year due to damage from a massive earthquake in 2023. About half the rooms are currently off-limits. Bahia Palace is named after the favored wife of Grand Vizier Ba Ahmed. The grounds are beautiful, as is the Moorish detail in the public rooms. We learned that Moorish construction focused on three key elements: cedar wood, plaster, and marble tiles. The three colors of the marble tile represent the earth (brown), the sun (yellow), and the sky (blue). As we proceed through the tour, Abdul informs us that a lot of the marble came from Italy. The Moors traded salt for it. 

After Bahia Palace, we headed to the Saadian Tombs. The Saadian Tombs were built in the 16th century by the third sultan in the Saadian dynasty. The tombs are a blend of Moorish and European style architecture and are covered with colorful tiles. The tombs are on the grounds of the Kasbah Mosque. Some of the tombs have inscriptions from the Quran. The tombs were closed off for over two centuries and only opened to the public in the mid-1900's. 

                                                    

Koutubia Mosque is the tallest mosque in Morocco, and no building in Marrakech is allowed to be taller than five floors because of this. Abdul told us that the triangle next to the minaret on top of the mosque always points towards Mecca, so Muslims know in which direction to pray. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter.                     

Beaches and Bayous

 July 30

We arrived at my house at 2 am this morning and managed to get a few hours of sleep before we re-packed our suitcases and headed out on a road trip for continent #4 of summer vacation. A four drive got us to Gulfport, Mississippi. Charisse wanted to spend a little time at the casino, so we went to the Beau Rivage, but my exhaustion wouldn't let me enjoy myself. I found a quiet spot and just sat down until it was time to go. The next day we went to the beach and finally relaxed for a few hours - until thunder ran us off the beach. We left Gulfport and headed to NOLA for two days. We stayed at a very interesting little Airbnb on Saint Claude Avenue. After a quick trip to Walmart for groceries and a stop by an Italian restaurant for take- out for dinner, Charisse and I attempted to enjoy the hot tub at the Airbnb, but the mosquitoes wouldn't allow it.  The next day we took the bus down to the French Quarter and walked around a bit before getting on a streetcar that dropped us off at Caesar's Palace. Charisse went inside the casino, while Ross and I decided to walk back to Bourbon Street.

 

We wandered in and out of various shops, purchasing a few souvenirs, and a store where I bought a book entitled Spirits of New Orleans. Then we went to Pier 424 Seafood Market, a restaurant where Ross ordered a dish called the taste of New Orleans. It had individual dishes of crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, and gumbo. The crawfish etouffee was his favorite. We then walked on to Tropical Isle, where I got a very large drink called a hand grenade. You can't do NOLA without beignets, so I made sure to stop in at Cafe Beignet for some tasty fried dough. 

                                               

   Later that afternoon the three of us linked back up for a haunted history tour that we had booked. This was a really interesting walking tour that took us around various sites in the French Quarter, including the most haunted building in New Orleans, the LaLaurie house, which was the scene of mass tortures and murders.

There and Back Again

 July 28

Today was our day to travel to the Asian side of Istanbul. Getting there was an ordeal. Every time we asked for directions they were so non-specific that we ended up going about 30 minutes out of our way before finding a tram that would take us to Sirkeci station. Using the Istanbul cart ticketing system was another challenge.  We had Turkish breakfast at Paci Lounge. Turkish breakfast is substantial. The three of us could not finish it all. 

 

After breakfast we took the ferry to Galataport. We had tickets to tour Galata Tower, but Charisse decided to forgo that activity due to the uphill hike required to get to the landmark.  Galata Tower was built by the Byzantine emperor Anastasius as a lighthouse tower in the 6th century and is one of the oldest towers in the world. 

Navigating the tram back to the European side was a lot easier. That evening we had a sunset cruise on a yacht on the Bosphorus River. We saw many of the same landmarks we saw previously, but this time from the water. We also saw the other tower for which Istanbul is famous- the Maiden's Tower.  There is some interesting lore regarding the Maiden's Tower. One story goes that the tower was built by a sultan after a fortune teller predicted his daughter would die from a snake bite. He secluded the girl and her attendants on the island, with their only connection to the outside world being food deliveries. Unfortunately, a snake crawled out of a basket of fruit that was delivered, bit her, and died. The other story goes that the tower was built by the sultan and the girl was exiled to the island in order to keep her away from her many boyfriends. Regardless of the story, Istanbul by sunset is a great way to end the overseas portion of our vacation.