Paris to Normandy and London April 5 to 22,2025

 April 4, 2025

Roy and I are busy as the proverbia beavers, getting ready to leave on this trip and hoping the third time is lucky.  Cancelled the first time because of riots in Paris and thankfully over booking on Vikings part.  We got our money back and we could rebook the trip again within a year!  Were we happy, hell yes!

12 days before the rebooked trip the cardiologist said that I couldn't travel.  The leak in my aortic valve was too bad.  14 days later I was admitted to Royal Columbian  to wait for a place on the surgery list.  Sooo... this is our 3rd try.  Somehow, we have had trouble getting excited. Usually I am planning packing, ready blogs on packing tips.  Not so much this time.  Hopefully we have everything we need in our carry on bags and very little that we don't need.

Au revoir

The last day😁😃
We have loved our adventure but are ready to go home and see our family and friends and our house.
This morning we had breakfast a little later than usual and then Roy went down to print our boarding passes.  I worked on the blog while he was gone. Soon he was back. We had an email from Air Canada saying our flight is one hour later.  But he couldn't print our passes. Well, Abdul can sleep a bit more and we still have enough time in Montreal.
11:00, Abdul is right on time for the tour of Casablanca.  We are doing a short tour as not much is open and he needs to take it easier in Ramadan.  He didn't think about fasting us  on our 8 1/2 hour day with no food.  We did have water but without toilet breaks drinking was chancy. Now it is Ramadan and fasting is a different story.
We visited Hassan II Mosque.  As we have decided not to entered the mosque we tell Abdul that 10 minutes is enough to enjoy and take pictures.  I think we could have been there for an hour.  It is a beautiful place.  We took numerous pictures and looked inside from the door - just don't step on the lintel, then the guard blows his whistle.  We didn't.  It is a beautiful place and I'm pretty sure our pictures won't do it justice. Hope Lee go some good ones. 20 minutes later we are back at the illegally parked car.

The mosque was built in 1989 for Hasan II to honour his 60th birthday and inaugurated in 1993.  It is the largest mosque in Morocco and 5th largest in the world. It is very impressive.  It has a library, museums,  steam baths,Qur'anic school and conference facilities. It has a retatctable sun roof over the central court and a glass floor over the sea.  The 689 foot minaret makes it the tallest religious building in the world. A laser sends a beam aimed toward Meca. The minaret  can be seen 20 miles out to sea.
Then we drove around Casablanca.   We saw an area when fishermen and their families live.  The government wants to tear the settlement down and build fancy hotels.  Unfortunately they only want to give the families a fraction of the real value. The families are holding out so the government built the Medina wall around them higher so they are hidden, but only from the first 2 floors in the new building opposite them.  We saw schools, mosques, the king's palace, malls, the beach, the rich area, the small Medina and a grocery store where we got something to tide us over.
During the tour Abdul asked us to make a short video in praise of him. We were happy to do that.  He called CYNAB and we learned that our flight is not at 10:10 but 8:10.  What gives.  Now we will leave the hotel at 5:00 am. Back at the hotel we have an email that says 10:10 so Roy sent Mickey a text and asked her to check.  Thank goodness for Mickey.  Her reply 08:10.
We had a bite to eat and then went to the bank.  The streets aren't the happy place they were so back at the hotel room we get ready for departure,  when ever that is?  Tonight we go to Rick's Cafe for dinner.
By 7:30 we had showered, changed and even finished packing.  Why is packing such a pain when you are going home. In the long run we managed to get it all in using the Rick Steves folding bag.  It's full of dirty clothes.
Arrival in the lobby was exciting!  A bus load of people were blocking our exit with their bodies, their giant luggage and their irate guide.  I asked a lady if the excitement was a good thing and got negative head shake accompanied by a no with a little smile.  Out the front doors was a scene of much more excitement.  A large bus was parked in front of the hotel.   Between the bus and the hotel was a curb with pillars.  Between the bus and the curb was a small black sedan.  The driver, a tall, handsome young man in a jellaba is extremely angry.  The hotel doorman is even madder.  There are two other hotel employees trying to help (I think). " The doorman needs to go inside" says Roy.  "If they remove him it will settle down."  After awhile the man with the black car is persuaded to move his car away from the front of the hotel. The fight continues in the new parking spot down the street and the bus repositions itself and Abdul arrives and we are off to Rick's Cafe for our farewell dinner.
The streets are empty at 7:30 pm just as Abdul predicted. Everyone is eating their  breakfast (breaking their fast).   We are at Rick's Cafe in no time.  If we call Abdul 15 minutes before we are ready he will be outside to pick us up.
The door man is dressed in a black suit and is wearing a deep scarlet fez.  A curtain separates the foyer from the restaurant.  Step through into an elegant dining room. Each table is draped in a white cloth and topped with a small lamp with a multicoloured shade. Our table awaits us complete with our own menu for the evening.
Caesar salad with chicken
Filet mignon  with smashed potatoes (actually they were scalloped ) a small lettuce salad, a grilled 1/2 tomato and a grilled stuffed mushroom cap.
Apple tart with ice cream
Coffee or tea.
We are seated and welcomed and had a few minutes to survey the place. The was a grand piano on the opposite side of the room. Alas, no one was playing it. The tables around us are full of diners.  There are a few people at the bar,  chatting among themselves. The second floor has only a half wall so we can see the dinners on all 4 sides of the building.  They don't seem to be interested in looking down at us.

