Essaouira - a walking tour

 After a slow breakfast of crepes and other French influence sweet things (excuse? less likely to upset the tum),  we set off on a walking tour of Essaouira with our local guide Rashid. What a delightful guide, so full of knowledge, a great sense of humour and excellent use of the English language.

Formerly the old Portuguese city of Mogador, Essaouira has a port that has played an impotant part in the history of Morocco. First stop was the port. The fishing boats hadn't been out last night so it was quieter than expected but still we got the quintessential fishing boat photos and saw some of the interesting catches. The blue colouring is very much associated with Essaouira, the tradition stemming from the fact that they almost always have blue skies here.

The Bab El-Marsa door was built in 1776 to link the city with the port. The symbolism on the front gives a clear indication that what we are constantly hearing is, and was always the case, Morocco is a country that honours and respects all faiths and people. The shell of St. James the Great, the crescent moons of Islam, the Star of David in the large roses represent  the Muslim, Christian and Jewish people.

In through the gate and on to Moulay El-Hassan square.

The Medina is the Old City and the Medina of Essaouira has been World Heritage listed since 2001. It is considered an exceptional example of an 18th century fortified town.

The Riad Bayt Dakira is a museum and cultural centre that shows the history of the Moroccan Jewish community in Essaouira and  it plays an important role in the preservation of the Moroccan Jewish memory.

At the fortress area, originally called Souira. Several movies and tv shows have been filmed here, mostly known to people younger than us. Game of Thrones was one of them.

On through the Medina ...

This is 9th a musical instrument made from the leather of a camels neck

The caravanserai where the cameliers and their camel team rested in safety with their load. Now a collection of shops and cafes. Note the art class on the right.

It is easy to forget that Morocco is in Africa as in many ways it leans towards Europe. But there are reminders such as these artifacts. We were told that Morocco welcomes people from the sub Sahara region who wish to better their lives and supports their efforts.

Our last stop in the Kasbah was at the Atalier Collective Silversmiths where young  students do a three year course to become master jewellers in filigree, enamel and engraved jewellery. After seeing how the processes happen we were able to view a large collection of artisan pieces. Of course, shopping was a possibility that was taken up by some.

It was good to have a day of walking and the weather was a little warmer. 

We returned to the hotel to find that the housekeeper had included Aldo in her decorative arrangement on the bed.  There he sat amongst the rose petals.

You see some funny things from a balcony. When we arrived yesterday afternoon there was a beautiful pool below up. Last evening it was teeming with workmen covering the pool with a mass of pipe works and timber. This evening we witnessed a very concerning OH&S  raising of beams from the pool covering. It seems they are constructing a marquee over the pool ... and have done it before!

Casablanca to Essaouira

 Today was mostly a day of driving but we travelled through some interesting country to Essaouira. Not so much the landscape but seeing how the people live and work in that area. We saw people shepherding a very small number of sheep, hand ploughing behind a mule, picking up rocks to use for building, driving horse drawn small carts and glimpses of life in small dusty villages.

We had two stops at roadhouses on the highway. At the second stop in the middle of nowhere a young man came up to me with a big smile and said 'Welcome to ...' It was so surprising to see an English speaking person in that location.

We left the flat land and  range which put us into a more productive landscape. Olive and argan trees gave the area a green appearance.

Just out of Essaouira we stopped at an Argan Oil centre, Afous Argan. The centre was set up to provide job opportunities and training for women. Our guide was a young Berber lady who gave us a  very good tour of the process of obtaining and using argan oil. We were able to see the process from picking to obtaining the almond within the argan fruit.

The fruit is dried, the seed removed then the almond from within the seed. A stone hand mill is used to extract the oil and also the pulp.

We then moved to the tasting table where we dipped bread into various bowls, argan oil in honey was particularly nice. Another tasted like peanut butter.

Mint tea was served before we moved to the cosmetics room where our girl told us of all the uses for argan oil, from healthy benefits to face and hand treatments. For once the ladies were happy to shop and the co-op would have benefitted from the shopping we all did.

In the same building there was a very good wood working workshop and sales centre. They use mainly three types of wood, olive, argon and a native wood.

We arrived at the Hotel Mgallery Le Medina and were welcomed with more mint tea. Then Noel was surprised by a delicious chocolate mousse birthday cake which was shared by all.

Shame it's only 21 degrees. Too bad, we are doing room service on the balcony.