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In Africa, Morocco On  19/02/2015  No comments

We started our second day in Marrakech visiting the Bahia Palace. Built at the end of the 19th century, the palace is inside the Medina and it’s one of the few of its kind. Bahia means “Brilliance” in Arabic and any visitor can see why it was given that name: rooms upon room are filled with beautiful mosaics, intricate ceilings and lamps… It is not very well conserved but it is a photographer’s paradise, with its thousand colorful details.

The surrounding area used to be the Jew Quarter. Not so long ago, Morocco had a big Jew community; now what remains are a few brick houses with a slightly different decoration. It’s a busy neighborhood, full of artisans and markets.

Nearby are the Saadian Tombs. Dating from the late 16th century, the tombs were built upon and hidden by the next ruling dynasty and discovered in 1917. Like most Marrakech treasures, they are at the end of a narrow alley and hit you with their unexpected beauty.

With cultural needs satisfied but empty stomach...

In Morocco On  17/02/2015  No comments

For our second day at the Atlas Mountains we had a big walk scheduled: about 14 km/4 hour uphill trek to the passage to the next valley.  After breakfast, we packed our cameras and headed out of the Riad.

We started the walk following the main road. The outskirts of Imlil were busy with locals going on their day-to-day tasks as well as fellow trekkers.  The grey of the houses made the multicolored carpets on sale appear even more attractive. For a brief time, we found ourselves following the tracks of a group of British teenagers that were clearly going in the same direction that us but we let them go ahead so they didn’t spoil the peacefulness of our walk.

After a short time we got to a shortcut, a dry riverbed that would lead us to the middle of a small village. The walk became harder, more uphill, but it also gave us a new look into the life of the Berber people. It was as if we were backstage, watching their lives unfolding before us...