My Marrakesh

Riad Zamane: and where to stay in Zagora

After many hours on the road South, they found themselves in a town that rhymed enchantingly with aurora.  Yes, they were in Zagora.  Moroccan men in blue turbans and Moroccan women in black sequined shawls, strolled up and down the streets.  It was dusty and it was gritty but it was just right, too. 

The group of them -- three Americans, two Italians, one Belgian, one Brit, one Czech, and one Moroccan, as well as a motley crew of children of mixed origins -- checked into Riad Zamane.  A strange and special place, Riad Zamane was a bohemian respite nestled into Zagora's palm grove oasis. 

The walls were etched with mysterious symbols....

Bungalows were hidden among the luxurious plantings.

And nomadic sleeping tents could be found behind blue doors....

Maharajas had been there before them....

They sat outside and  told  secrets to traveling companions...

They had tea with visiting grandfathers on couches made from vintage Berber blankets.  (The blogging girl had a collection of such blankets for sale for modern bohemians worldwide....)

They savored a lamb and fig dinner in a brightly fringed Bedouin tent with arched windows.

They admired the perfect little Moroccan handmade rugs here and there.....

At night their path was lit by candles and Moroccan lanterns......

The next day, a man in blue led them away to the dunes of the Sahara desert.  But that's another tale.... for another time.....

Riad Lamane Amezrou, Zagora, Morocco riadlamane@menara.ma www.riadlamane.com

The Sahara Desert: and let the dunes begin....

The six-year old girl's card to her grandfather was simple and straight to the point:

Dear Grandpa Joel,
I feel happy you are coming to Marrakech.  We are going to go into the Sahara desert!  We are going to ride real camels! We are going to sleep in real tents!  We are going to have fun!

xxoo,
Skylar

See you back here on Sunday.  I anticipate tales of runaway camels and runaway sunburn.    oh dear

Image by Dan Laskowski.

Budget Travel: and where to eat, shop and play in Marrakech

Oh my...the story that I did for Budget Travel is out!  The April issue, starting on page 62....... eight pages of where to eat, shop, and play in Marrakech with amazing photos by Jason Lowe.  There's even a full page portrait of this little olive farmer/blogger (wearing mascara since, it was a special occasion.....:-) )

I loved following in the footsteps of bloggers like Design Sponge and Chocolate and Zucchini for this Budget Travel series on bloggers giving tips on their cities.   Special shouts  of appreciation to super cool BT Editor  Erik Torkells and extra friendly and *smart* Photo Editor Amy Lundeen.  They were just fantastic to work with. 

If you haven't checked it out already, Budget Travel also has a most excellent blog.  Do read it right here.

Marrakech: and an Easter tale

Oh it was Easter.  And they were spending it with friends.  Everyone had gotten dressed up for the occasion. There were the stripiest tights.

And the polka-dottiest dresses.

And a blogging girl in saved-just-for-Easter pink suede shoes with orange bows.  (You have those too, don't you?)

They sat on the rooftop.  It was a beautiful day in Marrakech.  As beautiful as the Moroccan tiled table.

Oh, the food was delicious.  There were five courses or more.  The blogging girl remembered antipasti, risotto, pasta, salmon, tarts, and more and more.

And so much champagne!

Please, won't you have a glass?

Somehow during all the feasting, the Easter bunny paid a visit and hid treats. (What do you mean you saw the blogging girl and her cohorts hiding chocolate eggs everywhere? Don't be silly.)

Baskets for children, which started out empty.....

...were soon full....

Thank heavens, the Easter bunny made it out alive, despite the efforts of a Swedish-Moroccan cat who snuck in....

Here's wishing you chocolates today and every day.  Happy Easter from far away Marrakech. . .

Moroccan caftans: a tale of passion

She started collecting vintage caftans.  She liked to look at them, to stroke them, to admire their handiwork.....She wasn't the only one, it seemed...

Suzy Menkes talks with Pierre Berge about the exhibition "Une Passion Marocaine" at the Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent Fondation in Paris.  On exhibit from March 14 to August 31. Thank you beautiful-karma Kaydee for the link.

P.S.  Lovely Richele from Richie Design clued me into Vivre's shopping picks inspired by Marrakech.  Check it out right here.

Marrakech: and do come in....

You see, Moroccans intrinsically understood something very basic:  the power of paint.  Even in the smallest villages, doors were painted in fantastical colors and designs.  It was......poetry...or it was Prozac.  Or it was both..... 

The blogging girl admired their bold confidence, their happy curly-Qs, their it's-only-paint-for-goodness-sake nature.  She was fond of their fondness of turquoise and pink... 

How was it, she wondered, that everyone else had become so....... boring....?