When our server comes to see what kind of water we would like Roy asks if they take Visa cards. Yes.  Thank goodness, we haven't very much cash with us and can barely afford a glass of wine.  The most expensive meal on the menu as well as salad and dessert costs as much as our small, cheap Scotch and a 1/2 bottle of Moroccan red wine.  It was called Voubilis and was pretty good.
The service was smooth and classy.  The food, oh my the filet was the best I have ever had and I am not a great lover of beef.  I have to say that everything was very delicious  and that is not because we haven't had North American food for over 2 weeks. Our server took our picture, many times and one of the waiters jumped in beside me so there is a picture of me with a man in a fez.  It is a beautiful place and it is in Casablanca but it doesn't conjure up imagines of the movie.  It is run by an American lady from Oregon who was an ambassador but retired to open the cafe.  She came around the tables and said hello to all the dinners and introduce the trio whom they were live streaming.  They were a Moroccan group.  We had time to hear one song before it was time to go.  Sadly, we were quite sure they wouldn't be playing our favorite song, "as time goes by".
Time has indeed gone by, tomorrow we are on the plane at 8:10.  Abdul will pick us up for the last timeat 5:00 am.
Morocco has been quite an experience as has traveling with our own guide. We were Abdu's second tour clients.  He has worked as a driver for many years but just obtained his guide's licence in March.  After 3 years at home parenting his children he has returned to the travel industry.  There were adjustments to be made for all of us.  Abdul was always patient and kind. He drove safely and made sure we ate at places that were safe for us.  We will miss him but as we are now Facebook friends I do hope we will stay in touch.
The food was very different.  Bread every meal and often it was eat the bread or go hungry.  I feel like I am wearing all that bread around my middle. I doubt that we eat much bread in the near future! Orange juice became something we looked forward to but we did have to learn to pace our consumption of that delicious drink as we learned that each glass held up to 4 oranges. Fanta was the prevalent soft drink.  Coke tasted watery.  Alcohol is almost non existent.  Tagine, oh tagine.  Their national food and so good. The soup is very good too.
I have said this before but women are treated very poorly.  Ramadan should be outlawed.  We experienced 2 days of the observance and are glad to leave.  It is very harsh and cannot be good for anyone. Thirst and hunger are poor ways to demonstrate faith.

The people (before Ramadan) are friendly, welcoming and kind hearted.  We are very glad we had our Moroccan adventure.

A note about some of the people we met.

I have already written about Abdul. I hope that as I write this his second wife (his car) has carried him home to his wife and children whom he sorely missed. Abdul became an ambulance chaser for Roy so that he could collect ambulance pictures for Rose.  We began counting ambulances in the Essouaira area because there were so many.  I didn't mention Roy''s birthday gift.

Zenem and Moussine at Riad Kalama.  They were so helpful.  Nothing was a problem.

Swish swish in Fes.  We don't know his name.   He worked at our Riad in Fes and was there early in the morning and late at night. Always smiling.  He doesn't speak English but sure can make you understand.  We arrived late and had dinner. Up and down the stairs he flew bringing food and taking away empty dishes. At one point he paused, pointed to himself and held up one finger to indicate that he was doing this on his own and then swished the fingers of one hand rapidly over the other.  Swish, swish! FAST

Eunice.  Our local guide in Fes.  He is an intelligent, we'll informed young man. We would have been delighted to have him as our guide for the whole trip.

