NYC is supposed to be one of the fashion capitals of the world, so will someone please explain these outfits to me?

Drunk and snoozing on the train, this guy’s rocker style, bandana and all, is straight out of the ’80’s.

I would totally wear these sandals. Except they were men’s sandals, a.k.a. “mandals.”

Spotted on my commute to work one morning in January. Not sure what I liked best, the floral shirt unbuttoned down to his pot belly, revealing his chest rug, or the pretty purple purse and color-coordinated scarf.

This guys stumbled, completely drunk, onto my train as I was heading out to meet a friend for dinner a couple weeks ago. I would normally cover the unsuspecting model’s face, but then you’d be missing out on the full effect of his outfit. The back of his fringed coat had an animal head, like you’d see on an animal skin rug. And yes, that is a flask in his hand.

Tight white jeans, pegged at the ankles. Worn by a man. Fashion don’t, for sure.

After two very relaxing days in Essaouira, we hopped on a Supratours bus headed back to Marrakech. I was excited to finally see the city I’d read about and seen on TV, and heard about from friends who had toured Morocco - the evening food vendors and entertainment of the Djemaa el Fna square, shopping in the many souks, our upcoming cooking class, and best of all, the chance to reunite with our Marakchi sisters, Yasmine and Nesrine.

Much like Fez, Marrakech’s medina is a maze of narrow alleys, only here, pedestrians share the road with scooters and motorcycles, cars, horse-drawn carriages, donkey-drawn carts, and bicycles. We found a lot of alleys (”derbs”) without signage, and therefore all maps are quite vague. The alleys with countless souks selling the same goods made it difficult to identify landmarks that could possibly help us find our way through the labyrinth.

Spice market

Spices and bath products

We managed to navigate our way to the Djemaa el Fna square just as the food vendors were setting up. Just as with the souks, there are multiple vendors selling the same product out in the square. This is one of about six guys selling snails in a spicy broth (I didn’t try it, I saw a lot of this on TV!).

Stewed sheeps heads

Walking up and down the stalls was fascinating, but watching the scene and the throngs of people from a rooftop cafe was equally entertaining.

After multiple failed attempts to find restaurants listed in my guidebook (some were closed, and some we just couldn’t find), we made our way back to our riad, hoping we’d be able to have dinner there. Unfortunately you must make early reservations so the chef can buy and prepare enough food. Fortunately the lovely folks at the desk and in the kitchen felt sorry for us and threw together these basic but delicious kefta (meatball) sandwiches for us.

After a rough day of travel (me and buses don’t always mix), a sketchy search for restaurants (confusing and dark alleys with questionable characters offering assistance) and a challenging walk from the square back to the riad (and being harassed and cursed at by a very persistent boy offering to help us find our way), we finally felt some reprieve, and that we might actually enjoy our time in this crazy city.

Our second day in Essaouira was just as mellow and lazy as our first. Just more wandering and eating. Ahhh, vacation.

This is the pretty little sign outside our hotel, Dar Liouba.

The lobby serves as the living room and dining room.

Looking up to the sunroof

Gorgeous rooftop, I’m sure it’s amazing in the summer months.

View from the rooftop

Our second breakfast at Dar Liouba started with something that reminded me of Indian rice pudding with rosewater. This version had some sliced almonds and pieces of orange in it.

We also had warmed thin crepes, which we ate with honey.

There wasn’t much to do in Essa, so we returned to the port to explore more. This sign has a lot going on. The illustration in the center reminded me of this sign I saw in Split, Croatia. But I have no idea what it’s saying.

Jewelry souks

Beautiful powders for paint

Time for lunch! Chez Sam is at the end of the pier.

We had pan-fried John Dory, which was moist and tender.

Grilled fresh sardines were delicious, but lots of work.

While some of the bones were soft enough to eat, some definitely were not, so we had to perform major deboning surgery on every sardine.

We continued our lazy day with coffee and desserts at Patisserie Maalem Driss.

This cat was either looking for her babies or needed some attention. She walked through the patisserie into the courtyard and gave out quite a sad meow every 20 minutes. When we were leaving, she hopped into my chair.

Back at Dar Liouba, we went up to the roof to watch the sunset. We saw seagulls pecking at these sheep skins (from the Eid) drying on a nearby rooftop.

Our previous night’s dinner was not good, in fact, I might call it gross. So our last night in Essa, we went to a restaurant listed in my Loney Planet book, Restaurant El-Minzah. I had the seafood pastilla, which is a filo-type of pastry, stuffed with seafood and glass noodles and fried. Not the healthiest thing, but certainly tasty.

Nicole had the chicken pastilla, which is stuffed with chicken, cinnamon and nuts, and topped with confectioners sugar. Kind of an odd flavor combination, but it works!

After a nice couple of relaxing days in Essaouira, we hopped on a bus back to Marrakech for the last leg of our Moroccan adventure. We were sad to leave this quiet little seaside town, but excited to do some shopping and see our Marakchi family again!

