medina on the horizon

Soon I will return to the Medina*.

The first days I usually use to settle down and simply enjoy the 'medina life'. It always feels wonderful to mingle with the inhabitants of the medina and to soak up the daily Marrakshi life.

I also use the start-up days to take care of the last stuff before the new guests arrive and the workshops begin.

My 'mission' for the travel workshops in Marrakech, is to show the real Marrakech and to make it easy for the workshop participants to make authentic connections when they are in Marrakech.

To make them discover the joy of original travel and wander off the beaten path. Be a real traveler, not a tourist. Connect with locals, experience and respect their culture.

This way offers a much more special and valuable experience.

And no doubt, we will visit 'luxurious' places during our adventures, but from experience I know that the unexpected and spontaneous contacts with the locals make a much deeper impression, which makes you feel so connected to the 'Red City' afterwards.

Cool Crochet workshop: Wednesday 3rd of October 2018 - Monday 8th of October 2018
Green Gardens workshop: Thursday 11th of October 2018 - Tuesday 16th of October 2018

The real countdown has begun...

* Medina is the old part of a town or city, found in many countries of North Africa, not just Morocco. It's typically walled with a maze of narrow streets, fountains, courtyards, palaces and mosques. Many medinas are car-free, for the simple reason there is not enough space in the alleyways for cars to pass. The word 'medina' means city or town in modern-day Arabic.

tuesday morning in marrakech

Tuesday morning in Marrakech.

The plan was to leave on my bike early in the morning, to visit the new Yves Saint Laurent museum, on this pre-cool crochet workshop day. But I woke up late and took it easy.

Once I arrived at Musee Yves Saint Laurent there was already a very long queue at the entrance, so I decided to have a drink on the terrace of 33 Majorelle instead, which was also wonderful and after a while I cycled back to the medina.

On the way back I saw the snowy Atlas mountains for the first time, which was breathtakingly beautiful!! I can hardly wait to go to the mountains in a few days. It was quite difficult to take a nice picture of the view, in the middle of the busy traffic.

I cycled through the park next to the Koutoubia Mosque and along the Jemaa el Fna square, where it's always a hive of activity, but once I drove into the alley to Chambres d'Amis it was wonderfully green and quiet again.

Now it's time for a siesta at the plunge pool on the roof...