Marrakech, Morocco - Day 1

Monday, January 29, 2024

Andi, Aden, Tory, and I were up early this morning to go to the Amsterdam Schiphol airport. Andi arranged for an Uber to pick us up at his sister Lindsay’s house at 6:00am. We snuck out of the house before Kyle, Lindsay, and the kids were awake having said our good-byes the night before.

Kyle complimented the Schiphol airport saying how streamlined they’ve made things, but I was nervous we didn’t leave their house in enough time for our 8:15am international flight to Marrakech, Morocco. Kyle was right though; it didn’t take us long at all to drive to the airport and make our way through airport security.

We flew an airline called Easy Jet to Marrakech. It’s a smaller, budget airline which doesn’t offer much by way of services, but it did the job getting us from Point A to Point B. I slept most of the four-hour flight still catching up on sleep from the time change. From what Andi and Tory reported later, I’m glad I was out for most of the flight! Tory said the guy sitting behind her kept sticking his foot on her arm rest and Andi said the couple next to him were necking throughout the whole flight. The strangest part of the flight, I thought, was when the flight attendants came around selling cigarettes, bottles of alcohol, and perfume. It was like a duty-free shop 35,000 feet up in the air.

Waiting in line to board Easy Jet…the kids were not pleased with the early morning hoopla.

Our flight arrived into Marrakech around 1:30pm. We’d read beforehand that the customs process takes a while in Morocco because every tourist is assigned a unique travel ID number that is hand-written into their passport. Fortunately, it only took about 20 minutes for our family to make it through the line. Andi had also heard that no more than two people at a time are allowed to approach the customs booth in Morocco (even families must split up into groups of two people). The customs agent barked at Andi “two at a time!” when the four of us approached his booth together. So, Andi and Tory went first and answered a series of questions about our length of stay in Morocco, flight number, and Andi’s occupation. The customs agent was stone-cold to Andi, never cracking a smile.

When Aden and I approached the booth, our experience was completely different. The customs agent smiled big at us through the glass, never asked me any questions, as he wrote in our passports. He commented that Aden was the same age as his son who almost shares the same birth date. “There’s a lot going on in his head, no?” the agent joked, as he pointed to Aden dancing in place while he waited. I laughed.

As Aden and I joined Andi and Tory waiting by the customs exit, Andi said, “Why was he so nice to you and Aden but so abrupt with Tory and I?” We’ve heard men are viewed superior over women in Moroccan society, so it’ll be interesting to see if we notice this while traveling throughout the country.

Outside the airport terminal, a driver was waiting to take us to our hotel called Riaz Azoulay. Right away, Tory and Aden were impressed because the seats inside the transport van were facing each other. “It’s like a mini limo!” Tory exclaimed. All four of us immediately stripped off the outer layers of our clothing. The warm air and sunshine felt wonderful! Wintertime temperatures (December - March) in Morocco range in the 60’s & 70’s during the day and 40’s & 50’s overnight with January being the coolest month of the year. During the summer (June-August), temperatures often reach highs of 100 degrees F. The temperature when we arrived in Marrakech today was a warm, sunny 74 degrees.

This week, we’re staying in a boutique hotel called a riad. The term “riad” is a Moroccan word used to describe any residence with a garden at its center. Naturally, only the wealthiest residents of the city were able to afford such luxurious accommodations and over the years, many of these residences have been converted into boutique hotels. The one we’re staying at this week (called Riad Azoulay) is located in the Medina (or, old town) of Marrakech, in the souk of Mellah, which is the ancient Jewish neighborhood of the city. The narrow alleyway to get to the riad is so congested with people and souks (or, shops) that no cars are permitted to enter. The airport driver dropped us off at the edge of TinSmith Square where a bellman from Riad Azoulay met us to walk the rest of the way to our hotel.

As we followed the bellman through the cramped, congested alley, I glanced over at Tory and Aden and thought their eyes were going to pop out of their heads. Our current surroundings were intense! Motor bikes weaved in and out through the crowd of people as shop owners yelled, “Hallo! Welcome!” in our direction. After a few turns through the narrow pathway, the bellman directed us into a quiet alley and rapped on a wooden door a few times. The small door opened and we ducked inside to an oasis hidden amongst the chaos. “Got that?” the bellman asked Andi and I. “Turn right, right, and then left to find your way back to the square.” Um what?! Were we suppose to be paying attention how to navigate ourselves through all that craziness?

Our hotel, Riad Azoulay, is a tranquil paradise compared to the chaos outside its walls. Inside the five-room boutique hotel, the four of us were ushered into a lobby area with several low white sofas, vibrantly-colored red walls, and Moroccan dishware overflowing with local pears and oranges. The hotel manager brought us refreshments of mint tea and coconut snowballs to eat and drink while we completed our hotel registration. All four of us let out a simultaneous breath of relief which I’m not sure any of us realized we were holding inside our lungs.

