MOROCCO # 1 - Hello and Goodbye Marrakech

Two days in Marrakech.... quite negative feelings, it felt as if this was going to be the long goodbye to Morocco. Of course, we knew very well that Marrakech was not representative of Morocco......... even though it was known as 'Morocco' in the 19th century.

As you will see later this was an over emotional first reaction, yes things have changed but maybe at last for the benefit of the poorer Moroccans.........poorer? There were ever just 2 classes of people in Morocco the privileged wealthy with plenty of influence and power and the ones that were there for their use and convenience.........admittedly this appeared to be a mutually beneficial arrangement forging incredibly strong ties of fealty and total confidence that Allah would provide in the guise of the almost feudal system. The French colonial rule devastated this system and encouraged the bureucratic systems of Europe...giving some opportunity to a new middle class Moroccan who certainly wasn't interested in improving the lot of his lowly brothers.

Now with the young king maybe the system allowed more opportunities for sons and daughters of previously humble families to improve their professional and financial lot. Moroccans never lacked in imagination, zeal and determination, who knows what might come of the new order even if it does include a concentration on more tourism, who are we to selfishly crave for the picturesque, impoverished Morocco of the past?

The reason for our initial disillusionment started was our first experience of flying straight into Marrakech. Usually we drove to Tarifa, travelled by sea to Tanger and then on by car.

Arriving at the airport together with hundreds of other tourists made it feel like a mass invasion. Just one short period in one day, we imagined this multiplied by 1000s of people brought in by the cheap flights, for most of them Marrakech was the destination, they would not travel further. 
On the taxi ride from the airport we could see that the city had expanded in all directions since our last visit 4 years ago, the traffic was in its usual chaos at around 7.30 p.m. Glad to see djellabas still in strong evidence on the streets, billowing on bikes and scooters.

Some things that never change, photos above, Djemma el Fna , the pink walls of the city and the Koutoubia mosque.......no building in the area can ever be made taller than the height of a palm tree so the Koutoubia at 77 metres has been dominating the medina since 1199.

In the medina we were surprised to see so much improvement in even the grottiest of the small hotels, over the years we have probably stayed in all of them, gradually being able to afford better ones with better rooms.

This time we stayed in a new one, open just 2 months Hotel du Tresor http://www.hoteldutresor.com/

Owned and decorated by an Italian, it's in praise of all things post-modern ironic with some amusing visual puns, some fine copies of 20th century art, re-cycled objects from the gutted and re-decorated La Mamounia, all crammed into a small riad which now has a very bijou pool in the courtyard with a magnificent orange tree growing up to the roof terrace level where there are fine views of the Koutoubia and the roof tops of the medina. Our room was tiny but had an en-suite bathroom and was quiet and cool. I guess we are past the times when we stayed in the grottiest medina dives with one squatter loo on each floor, the constant hubbub of comings and goings, all night chatter on the rooftop with the kif smoke drifting up to the starry sky. At the Tresor it was quite a novelty to be able to enjoy a bottle of wine, relaxing under the orange tree or up on the roof after a hard day in the souks........see souk blog.

Current booze situation.......... drinking wine in Marrakech, except in exclusive restaurants or expensive hotels, meant a trek into art-deco Gueliz , the 20th century extention of the old city, to one of the small grocery stores which have stocks of Moroccan wine and hard liquor, it all felt a bit illicit under the seemingly disapproving observation of the owners who must be making a fortune from the alcohol cravings of infidels.
Still no alcohol served in any of the ordinary restaurants and cafés near the Djemaa el Fna except the un-salubrious "Grand" Hotel Tazi. Also the Hotel Foucault which is very musty and dusty, much better to sip a mint tea .....but occasionally a glass of wine is essential and Moroccan red wine from around Meknes can be very good.

After 2 days in the madness of Marrakech we hopped into our hire car, another novelty, and headed South for our appointment in Agdz, Draa Valley.

