TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

The Moroccan manager of the riad where we stayed in Marrakech informed us before the trip that Essaouira is the St. Tropez of Morocco. Hmm, OK. So later in the afternoon after we had our fill of the medina, and with this in mind, we went in search of this St. Tropez Beach. Obviously, with Morocco being a very conservative Muslim country—the women here are walking around in djellabas and kaftans (robes), and hijabs and khimars (headscarves), and some even dressed in highly secured niqabs and burkas, we set our expectations low. Like really, really low. And we found the beach! Of course, we didn’t find any female in proper beach attire. We expected that anyway. But what is actually proper in a highly religious country? One thing for sure, there were no bathing suits and no bikinis. No burquini wetsuits even. The breeze on the beach boulevard was refreshing so while waiting for our ride back to Marrakech, we took the opportunity to relax here. Staring at the open horizon, the sea, watchin...

Essaouira, situated along the coast is a very windy city, just like the Netherlands. The fortified blue harbour of Essaouira that we visited provide fresh catches of the day to a line up of al fresco restaurants on the quay. I call it blue because all the fishing boats here are painted in blue, deep ocean blue colour. The harbour is also a favourite hangout of the seagulls. Many of these birds fly noisily above the square and along the promenades bulwark’s as well hoping to catch morsels of nourishment from the restaurants and people eating. Up in the fort’s tower we enjoyed many of these spirited seagulls. They flew above us, rotating and then floating adrift. They loved playing with the wind. It was quite a surreal experience seeing the birds flying, er staying put mid-air. Because the wind is very strong, the seagulls play with it by flying against the wind’s current and floating. The tower asks for a small fee to get in. From the tower you can view Essaouira and the whole harbour. ...

While lunching al fresco in one of the busy restaurant terraces in the medina of Essaouira we were serenaded by local musicians using indigenous musical instruments. Cool. The guy on the left has cymbals hanging from his forehead (so funny, haha). Lunch and a Serenade Blondine ordered a chicken tajine. She loved dipping the bread in the tajine sauce that is why she is only ordering tajines in this holiday. I on the other hand went for a plate of grilled cod fish with some rice and salad on the side. The fish was unfortunately dry. I can’t remember my taste buds celebrating this lunch but overall it was nice. Thanks to the ambiance of the cafe restaurant and the entertaining local musicians. I had fun watching the musician especially with the cymbals on his forehead. I must admit, with how he moved and the cymbals hanging on his forehead, he looked a bit funny. Here is our lunch: We get olives and some local condiments. I love the fresh orange juice here in Morocco. ...

Surprisingly, the medina of Essaouira, called ‘Mogador’ in the past is a bit touristy and affluent as well than I have expected. It is by the way a UNESCO world heritage site. Mogador Medina and Souk The souks here are more Europeanized, or modern, in the sense that they are not as embryonic as the souks in Marrakech. I also noticed that the local artisans are quite progressive than their counterparts in the big city. This can be clearly seen in their ateliers and how they present their merchandise to the customer, which reminds me of the charming shops in Southern European countries, i.e., Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal. There are fewer labyrinth trails here as well. The streets are usually filled with vibrantly coloured shops displaying exotic wares and handicrafts that are already overflowing in the alleyways. Can I say that the medina of Essaouira is a one big open-air department store? Cabinet-making and wood carving are popular trade crafts in Essaouira but like ...