After celebrating the Eid al Kabir with our Marakchi family, we were overwhelmed and suffering from cultural overload. I’d also been sick all week, so our trip to the little coastal town of Essaouira was a welcome break. We arrived early evening, and found that a lot of things were closed for the holiday. We had two days to do very little, and that’s just the way we planned it. Essaouira is a little fishing town, so we wandered around the port, ate grilled fish from one of the many fish hawkers, and toured the little alleys and shops. It was a great way to wind down and gear up before heading back to the city of Marrakech.

Our first breakfast at Dar Liouba started with a yummy flan-like custard. This was followed with toasted breads, tea, coffee and tangerine juice.

Place Orson Wells

Fishing off the rocks

Seagulls and cats were the main residents of the town.

The cat on the right is huge. I called him Mr. Bigs.

Lots of people were strolling and sitting along the water.  The first day was so slow and peaceful, coming off the holiday.

Shops selling goods made from wood from endangered thuya trees were plentiful.

The ramparts

One of the main gates into the medina

Fish prices are regulated, so all the vendors near the port sell at the same prices. Choosing which one to eat at is kind of a coin toss.

Grill stands selling fresh fish

I got this hairy crab, which was tough to eat once it was grilled. The hair became needle sharp from the heat!

Kite surfing is a popular activity in the coastal towns of Morocco.

These babouche souqs were everywhere in the cities.

“Natural viagra turbo for more love pleasure and satisfaction.”

Chicken cart

Dried dates and figs

Nuts and dried fruits

Snoozing on the job

Spice market

Snake potion

Tiniest of kitties, sitting on a sardine box.

After we left the Todra Gorge, we were due to head to Skoura (valley of kasbahs) to spend the night, but due to our curiosity and many questions about Eid al Kabir, our driver Hicham (prounounced Ee-sham) invited us to his family’s home in Marrakech to experience the holiday with them the next morning. It’s once a year and the biggest holiday for Muslims, next to Ramadan so we felt pretty honored to have this opportunity (He said it works out for everyone because we can participate and see how they do everything, and he’d get to be with his family for the celebration!). So we are switched up our plan and drove through Skoura and Ourazazate, passing by Ait Ben Haddou. None of the sights we were due to see in these areas would be open on the holiday anyway, so it was more than fine for us to skip them.

After an almost 12 hr drive we arrived at Hicham’s family home, just outside the Marrakech medina. We met his parents, twin sisters, a couple of cousins, and I lost track from there. It was all a bit overwhelming after so much time in the car.

Eid is the most important Islamic holiday. It follows the Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca. It’s a family holiday which starts with prayer at the local mosque (for the men). The women make breakfast, and afterwards the men sacrifice the sheep, commemorating Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his only son, Ismael, to show his ultimate devotion. This is similar to the story of Abraham and his son Isaac in Christian religions. Each Moroccan family sacrifices a sheep to represent their devotion to Allah. In Marrakech and Fez this is done on the roof. I’m not sure if it’s like that everywhere in Morocco.

The sheep is then skinned, and certain parts are removed for various preparations. On the day of Eid the men cut up the organs, mix them with spices and herbs to help wih digestion of the freshly killed meat, and skewer it with tiny bits of fat from the sheep. The skewers are grilled and eaten with bread. Other Eid traditions include giving parts of the sheep to friends, family, and the poor, new clothes for children, dressing up in nice clothing for the celebration, working sons giving gifts to their parents, and visiting family and friends (or in the modern day, calling and texting everyone) to wish them a “Happy Eid!” We were very fortunate to have had Hicham as our driver for the week and that he invited us to join his family for the holiday. What an amazing and unforgettable experience!

Twins Yasmine and Nesrine wanted to make sure we were dressed up for the festivities, so while breakfast was being prepared, we had a bit of a fashion show.

Breakfast started with something similar to Israeli couscous, or tiny pieces of pasta, with a sauce of butter, onions and spices drizzled over. It was savory and delicious!

Next up were platters of breads - the far one was similar to a pancake, made with a runny batter, and only cooked on one side, so there are bubbles on top. The other is a fluffy layered bread made with semolina and pan-fried on both sides. Both are drizzled with honey for a sweet delicious treat!

After breakfast, everyone went upstairs to watch the men sacrificing the sheep.
(Yasmine, me, Nicole, Nesrine)

The women in their holiday best.

The mother of the house showed us the real way to prepare couscous. First you pour water and oil over the couscous.

Next, you fluff and separate the couscous between your hands.

Then you steam the couscous in a special pot, over a pot of meat and veggies, which will be served over the couscous. The fluffing process is repeated every 20 minutes or so.

Our littlest friend, Iman, was always at the center of the action.

The men preparing the kabobs of kidney and heart.

Iman loves to clean. I suspect she will have a very clean house when she’s grown up.

Kabob of kidney (I tried everything I was given)

Couscous is ready!

Nicole, me and Yasmine

We learned the proper Moroccan way to eat couscous - grab bits of the softened vegetables with a handful of moistened couscous, knead and toss it into a ball, then pop it in your mouth. Check out our couscous ball skills!

Our Moroccan family

*Note: I’m sure not all of you would like to see photos of the sacrifice of the sheep, so I’ve put those up on here on Flickr. But fair warning, it’s rather graphic. If you can’t handle it without saying “ew, gross!” please stay here on the blog.