SUNSET SKULL

SOL Y SOMBRE

The beginning of June and it's getting hot; the landscape has changed, from the glories of spring wild flowers and myriad shades of green to a golden tawny background with evergreen oaks and olive trees creating the essence of an Extremadura summer, the nightingales still sing but they are accompanied by cicadas and the deep hoot of eagle owls.
We crave shade and have been busy erecting the various shade sails and parasols around the finca, especially by the pool.
So looking forward to our summer mode; cool mornings for walking and some chores, relaxed lunch on the terrace and then a delicious siesta in a cool shadowed room behind thick shutters, later on a swim and reading, possibly artistic projects if any (none at moment but something is bubbling gently and will hopefully result in something fit to be seen)
Evenings are long and sultry, late light tapas and cool wine, candles and star gazing and of course a good chat. If the moon is between waxing gibbous and full it's light enough to walk around, a magical experience to take a short walk in bright moonlight, everything transformed.
 In between all these precious lazy days there are busy busy days of organizing the houses, welcoming new clients and saying hello again to all the people who have stayed before. Summer!

OVER THE SIERRA FROM MONTANCHEZ TO ARROYOMOLINOS- SPECTACULAR WALK

How many times have I done this walk? Maybe 20 or 30 times over 12 years  but it's still very special, not least because of the solitude, usually never meet another person.
Today was extra special with the sound of running water crashing down the mountain and accompanied by nightingales along the way. Because the walk is so secluded with many different natural habitats the bird life and botany are really impressive.

The walk starts in Montanchez and winds its way through 7 kms of the sierra on an ancient path down to Arroyomolinos.
First passing by vineyards and olive groves, through the mossy bosky chestnut wood now in deep cool shade and then out onto the wilder mountainside still smothered in exquisite wild flowers.

The path gets steeper as it approaches the gorge of Arroyomolinos passing by many natural springs on the way and with far distant views of terraced mountainside and way down to the hills beyond the gorge.

At the start of the gorge the first mill building appears, it has been renovated and used as an idyllic retreat, just below there is a torrent of water gushing back down to the main stream.

The path is steep but secure and follows the stream all the way down the gorge. The vegetation is wild and rampant, the ruins of many water mills emerge from the green tangle. A marvelous and unique collection of  mills cascading down the hillside, fascinating and romantic.

The design of the mills is ancient and features a tall stone tower with an acquaduct connecting the tower to a millpond, the mill is powered by the water of the mill pond being guided along the acquaduct and then crashing down the tall tower onto the paddles which turn the millstones, the water then flows back to the main stream and the next mill.

The base of the gorge  widens into meadows and olive groves on the outskirts of Arroyomolinos where there is a wooded path along the lower slope of the sierra all the way back to Finca al-manzil, about another 2kms on level ground

Blue sky over Finca al-manzil : Bee eater caught in the act

Orange!

This sofa is a very old friend, has been going strong in the family for several generations.
Has been through many avatars in my memory alone but now in its latest reincarnation it's ORANGE.....well a subtle shade but still rather vibrant, has been re-upholstered too so now super comfy with no springs poking through.
We have a brilliant upholsterer in Montanchez called  Reis, he performs miracles on all our old relics which I can't bear to part with. After 12 years some pieces are on the 2nd visit to the workshop.

May 21st.....still so green at Finca al-manzil

ANOTHER WALK TO THE BOTIJA MOLINOS

Our favourite Sunday walk ending up in the charming bar at Salvatierra de Santiago.

This was a beautiful sunny day only last Sunday, since then it's been rather wet, unusual in May but we will do the walk again this Sunday, the waterfall from the weir must be spectacular after all the recent rain. Absolutely love this walk, the bird life is wonderful, full of bee eaters nesting in the muddy banks, many storks and herons. Always a flock of goats, cows, sheep and Iberic pigs on the way to the perfect pastoral peace of the mill buildings surrounded by vast areas of dehesa. 

About a 2 hour walk.