May 16, 2025 (Updates to Come)
Just before our trip to Morocco began, I was told that a photographer was complementary to take some pictures on our first full day in Marrakesh. I almost turned it down knowing how those things go with the kids. Am I glad I did not because Youssef was great and spent nearly the whole day with us as we explored the city. It was not a formal photo shoot at all but someone taking candid photos of what we were doing in the city so Kayleen and I did not have to. Also, I’m sure they will be much better quality based on his camera and skill. All that to say I will update this post with some of his best photos when we get them in a week or two.
The morning is cool so the pool right outside our door was not too tempting to the boys on the way to breakfast. We started the day with our first Moroccan breakfast, which comes standard with six different kinds of breads and pastry. There are also a variety of juices always available, all of which are quite good. After breakfast we met our tour guide for the day, Abdeltif, in our riad and then walked together to meet Abdul to hop in the van..
Our first stop was Mosque Koutoubia which was interesting to see and learn about, but hard to pay attention with the boys already hot and wreaking havoc. They found a key on the ground which occupied them but also caused something to fight over. Abdeltif and Youssef were both great with them all day, Abdeltif has 3 kids himself and his been giving tours all over Morocco for over 20 years.
We were happy to go to a market that would hopefully keep the boy’s attention with a bit more action. Abdeltif warned us there might be chickens being killed inside which we shrugged off. Once inside we saw the chickens in their cages and at first it smelled a bit like a pet store. That quickly turned to a foul odor which caught me off guard. Next thing I knew we were turning a corner and I must have taken a deep breath as my eyes met a pile of dead fish on a vendor’s counter. It took a lot to hold back dry heaving/vomiting in that moment for me. Ollie must having being feeling similar and voiced his unhappiness with the smell which we scolded him for. Later I told him I felt the same and almost puked but it’s rude to say things like that when it’s a normal part of other people’s lives.
The market changed to fruit and veggie vendors and we all enjoyed looking. Lenny was displeased asking why we didn’t see any chickens being killed. I don’t think it was exactly at this point in the day but he did ask where bacon comes from. We told him a pig and he shouted back “what part?”. Neither Kayleen or I knew for sure so we said we were not sure. He then suggested with mild confidence that it was the pigs bagina. We reminded him it was a Vagina and told him we were certain that was not the bacon part.
As we left the market Lenny carelessly scurried out in to the road and had a close call with a passing car. The roads in the Old Medina are filled with a variety of motorbikes, and a lesser number of cars, whizzing in every direction.
Next we headed to Bahia Palace which was very impressive and all the rooms were beautiful with their tile work and painted cedar ceilings. Again, not what keeps the boy’s attention. They whined and complained about being tired or hungry when they were not fighting or asking to go to the bathroom.
We then headed to lunch where we passed different vendor stands on our way, one of which had baby tortoises for sale. We were all very taken seeing them and found out people with an interior garden sometimes buy them to help keep the garden clean.
The boys continued to cause trouble at lunch by not eating and not listening. After the morning the frustration level with them was running high. Lenny tried to have Kayleen eat a bite of his fruit salad that he did not want. She said she did not want any but he continued to shove the spoonful in her face which eventually led to her smacking the spoon away from her face and out of his hand. The fruit and juice when flew in my direction with a large kiwi slice sticking to my shoulder. We told them that it might be better if we sent them home and would see them in 8 months. They asked some questions about how that would work trying to act tough but then cried and said they did not want to leave the big trip. We all hoped for a post lunch reset with the scavenger hunt Abdeltif told us was in store.
We headed to Jemaa el-Fnaa Plaza which is a huge market. It was filled with everything you could imagine for sale as well as snake charmers and many other animals. The scavenger hunt started with us needing to locate booth 33 in the open-air section of the market. On our way there we were pulled in by a man with a monkey. I tried to just walk by but as soon as I turned around Ollie was already joyfully holding the monkey. We learned the monkey’s name was Tee-Tee and he was just over a year old. Lenny was too scared but it was clear Ollie was on a mission to hold every animal he could find. He wants to tell his friend from school Sahara about all of them as they were in Creepy Creature club together in aftercare.
We found booth 33 which was a juice stand, one of many, and had a nice juice blend. Lenny drank at least two cups full. We then headed into the market which was a maze of winding narrow streets with the crowd parting for the occasional motorbike. It was a very fun experience that eventually led us to a carpet shop to learn more about the rug making process and different styles. Kayleen and I were very interested and both wanted to buy a rug as a souvenir from our time here. Abdeltif assured us this was the most legit operation and they sourced the handmade rugs from around the country. Each rug is made by one person by hand on a loom. They can take years to make and no two are the same as the design is all from the head of the maker.
They brought out a variety of rugs and after some time we found two runners we really liked. During the process the pile of rugs got to be 15 to 20 thick and they wanted us to walk on them barefoot to feel them. Kayleen and the boys did the testing but the boys soon realized they had a large cushioned space to battle on, game on! The gentlemen we were working with, he had five kids, told us to let them have at it so we did. Wrestling, karate, jujitsu they did it all. At some points I think the guys working there where even shocked how rough it got or how Lenny was always coming back for more no matter how hard he got tossed. Kayleen even took Ollie down a few times when he was getting too cocky. Needless to say, the boys loved rug shopping but for different reasons then us.
We stopped at a khobz bakery on our way back to the open-air square. The boys helped put a few loaves in the oven and we bought a few for our group to snack on. Back in the square we reentered Ollie’s world of animals. We came across a vendor that had quite a variety and Ollie held them all; parrot, cockatiel, falcon, peacock, squirrel, tortoise. Len finally mustered up the guts to hold a tortoise only to hold it upside down for fear it would scratch him with his feet. Next was the grand finale, the snake charmer. Abdeltif took us to the spot where the biggest snakes were and before we knew it Ollie had one around his neck. The rest of us were not interested but it was on my neck too before I even noticed. Ollie was keen to hold the rattlesnake and the cobra but those were reserved for the charmers. They told us the snakes are kept calm by being in the shade, already being fed, and being put in cold water if they start to act too aggressive.
We were done at the market and ready to head to a restaurant for a cold drink to relax, it was in the mid 90s. Abdeltif had a mountain of gifts for us that included; gandoras (tunic), ceramic drums, slippers, fez. We were grateful but will be needing another shipment home before our next flight…
We briefly headed back to the hotel, not enough time for a pool session much to the boy’s disappointment, before heading to dinner at Al Fassia Guéliz. It was described to us as a women’s restaurant which sounds very odd but means it was a women owned and operated business. The food was very good but the boys were exhausted. Ollie repeatedly tried to lay down in the booth and asked to go to sleep. We played a game of Uno as usual while waiting for the food but when the meal was over we all wanted to get back to the riad and be asleep as fast as possible after a very long day.
