Back from Morocco

Second trip to Morocco, with our kids and our grandson. A trip for five that delighted us all.

First stop: Marrakech, where we landed in late morning under a blazing sun. We had lunch on Avenue Mohamed V and took a little rest before heading to Djema El F'Na Square in the late afternoon, when the temperature dropped slightly. A quick stroll through the medina and the souks, still as lively as ever. Mountains of goods, craftsmanship that amazes us, a palette of colors, and all sorts of scents...









Then, when night fell, we wandered around the square among the little stalls serving all kinds of dishes: salads, grilled meats, soups, snails... It's incredible. Everyone is super friendly. I suspect they tell the same jokes every night to the tourists passing by. But it's really fun. And surprise, surprise—here, it's already Christmas. Colorful garlands at every stall.









But, rightly or wrongly, even though we're charmed, we prefer not to dine on the square... We're afraid of ruining the rest of the vacation... But what an extraordinary atmosphere on that square. It's overwhelming!

The next morning, we left Marrakech, hoping to find milder temperatures outside the city. On the way to Tichka. The change of scenery is huge. Our grandson can't get over seeing all the vendors selling real or fake minerals, real or fake fossils, merchants who approach as soon as we stop to admire a site or take a photo. There are also apple sellers—real apples for a picnic, which is perfect.





Photo stops are frequent. At every turn, a new discovery, a new viewpoint. The villages blend into the mountains. It's stunning.

Lovely photos after a happy trip... Looks like a great start! 🙂 I'm following along

I've set off. Waiting for the next steps. Thanks.

Thanks for this update, Dorothy! We're looking forward to the rest—it's so nice to get this Moroccan sunshine with the terrible weather we've been having. 😎😎

Love this positive return... with beautiful photos. We're waiting for more! 😄😄😄 A die-hard La Rochelle fan of Morocco Clo

Happy to read you and see your satisfaction.

After crossing the mountain, we descend gently toward Ouarzazate. We stop for a drink on a terrace along the main street and watch the parade of numerous 4x4s heading into the desert. We appreciate the luck we have to be traveling alone and independently. We hit the road again to cover the last few kilometers to Skoura. Long before entering Skoura, we spot the palm grove on our left. And just before arriving, date merchants line up to welcome us. We head straight to La Palmeraie guesthouse. We're surprised to find the road paved all the way to the kasbah and even beyond. Mohamed warmly welcomes us and offers us tea on our lovely terrace, overlooking the palm grove with the Atlas Mountains in the background. It's stunning.



To stretch our legs a bit, we walk down to the oued. There, drawn by the delicious smell, we discover a small stall selling Moroccan pastries, prepared and sold by women from a neighborhood association. They're adorable and invite us to visit their workspace. There are about fifteen of them, of all ages, making all kinds of cakes. They offer us chairs, and we chat for a while. We decide to buy some small brioches with star anise seeds. A delight. Before leaving, we're invited to visit the small nursery school next door. A beautiful encounter... Needless to say, we've already made plans to return in the coming days.

The next morning, as soon as we're up, Mohamed suggests we watch the bread being baked in a pottery oven set up in the garden. It's a simple setup, but the bread is amazing. And it's this bread that's served at breakfast with *crêpes mille trous* (thousand-hole pancakes). So, so good. Here, I wanted to insert a photo. A photo I edited to remove the people in it, but as a result, it no longer has the right format. Too bad.

Next, we make a quick trip to Sidi Flah, by the Dadès River. We brought our swimsuits and make the most of it.



We have a picnic by the water before returning to the guesthouse to meet Mohamed, who has arranged a visit with his potter friend. Full of good humor and all smiles, he explains his work before giving us a demonstration and inviting the kids to gather around the wheel... What a treat for the children! Our grandson won't soon forget his potter experience. A vocation—or several—has been born. Baker in the morning and potter in the evening. And to think the day isn't even over yet. Because our potter is also a musician, and tonight he's performing at a wedding. But before the wedding, he'll come to the guesthouse to show us another side of his talent. And he's got plenty of it—musician, singer, entertainer. Incredible but true.

What a first day in Skoura. Amazing.

You can definitely say you didn’t waste your day. Packed, and then some!

Some truly wonderful encounters🙂... and a talented storyteller 😊

hi there thanks for your feedback! wow, those colored stones are gorgeous... 😉 that’s Morocco for you—real, fake... but full of COLOR! francia

I made a note about the brioche vendors...

I can't wait to read the rest. That's awesome.

Nice return, Dorothée. And some lovely encounters.

Trip starting off magically well. Can't wait to see what's next.

HELLO EVERYONE! We’re back from MOROCCO, a trip from 11/6 to 12/10. Here’s what we discovered this time—some of you may already know: there are no longer monkeys in cages in Marrakech, plastic bags have been replaced with bags made from cereals, new tarmac everywhere, and schools are being repainted. Near AGDZ, the TIZGUI waterfalls—a lovely afternoon with OMAR, the site manager, sharing a picnic with local youth and passing students. We also found the ESSAYET beach port, 35 km before Essaouira, which reminded me of the Wild West with its nearly empty houses, total calm, and the salt flats of SMIMOU where water that has passed through salt rocks is pumped into wells and settles in basins to produce beautiful, high-quality white salt. Also near FASK by GUELMIM, there’s a stunning esplanade (palm trees, marble, fountains, etc.). ESSAOUIRA has been greening its squares. That’s all that comes to mind for now. See you soon! Next trip in March—no return ticket this time.