Ibrahim the camel man. Got me on and off a camel and we were both smiling. He would say  "I'm not afraid" if I expressed fear.  Well if he isn't afraid I guess I'm not either.

Eunice at Marrakesh.  Such a kind and thoughtful man.  Gentle and just good to be around.

Our guide at Ait Ben Hadu.  Raised there, articulate and passionate about his home.
The herbal man in the market at Essouaira and the wooden box man.  Both remembered us on return visits were friendly and not pushy.

Day 16 Essaouaira
Last day in Essouaira.  We got up and went for a walk on the beach.  There was no wind which was a nice change from yesterday.  There was a yoga class of 6 or 8 ladies who were obviously there on a vacation.  Further down the beach 2 different football games were in progress. One even had a reference.   By the time we got to them they were packing up.  Back at the hotel we went up to the roof for breakfast.   Eggs, so good for a change.  They bring you a basket of their round, hard crusted bread, 2 kinds of jam, their pancakes ( very different from ours), sometimes a croissant  or a sweet bread, often thin slices of artificial looking ham, plastic cheese or Laughing Cow and the most devine orange juice.  Once in awhile there are hard boiled eggs and when luck is with us they cook an egg for you

After breakfast Abdul took us for a short drive.  We were content to have a day to rest so we were back at the hotel by 11:00.  We did a little house keeping and then went to the port and had lunch where Abdul said we wouldn't like it.  Bless him he really has our best interests at heart and does try to keep us safe and healthy.  We stopped at the first in the row, prices go by weight.  You survey the array of fresh fish and coose what you want.  I picked out 3 big prawns and Roy chose a small sole.  Back to our seats. Two ladies from New York and two young men from Germany were also seated at the table with us. The company was as good as the fish!  We had such a good time.  The men had come to ride motorcycles along the coast. One had come on his bike and the other planned to rent one here.  He couldn't find one to rent so was riding the bus from one place to the next. To make matters worse his wallet was stolen at the airport on the way here.  They were going to rent surf boards and give it a try.  They had never surfed before, sure hope they had fun. The young man on the motorcycle had been here previously  with his girlfriend.   She was history but his memory of sardines was not and said he could eat them 3 times a day.  They were entertaining and very nice. One of the New York ladies was vegetarian so she ordered a large salad.  It was bigger than our small salads but not very big.  It's a fish place!  We gave the boys our salads as the tomatoes and peppers were washed in local water.  They were happy to have them. The vegetarian wished hers was better.  She was a fussy eater as she only ate the crust of her bread. We enjoyed chatting with them for a few more minutes but our seats were wanted.
After lunch we went back in the souk got ice cream cones stand on the way to get  Roy the dye from the Herbalist. He remembered us and gave it at 1/2 price. We bought something  for Alex and V from our friend who sells wooden items and then back to the hotel to organize our luggage. We couldn't pass the tiny shop that sells huge doughnuts for 2 dhs.
Back at the room we reorganized our possessions and shopping.  A little shocked at the amount of shopping!  After a rest we went for dinner at a side walk cafe on the avenue close to the port.  Shared a small pizza and had a Fanta and a Schweppes while we watched the world walk by.  Cool music played and many (especially the children) got caught up in the rythm and danced along.  We sat for along time, enchanted by the ever changing scene.  Children coming home from school, mama's with little ones, old hippies, young hippies, we'll dressed tourists, old men in jellabas with hoods that end in a little cone making them look like Yoda, bent old women in jellabas and h'jab, young women defying tradition and young men out enjoying conversation and the young women.  All the while the lively music played. It was hard to leave.
Two things, school and Fanta.
The children go to school for roughly 2 hours in the morning one day and the next day they go in the afternoon.  The time of day seems  to change from one time to the next but it is not unusual to see young children on their way home from school at 7:30 pm.  For ages 6 to 15  school is compulsory.  Roughly 80 percent of primary aged children are completing that level.  18 years ago only 50%.  The stats drop as the children get older.  There are few attending university  and opportunities are limited for them.
Fanta is the drink if you don't want Coke.  Roy finds the Coke watery so has been drinking lots of Fanta.  I have discovered Schweppes ciron in the can.  We have been blessed to have Abdul who keeps us in two 1 1/2 liter bottles a day and usually there is water in our room.
Tomorrow Ramadan begins.  Muslim, whether practicing observe the fasting during daylight hours.  No smoking, no drinking, this includes water  (alcohol is not difficult as you rarely see any.  Roy had beer one night and got a 250 ml. bottle for an exorbitant price) and no sex.  For one month!
Travelers, pregnant an nursing mothers, the ill and the aged and the very young  are exemptions.  However,  it must be very difficult to eat in front of others.  Abdul could eat yesterday because he was traveling  over 82 km that day. We had purchased snacks at the grocery store in preparation but we didn't eat or drink in the car unless no one was around to see.  He covered his water bottle in the car.  He explained that people get very cranky. Ramadan comes from ancient times and he feels that the next generation will no longer fast.
Essouaira to Casablanca.   The last travel day!!😀
Abdul picked us up at 9:00.  He said it was 5 hours to Casablanca.  Make that 8 hours.  We took the scenic route an the road is in need of repair in many places but the things we saw and the scenery made it worthwhile.  Breakfast on the roof was sparse. Our sweet young server had warned us.  She was there serving us breakfast.  Us, the only guests in the whole place.  Our own hotel.  We should have had a luxury suite. Roy called for someone to carry our bags. We never do this but there are 3 flights of winding stairs and they rely on tips.  As we have been told repeatedly we have to keep the economy going.  That's the tourists job. Lord we have spent a lot of money on tips.  They are not shy to ask for more.  He put our bags, which have become a messy affair what with shopping and our groceries,  in his cart and pulled them to where Abdul will pick us up. We stood across from Hotel design Iles where Winston Churchill, Jim Hendrix and Bob Marley stayed. It is flying a Canadian flag!

