bright royal blue

Throwback to Essaouira.

Old men and giant nets, seagulls everywhere, the salty smell of the ocean and icy fish spread out across old wooden tables. Long before the tourists arrived, people were making a living here off of the sea. It seems times have not changed overhere.

Even if not in the mood to buy fish, this the harbour is an excellent place to visit. The purity, colors and smell are utterly incredible. It's a dream for photographers like us.

The entire harbour is full of the most picturesque little blue boats. Essaouira blue boats!

The bright royal blue that covers the hull of every boat and adorns the shutters of every window speaks of thousands of years of history. This color harvested from the shells found on the Purple Islands that protect Essaouira from the open sea.

essaouira

Mogador, Medina at the ocean.

After the workshop my husband Henk arrived in Marrakech. I asked the taxi driver to bring him to Gueliz, where I surprised him with a welcome dinner at restaurant +61.

The next morning we took the bus to spend some days together in Essaouira.

After a few hours we arrived at our hotel near Essaouira, totally different moroccan vibes overhere...

For Henk it was the first time in Essaouira and I loved to show him all my favorite parts of the medina.

We were lucky, because it was exceptionally quiet in the city so we could enjoy the authentic atmosphere of the medina at the ocean. It was misty, but hardly no wind. We walked for hours through the charming narrow streets.

We visited Galerie Elizir, once was a restaurant, nowadays it's vintage heaven! Four floors stuffed with an incredible amount of unique pieces. Furniture, art, lamps, posters, a museum of a collector with exceptional taste.

We had drinks and dinner on the roof terrace at Megaloft that night. Surrounded by misty clouds, seagulls, stylish waiters, colorful vintage furniture, cool music and the sounds of the city below.

Day One in Mogador was magical and relaxed. We took the typical Essaouira-blue Mercedes taxi, we drove to our hotel a few kilometers outside the city.

marvelous marrakech - cooking under the banana trees

Piles of freshly harvested vegetables proudly displayed and no waste here. Organic fruits and vegetables in abundance on the local market.

In the morning we went veggie shopping in the medina with our arabic-french shopping list.
Back in the riad with baskets full of fresh ingredients, chef Rachida was ready to show us the tricks of the moroccan cuisine on the patio in the shade of the banana trees.

With help from Rachida and a bunch of lovely assistant cooks, dressed in adorable kitchen aprons, we made ourselves a delicious Moroccan lunch.

And Mohamed showed us how to prepare a pomegranate, without getting even one tiny red spot on his shirt.

Plenty of delicious food! More than enough for lunch and dinner, we cooked for a crowd.

Furthermore we invited Aisha for a moroccan crochet workshop and to join us for lunch on the roof terrace at Chambres d'Amis.

The home-cooked-finger-licking-good lunch was a feast!