A few minutes later, Ahmed, the hotel manager, showed us to our room within the hotel. Andi booked us the royal suite which features a king-size bed, two twin-size beds, a sitting area, and en-suite bathroom. “I’ve never stayed in a hotel room with a bathroom the size of my bedroom!” Tory said in amazement. Remember, this riad used to be a private home for a wealthy Moraccan, so this room was likely the bedroom of one of the owners. Most notable in the space are the traditional carved wooden ceilings and colorful Moroccan plaster on the walls of the hotel room.

The central courtyard of the hotel, classifying this property as a riad.

Only having eaten a small breakfast snack at the airport this morning, all four of us were ready for some lunch. Andi asked Ahmed if we could get something to eat from the kitchen. “Eh, we don’t typically serve lunch,” he said, “but I’m sure we could make you something.” After we dropped our bags in our hotel room, the four of us returned to one of the low-sitting tables downstairs. Ahmed began by bringing plates of zaalouk (moroccan cooked eggplant salad), spiced beans, and a moroccan cabbage salad with walnuts and candied fruit. He brought bowls of pasta with marinara for Tory and Aden, and Moroccan chicken pastilla for Andi and I. We couldn’t believe this is what the kitchen came up with at a moment’s notice. Wow! Andi and I were blown away.

The flavors of the meal were incredible. Chicken pastilla was such a flavorful and aromatic dish. The outside crispy layers of warqa (phyllo dough) held inside shredded chicken seasoned with saffron, cinnamon, and orange. The mix of sweet and savory was like nothing I’ve ever tasted.

We thanked Ahmed for a delicious lunch, and asked for a dinner recommendation at a nearby restaurant in the square. Andi and I wanted to walk around a little bit before dinnertime to get our bearings, but the kids were nervous about having to walk through the craziness of the Medina alleyways again if we left our hotel. Andi and I assured the kids we would keep them close to us. It wasn’t dangerous, just chaotic. Before we left the riad, we confirmed directions with the bellman — turn right, another right, and then left, correct? OK. I think we got it.

There was so much going on outside in the alleyways of the market that it was hard to process all the sights, smells, and sounds. We held onto Aden and Tory closely as we acclimated to motorbikes zooming past us, donkeys pulling carts with goods through the aisles, incense burning, and tourists shopping in the various souks (shops). There was some harassment from shop employees calling for our attention, but it was all friendly chatter. “They aren’t trying to hurt us,” I assured the kids, “they’re just trying to get our attention to buy their products.” As rude as it seems, sometimes it’s best to avoid making eye contact or to politely say “no, thank you” and keep walking. This is how they make their living, we explained to the kids. This is everyday life in the Medina.

Andi and I were so enamored by all the smells, colors, and action happening around us. Not once did I feel in danger at all; there was just so much happening around us all at once. We wandered through the alleyways for a while before turning back toward TinSmith Square. Everywhere we walked, we saw lots and lots of tourists. Marrakech is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is known as the “tourist center” of the country. Because this is the tourism hub, all the locals speak very good English so communicating with them is a breeze.

Our hotel made dinner reservations for us at a restaurant called Le Tanjia Oriential for 7:00pm. We were seated on the second floor rooftop of the restaurant overlooking the square below. It was a beautiful sight to take in as the sun set on the day. We are in Morocco! I can hardly believe it.

At the restaurant, Andi and I were excited to try tagine, a traditional Moroccan dish named after the clay cooking pot in which the meal is prepared. The wide, circular base of the pot and cone-shaped top works like a slow-cooker to steam meat and vegetables inside it. Tagine also refers to the stew-like food that is cooked inside the pot — usually a mixture of chicken, lamb, fish, vegetables, and/or fruit. For our meal, Andi ordered chicken tagine with perserved lemons and purple olives to share, as well as a medley of moroccan side salads, and chicken skewers with French fries for the kids.

Our meals were very flavorful — so many unique spices used in Moraccan cooking! The chicken tagine fell off the bone it was so tender and juicy, and the cooked olives with lemon were the flavor perfect compliment to the dish. Aden thought his chicken skewers were a little too seasoned, but Tory liked them a lot. It was fun to sample so many different types of cold Moroccan salads as well — cucumbers, tomato, eggplant, carrots, potato, beets, and more.

No matter which way you slice it, travel days are exhausting. All four of us were tired and ready to turn in for the night so we decided to pass on dessert at the restaurant and make our way back to our riad through the maze of narrow alleyways. Neither Aden or Tory liked the idea of having to walk past all those souks again with workers shouting to get our attention. Fortunately, most of the shops were closing for the night as we walked through so our experience wasn’t nearly as intense as it had been earlier in the day. Still, I’ve never seen the kids walk so quickly to get back to the sanctuary of Riad Azoulay.

Inside our hotel, Andi asked the kitchen if they had a small dessert for the kids to enjoy. They gave us a plate of four freshly baked cookies (still warm!) and oh my goodness, they tasted heavenly. We also asked for a pot of hot mint tea to take back to our room.

Morocco in one word: Wow! The noise of the bustling squares and souks, the smell of spices, food, perfume, and intense burning around every corner, and all the vibrant colors. We are so excited to see more of this city. Tomorrow, Andi booked us a guide to tour us around the Medina. Can’t wait to learn more about this fascinating place.