Our friend was right on time, dressed in a jellaba and plastic flip flops for Ramadan.  Off we go.  It truly is a scenic route and not just for the dramatic views of the Atlantic. It was market day in at least two towns. One market was in a field with no town around .  It had drawn a huge crowd. There was heavy traffic in either direction - the majority being horse, mule or donkey carts.  Some carts were taxis and might have 3 passengers and some were moving goods to carts or cars parked on the edge of the action.  People were buying 50 pound bags of what ever and men would carry two bags at a time.  They do not want their picture taken lest it is used in black magic.  We obeyed as we were warned but if Lee had been here Abdul would have had his hands full.

.  It was like stepping back in time. It is very fertile farming country in some areas.  One town we passed through seemed to only sell farm implements, old farm machinery and used tires. The market in one town was very busy. Abdul said that at this market the shoppers would stock up on things they cannot grow or make . Paper products, soap, tea.  As for paper products I am very glad I brought my travel size role of Charmin.  Almost no toilets have paper, many are squats.  We passed an elderly man standing over a well drawing water by hand.  Sadly, no picture.
Because it is Ramadan no restaurants or cafes are open and most of the other shops are closed. Butcher shops and fruit and vegetable vendors are working.  The women start preparing the breakfast, to be consumed after sunset around two in the afternoon. Just imagine smelling delicious food all that time! Women do need to rise up.  The men become grumpy because they cannot smoke or sit and drink mint tea in cafes, national pastimes here.  The men mainly do the  grocery shopping but the rest is up to the ladies.
  I needed a bathroom stop. Abdul found a garage open and I had to use that work men's toilet.  It was surprisingly clean.
We passed three phosphate plants, each one bigger than the previous one.  All had very vast port facilities. They didn't smell too great and reminded us of days in Fox Creek when the wind blew the wrong way.
We stopped at El Jadida to see the Portuguese cistern. Lovely but not like the cistern in Istanbul.  Orson Welles shot part of Othello here. The Medina here is a UNESCO site. Th few shops that were open in the Medina as we walked to the cistern had nothing we wanted and the owners were quite rude when we didn't buy anything.  Ramadan.
We drove through Azemour.  The view of the medina and the river is very beautiful. We didn't stop as there really was no need.
We have snacked a bit in the car and so has Abdul.  He is sounding weary so I pull out more snacks.   The drive is seeming very long and even strange looking squash don't capture our enthusiasm.  As we near Casablanca the traffic leaving the city is horrendous.   There is an accident and the drivers are fighting.  Abdul says "Ramadan".
It is so nice to get to the hotel. Roy starts seeing landmarks well before we get there and remembers the way.  We still need to eat.  Abdul opines that the restaurants should be open by 9:00 after the staff have had their breakfast.   In the long run he can't find anything open and has a friend open just to feed us!  Stir fried chicken and onions, the thickest orange juice and of course bread and a plate of fresh fruit each with a banana, two apricots, a Moroccan fruit and a kiwi.  90dh. We were presented with a bag of the fruit we didn't eat when we left.  It was just a little snack bar but they were very good to us. They even played Kenny Rodgers music.  We sang along and amused them. It was so kind of them to open for us and kind Abdul to ensure we got something to eat. Abdul and I signed up to become Facebook friends.  Back to the hotel at 10:00 with full bodies and tired brains.