Good evening, thanks for this nice feedback. May I make a small correction? The beach you’re talking about is called Sidi Ahmed Essayeh. Have a great next trip to Morocco—there are always amazing places to discover! 😉😉😉 Best regards, Clo

The next morning, we have breakfast under the garden arbor—flaky crepes and crispy baguettes on the menu, served with date syrup. We do justice to all these good things, and following Mohamed’s advice, we head to the almond tree valley. Along the way, we take a track that leads us to a small green oasis with imposing kasbahs, some in very good condition and others quite damaged, unfortunately.





The deeper we go into the valley, the darker the sky gets. We keep going anyway. We buy some picnic supplies at a small roadside grocery store and settle into a quiet little spot. Clearly, we’re not the first to think this place is great—several empty sardine cans were "forgotten" there. Worried the weather might get worse, we decide to turn back. The wadis are everywhere, and the road often crosses them, so caution is key. That said, the landscapes are incredible. And the herds aren’t bothered by the cloudy skies at all.





A hail shower catches us on the way back. When we reach the plain, the blue sky returns.



And we don’t forget our meet-up with the women from the association. We grab a snack—dare to try the honey chebakias—and stay loyal to our star anise brioches. We take everything and head to our terrace for tea. Before joining Ghizlane in the kitchen to prepare seffa with chicken and peanuts.

Rain and hail—unbelievable! After all that heat we had!

It was pretty much the only cloudy day of our vacation. Not a big deal. Otherwise, beautiful temperatures and a sky of pure blue.

Our last day in Skoura was dedicated to visiting the palm grove and the kasbahs. Mohamed was available and could accompany us to explain the water supply system using wells called khettaras. It's extraordinary. But what titanic work... Today, it's fallen into disuse, but maybe not everywhere. We then visited an old kasbah in perfect condition that overlooks the oued. It's still more or less inhabited and, above all, well-maintained. The view over the palm grove is stunning. To finish, we went to see the great kasbah of Skoura, the one that was on the banknotes, the kasbah of Améridhil. Beautifully restored.

The next morning, we said goodbye to Mohamed's whole family, thanking them for their hospitality and kindness. Our grandson left his little friends reluctantly. But we continued our journey toward Foum Zguid. The landscapes were magnificent all along the way. Here’s a cemetery with its marabout against a backdrop of palm groves and mountains. It’s hard to tell the women’s graves from the men’s. Despite the explanations...



At noon, we arrived in Foum Zguid and had lunch at the Chegaga restaurant in the central square. The place seemed popular—it was packed. And the food was good. Excellent grilled meats, great fries, and amazing coffee. We decided to keep heading south. Soon, we found ourselves in the middle of a sandstorm. It was surprising.



It lasted a good twenty kilometers before calming down. The light returned, and camels became more and more frequent. On this road, we saw more camels than vehicles.



We spent the night in Tata, at a rather ordinary hotel. But for one night... Dinner in town was pleasant.

The fries in Chigaga... the best in Morocco 😉😉😉

No way... I prefer those in Ifrane in the Anti-Atlas. 😉

Hi there,

I’ve been following along with pleasure. A lovely stroll—could you share your address in Tata? In the evening, I enjoy eating in the square. I have a fond memory of split pea soup... 😛 For accommodation, there aren’t too many options, but that means fewer tourists, and ultimately, it’s a small town I love.

I'm curious to read the rest of this trip in a country that left us with beautiful memories. Have a good evening.

Between Foum Zguid and Tata, I ran into several sandstorms. You can see them coming from far off on the road. It’s something else. We made sure to close all the windows tightly.

It starts with a yellow color, then we close the windows and try to park properly—no point in continuing in a sand fog 😉 I’ve had two or three like that in this area.

Hi Dorothée,

The shots are really lovely, the light is stunning, and the commentary is enjoyable.

Thanks for sharing! 😇

Best, A.

RE hotel tara.

Hi Joel,

Where’s the Hôtel Tara located?

fries and mushy peas? yes yes ....🙂

Hotel TARA TATA

Well done!👍

Now that’s what I call indulgence, Mame Bea!!!! 😉

lovely!!!

ain't nothin' better than pea soup ....🙂

it was crazy: two soups (pea) + two chicken fries + two big homemade yogurts: all that for? ... for? ... less than 30 dirhams! wanna take it to go? 😉

tara tata: I hadn't seen it! Excellent!

Heh heh heh... this Mama Bea, huh? I’m gonna get called old again 😉 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UW_Linp2xrs

Don’t forget the extra water bottle for the price too 😉

alzheimer get out of my body 😉

The fries from Chigaga... the best in Morocco 😉😉😉

It's Alnif that has the reputation for producing the best potatoes in Morocco and making excellent fries.

Good evening True for the potatoes... for the fries, didn't get a chance to try them😉😉

Hi everyone,

After a VF meet-up near Alnif, it turns out the story about Alnif’s sour potatoes is actually an unfounded rumor from the Routard. To check, I asked a few people selling potatoes at the Alnif souk. They don’t produce many potatoes in Alnif 😉 On the other hand, I did eat some fries there and really enjoyed them—but I find them good all over Morocco in general, with three stars for the ones in Ifrane in the Anti-Atlas 😎

Thanks for the details, Hannah—it’s important for our "culture" ...😉😉😉

OK, I trust you.

Very important, ma'am, I’d believed that fairy tale for a good 20 years 😉

Me too, I read "that story" recently.

You're right. 🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑

Hey, just kidding: ta-da!

Well, Belgian jokes—I'm hopeless at them... nice pun, though!

Sorry Hannah, but I can’t remember the name of Tata’s restaurant. It’s a little snack place on the main street. Have a great day.

Hello,

It was the name of the hotel that interested me. Thanks for your reply.