Marrakesh, Morocco
May, 2008
Working in North Italy for a few weeks, I had plans to head South for a little vacation. Not quite being summer, the trip seemed premature for beaching it. Same with the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, down towards Montenegro. I’ve read of a overland journey along that beach line that sounds epic. Seeking warmer weather I spent a few hours searching and landed on a a roundtrip from Venice to Casablanca, Morocco with a 9 hour layover in Rome. Sounded perfect. After an amazing day in Rome and ho-hum time in Casablanca, I headed to Marrakesh. I arrived late at night and had no hotel plans. In each modern city in Morocco there is a city and then the old-city or the medina. In the medinas, the roads are skinny and the walls are high. Finding your way requires a map, a map that you don’t want to have out or you’ll be hassled by shop owners more than normal. I’ve even read that bring a compass is helpful and after experiencing getting lost and running in circles – I believe it. I was told that the best place to stay was in the Medina so I passed the…. (more to come…)