P.S.  Do take a peek here to see the lovely vintage Moroccan wedding blanket (or wedding quilt) that darling Barbara in Australia purchased from me.  I have a new stash of wedding blankets, in case you would like to have a little sparkley glamour, too.  Drop me a line:  maryam at mtds.com

Marrakech: and the poetry of Dar Rumi

She was blond, Swedish and beautiful.  She was even more beautiful on the inside (Oh my....).  She had a mysterious name.  She owned a mysterious house.   The house was called Dar Rumi, after the Persian mystical poet.

Dar Rumi was found deep in the Marrakech medina.  A charming pet camel greeted the blogging girl at the door - he was shy but very vain. 

Everything was so tasteful, in greys, blacks and whites.  With a splash of red .

Oh, the prettiest fountain filled with rose petals in the courtyard.  Just the right spot for Valentines day or any day....

Everywhere there were perfect little touches.

The blogging girl had a bite to eat in the tiny kitchen.  Oh la-la, even the sardines were color coordinated.  

And the most ordinary things were somehow made out of magic....

The girl sat on a leather cushion in the living room and read her very favorite magazine -  Maisons du Maroc, of course.

She then climbed the simplest, most lovely stairs.

The railings were made out of harem-like mashroobiya all in white.....

She lingered for a while on the perfect pink.  And imagined what it would be like to have a house this enchanting......Sigh.

Evening came and Swedish stars shone in the Marrakech night.....

All too fast it was time to leave, and the blogging girl was sad.  But she hoped that if she was nice, very nice, she would be invited back soon,  very soon, to Dar Rumi....

* PS More than 10,000 comments so far on this little blog.  Thank you.  I have loved every one.*

Marrakech: and the Leica D-Lux 3

She found that her camera had secret powers......It could see in the dark....

P.S.  Hungry?  The world's most beautiful breakfast right here. 

Marrakech and the peaceful chicken, or where to eat with kids

Oh she did not condone war in any shape or form.  So when she heard about Marrakech's Rotisserie de la Paix or the Rotisserie of Peace, she felt it was her pacifist obligation to investigate further.    She was hungry and so that helped, too.

Given the high profile nature of their outing, the blogging girl's daughter, Skylar, decided to dress the part.  She was convinced that the Rotisserie of Peace was quite similar to the United Nations.

Undoubtedly the High Commissioner of Rotisserie Chicken would approve of her shoes.

The Rotisserie of Peace was hidden behind walls in Marrakech's new city of Gueliz.  They walked through the doors and found a secret garden. 

There were flowers.

And there were plants.

Most importantly, there was a large enclosed grassy space for children to play tag without drawing the un-peaceful ire of their parents.

They sat in the garden at the Moroccan tiled tables on the Moroccan tiled floors.  They were served Morocco's famous olives while they ogled the menu.

There was no squabbling over sausage and lamb chops:  they ordered conflict-resolving mixed grills -- it was the best they had had in Marrakech.

Thankfully they saved a wee bit of room for desert.

They rubbed their full bellies contentedly. Then they asked the waiter to put the leftovers in a bag.  It was for the pet lion in the garden.  He was a most docile and charming creature.  Just as as you would expect at a peaceful rotisserie....

Rotisserie de la Paix

68 rue Yougoslavie

Marrakech Morocco

Tel:  024-433118 or 024-43 22 72

Mixed grill for about 8 euros

Marrakech: Peacock Pavilions dishes out

The details were important to her.  She thought about the small things...about the soap dishes, the trash bins, the key chains.  She wished that everything could be just so at Peacock Pavilions.  She sometimes grew frustrated when she  couldn't find the things she wanted - not the right forks, not the right faucets, not the right fabrics.  She begged people traveling to Marrakech to courier special items for her that she ordered online and shipped to them. 

When it came to dishes, she knew she would have to find a local source.......because, after all, dishes are fragile...they break.  A trip of the foot, a stub of the toe, and replacements are needed.  While Moroccan pottery might be tempting -- so colorful, so hand-crafted -- also soon shabby......the telltale chips, the flaking paint.  Oh no, that wouldn't do........

Then there was white porcelain.....Porcelain.....  so elegant and the white so pristine, so restaurant-like.  And easily replaced.  But Moroccan?  Not particularly.  And memorable?  Not at all.........

Moroccan porcelain was called for.  Finally, after contemplation, she decided on a pattern from Porcelain de Fes........  Classic, in good taste, and so Moroccan with its intricate mosaic designs, reminiscent of Moroccan tile work or zelij.  And the blue...so lovely -- why, even Swedes couldn't complain. 

So bright and early one morning.......she marched off with her checkbook......  She returned with dinner, salad and desert plates, as well as fruit bowls, platters, and the sweetest tiny dishes for butter,  jams, and  honey.    She stacked them up, she packed them in tissue, she marked the large box with Peacock Pavilions in black permanent ink. 

One step closer............ (Pssst.....doors opening October 15, 2008)