Rest in Marrakech
If you are lucky enough to be in Morocco, take our advice and be sure to spend a couple of days Marrakech. Such impressions as from Marrakech, you will not get either in the typical seaside Agadir or in modern Casablanca.
Marrakech is a completely unthinkable combination of Eastern Berber color and absolutely European comfort. For lovers of Oriental exotics there is an ancient Medina (walled city center, built in the XI century), where life over the past few hundred years has not changed much, except that electricity spent. About the narrowness of the streets, the locals joke that fat Americans don't belong here. External Windows are almost there, all face the inner courtyards, riads and doors consist of two parts: a large male and cut it smaller for women.
The main transport — mopeds, which are worn even on pedestrian areas, and countless open carriages pulled by horses. For half an hour of the trip dashing cab manages to say Hello to half the city, and the second half — to scold at what the light stands on a mixture of Arabic and French.
The Central square of the Medina, Jemaa El-Fna, you need to visit, then to remember as a nightmare (or circus). From all sides you are surrounded by souvenir vendors, snake charmers blowing plaintive cobras, rocking swollen hoods and trainers offer to make friends with your somersaulting monkeys. Here is cooked, fried and steamed unimaginable amount of food of dubious origin and dangerous in appearance quality. Brave white people from France and Germany eat this brew right there, at plastic tables, surrounded by sheep heads and stewed insides, spread out on the shelves. Dates, olives, spices-tons, carpets and embroidered fabrics-kilometers. In General, if you want to see a million people at the same time and listen to a mixture of thousands of flavors (not always pleasant) — you here.
Having received the first shocking but mandatory dose of impressions, we offer to exhale and pay attention to the modern city, which begins immediately behind the walls of the Medina. Such a sharp contrast can be compared only with diving into the salon "rolls Royce" after a trip to the Moscow metro. Absolutely all houses in Marrakech are painted in warm terracotta color. The streets of the modern city are named after prominent rulers, and people sincerely love their king (even to break the bill with his image — sin and disrespect). Along the avenues grow tangerine trees, and the house is not above seven floors, which allows you to constantly see the bright blue sky. But most importantly-there is no such air anywhere else. No wonder the dry climate of Marrakech is considered ideal for the treatment of asthma and all kinds of allergies. That is why during the protectorate here moved for permanent residence a lot of French. Yves Saint Laurent bequeathed to bury him in Marrakesh, where he lived the last few years, having bought the famous Villa and garden of the painter Majorelle (again French). Another artist, Edmond Vales, spent a lot of time here and it was famous for the picturesque images of Berbers and nature of Morocco.
In the 1920s, the French rebuilt the Palace of the Sultan, now known as one of the best hotels in the world La Mamounia. Churchill, Nixon and countless world stars stayed here. Ordinary people can afford to dine in one of the hotel's great restaurants or just stroll through the huge garden of olive and orange trees.
The number of hotels and restaurants in Marrakech is amazing — there are hundreds of them. Spacious family, fashion network, the classical East, stupendously high and accessible everything is here.
In the wonderful Spa you will be offered treatment with oil of argan fruit is a valuable tree, growing only in Morocco.
And of course, it should be noted the quality and taste of the local food. After the local and Hariri tagines, mint tea and nuts the usual food is no longer desirable categorically, and mistress buy spices with the intention to replace the cutlets in the spice and cereal into couscous.
People here are very friendly and attentive, but without subservience and obsession.
Be sure to go to the mountains, where the indigenous Berbers live-to get a long time, but you will be treated to cakes that you eat sitting on pillows, admiring the mountain scenery and views of flowering almonds. The hour-long journey on the mule will seem like a small price to pay for the authentic taste, clean air and ringing silence.
Marrakech values its color. The city is focused on tourists, but not like other visited cities. It is delicious, beautiful, comfortable and amazing.
If you are exhausted by the hustle and bustle and do not see the colors of the world, come to Marrakech. For some five days you will return to the joy of life, and you will definitely want to come back here again.