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. 

                                                     

Istanbul City Tour part 2

 July 27

We had the option to split our city tour into two days, so we completed the tour today by going to the Basilica Cistern. Originally intended as a palace, construction was completed around AD 541. The cistern was used as a method of storing water for the people of the city. It was joined to other cisterns throughout the city by aqueducts. It is a rectangular structure containing 336 columns, each eight meters tall, and set four meters apart. In 1962 the cistern was featured in the James Bon movie "From Russia With Love". In the middle of the cistern is one rather unique column, called the "crying column". While the design looks like the evil eye, it actually represents the club carried by Hercules in Greek mythology. In the back corner of the cistern is a small statue of Medusa that casts a rather large shadow when the lights hit just right. 

 

After the Basilica Cistern, we walked to the famous Grand Bazaar. I was unimpressed. In my opinion, the spice bazaar was a lot more interesting.  

                        


Late afternoon, we were scheduled for a Turkish bath at a traditional hamam. There are hamams all over Istanbul- even our hotel offered this service. I chose Cagaloglu Hamam for this activity because it was located in an old Ottoman building and I love the history associated with that. Prepare to be scrubbed thoroughly if you decide to do a Turkish bath. There is a men's side, and a women's side. We started the experience in a sauna, then we were taken to a large room where we were doused in water from head to toe. Ross called it a voluntary waterboarding. Charisse said they were trying to drown her standing up. Then we laid down on a stone slab where we were scrubbed and massaged from head to toe. Then they rinse you before laying you back down for the washing portion. This involved tons of bubbles. One final waterboarding and we were done. Charisse and Ross both got a full body clay mask treatment, which actually came before the scrubbing. I decided to add on a hands, feet, face moisturizing treatment, which actually came after the bath. We all finished at about the same time though. 

                      

Travel tip: Bring water. Lots of water. 

Istanbul City Tour

July 26

Today we had booked a walking tour of historic sites in the Old Town section of Istanbul. Our tour started in what used to be the hippodrome (horse square) during ancient times. Our tour guide was Arda, and he started the tour by giving us some information about the city.

Old Town Istanbul used to be called Byzantium in ancient times, and the entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is surrounded by the remnants of Roman walls that extended for 22 kilometers around ancient Byzantium. Old town Istanbul is beautiful and unique. Two obelisks stand in the hippodrome: one is from Karnak Temple in Egypt. The other is of unknown origins. The remnants of the bronze serpent column also stands in the hippodrome. The column was given to Byzantium by the ancient Greeks after a successful battle. Made of three twisted lengths of bronze, the top contained the heads of snakes all pointing in different directions. But there was a period of time when strife and violence was prevalent in Istanbul and the structure was destroyed. Two of the heads are now in museums: one in London and one in Istanbul. The other head has disappeared from history.

 At the other end of the hippodrome is the German Fountain. It was gifted to the city by Kaiser Wilhelm II after his visit there. Our first stop in the tour was at Topkapi Palace. If you plan on going, make sure you have at least three hours to spend there.

                      

There is so much to see. Topkapi was constructed during the reign of Sultan Mehmet II, and was in use by the Ottomans until 1856, when they moved the royal household to Dolmabahçe Palace. The palace has three different gates and four courtyards. Walking towards the first gate, we pass by the Hagia Eirene on our left. A smaller mosque built four years before Hagia Sofia, it means “holy peace”.

To our right is the Fountain of Ahmed the Turk. The first gate of Topkapi is called “the gate of rulership”. Topkapi can hold up to 5,000 people. Off of the first courtyard there is a weapons room and a clock room that has SO many different types of Ottoman clocks. Charisse was fascinated by the weapons room. 

 

The second gate is called the "Gate of Salutation" and has European style towers installed by Sulieman. The columns in the palace contain materials from Greece, Egypt, and the Marmara region of Türkiye. Our guide leads us through the many rooms, halls, and courtyards of the palace. Honestly, there are too many to remember them all. But everywhere we go we see the blue tiles for which Türkiye is famous.

 We then go to the eunuch's quarters, where there is a temple, and a hammam, along with the living and sleeping quarters. The eunuch's rooms are right before we get to the harem. In Islam "harem" means "a holy place where not everyone is allowed to enter". These were the quarters of the royal family. The rooms of the harem are expansive. There were rooms for the sultan, his wives, his mother, and his siblings. They had private kitchens, and a long hallway with a stone banquette where the servants would place their food. The harem at Topkapi was initially constructed during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror and expanded during the time of Sultan Murad III. We also tour the dormitories where the Sultan's personal soldiers lived before being allowed to explore on our own for the next hour. 

View of Anatolia from Topkapi

Huge swimming pool

                                                      

    

                                      

Our second stop of the day was the Blue Mosque. Because today is Friday, we were not able to get into the mosque until 2pm, which is why we did not start here. Friday at noon is the only time Muslims MUST come to a mosque to pray. Any other time they can pray at home. The Blue Mosque is actually called the Sultan Ahmet Mosque and is unique because it has six minarets. It is the only Ottoman mosque that has six. The typical mosque has two. Only a sultan could build a mosque with more than two minarets. A mosque built by a sultan usually has four. It is called the Blue Mosque because of the more than 20,000 hand painted blue tiles that decorate the walls. Many of the tiles have a tulip design because it was a flower native to the area. Later the flower was exported to the Netherlands. Inside the Blue Mosque there are eight circular plaques with inscriptions. They are for Allah, the prophet Muhammed, the two grandsons of Muhammed, and the four caliphs. The narrow staircase/ tower inside the mosque is where the imam sits to call the prayer. 

                       

                       

We ended the day at the Hagia Sofya. We did not go inside the Hagia Sofya but learned a little about the history. Constructed between AD 532- 537, it was originally built as an orthodox church.  It then became a Catholic church, then a mosque, then a museum, and now it is an active mosque again.  For a while it was the largest religious structure in the world. Both Hagia Sofya (holy wisdom) and Hagia Eirene (holy peace) are dedicated to Jesus. If I ever get back to Istanbul, I would definitely like to go inside the Hagia Sofya.