A Seven Continent Journey

Woke up a little late in the morning and after having a quick Morroccan breakfast in the morning headed straight to meet Peter at Riad Yasmine, right in the heart of Medina in Marrakech. This Riad (an traditional Moroccon home which is now a hotel, somewhat like a Bed and Breakfast concept) was very beautiful. We then started our journey through the very complicated alleys of Medina. Every few yards you come across Souks ( shops) were tradional Moroccon handicrafts which includes and amazing range from pottery work, leather product, tanneries are in abundance here, carpets etc. are sold. Prices are always quoted to be very high and then you have to haggle the prices. Part of the conversations with the shopkeepers are where we were from. The mention of America/ President Barack Obama invariably brought glitter to their eyes. The shopkeepers to push their prices would claim "this is a good price, a Democratic price". Learning with our experience last night we were very strict in not letting any one follow us pretending to help us. Palais Dar Si Said (Museum of Moroccan Arts) was our first stop .The palace is very opulent and beautiful with a lovely courtyard. The museum's displays are well laid out and include jewelery, costumes, ceramics, daggers and other artifacts. After a pasta lunch at Djemma el Fna, the large square, visited Ali ben Youssef Medersa and Mosque. The Medersa was built in the 16th century by the Saadians and could house up to 900 religious students. The architecture is beautifully preserved and you can explore the tiny rooms where the students used to live. The mosque is adjacent to the Medersa. Being non Muslims we could not get into the mosque. Soon there after returned to Medina to continue exploring the city. The spice shops are very well stocked, there were some spices which I could identify, bought some saffron to bring back home. Dinner was at Marrakeshi Resturant, a nice somewhat opulent place, of course the carb load continued, it was pasta again.