Marrakech to Essouaira Day 13

Marrakech to Estuarial
Day 13
Where has the time gone.  We have seen and done so much but… we are ready to go home.  This is a big culture adjustment.  The women in hjabs and many completely veiled, often with their glasses perched on their head covering. The poor , the crippled, the mothers sitting on the street with children who seem very ill begging.  Then there is the cash issue.  It is virtually impossible to get change or bills for less than 100 Durham.  When you do manage to get some it is gone for tips (tips are needed for everything) or because I feel the need to put something in an outstretched hand.
Now to day 13
We are behind on the blog for the simple reason that it takes time but we want it to be complete when we get home.
We set out, sadly leaving Riad Slitine behind.  Not a bit sorry to leave Marrakech.   It is busy, dirty, and all the street food is fly or wasp covered.   The food we don't see prepared in restaurants is probably the same.  I have enjoyed all the activity and the souk but not the process of buying anything.  Our Riad was very nice and Eunice, who seemed to do a bit of Everything was so kind and thoughtful.
We set out on the road once again.  My goodness they had a lot of rock.  They are farming fields that are filled with boulder sized rocks.  Maybe the rocks grow?  As we neared Essouaira we began to see argon trees.  They look like they are not very healthy but they sure must produce a lot of nuts.  The oil and it's various products are sold in every third shop.  We stopped at an organ cooperative.  I bought some black soap.  Everything is rather pricey and I doubt we would use it when we get home.  On the way we saw goats in a argon tree.  Apparently they climb up to eat the argon nuts, but this one must have been staged.  It was the only tree we saw with goats, and when I took a picture, one of the men sitting off to the side came over for money.  The guide asked if I had s 10 Durham coin to give him. He asked for paper money.  I gave him another coin.  He then asked our driver if he could have his bottle of water.  He gave it to him.

Lunch was at a place outside Essouaira and Roy and I really enjoyed our cheese omelets. Then on to.  The Riad L’Oussia is just inside the Bab(gate) Sbaa.  It has quite a showy lobby.  Our room is up 3 flights of curved stairs.  Breakfast is another 3 flights up.  Our room is very nice but quite noisy.  The sound comes up and is amplified from the street below up and the seagulls perch on the roof across from us and make a terrible noise.  We do like our room in spite of that.
We explored the medina after we settled in. It is so calm and quiet compared to Marrakech!  No , or not much , arguing about prices.  We looked at some wooden products and said we would come back. The man said great, he'd remember us and give us a good price.  We had the biggest sugared doughnut we'd ever seen. It was delicious..  It was cool and very windy.  Back at the hotel dining room the table by the wood burning fireplace was welcome.  Our lovely young server brought us the best dinner. Sole cooked to perfection accompanied by roasted potatoes.
Then up 3 flights to our room to blog and bed.
Tomorrow we hope to figure out when Ramadan begins!

Marrakech Day 12

Our last full day in Marrakech.   When we got into our Riad  last night the man at the desk asked when we were coming for breakfast. We said about the same time around 8:30.  He told us there would be a time change tonight. We struggled to figure out if we lost an hour  or gained an hour, so he was gesturing and trying to get me to change my watch.  I finally gave up, went to our room and looked it up on the internet. They were going from daylight saving time to standard time so we gained an hour.  Our guide said he would pick us up at 10, so I called him to ensure that it was the new 10. After much discussion we agreed to use the standard time.
We woke up early and had quite a wait until breakfast. We are getting a little tired of the breakfasts here as they consist various types of bread and yogurt.  Bacon and eggs sounds heavenly.  Our local guide came for us at the Riad.  His name was Abdul as well so we called him Abdul II.  He walked us out to meet Abdul I.  From the car we walked to the Bahia Palace. One hundred and sixty nine rooms, took 7 years to build.  The sultan who had the palace built had 4 wives (all that was allowed any more and it was jail for him), and a harem of 24 concubines. The  floors and the walls up to about 6 feet are all covered in small handcut tiles of every room.  The ceiling of Every room is covered with hand carved cedar and stained with natural pigments. Poppy for red, indigo for blue, saffron for yellow, and charcoal for black.  The wall were hung with rugs in the winter for warmth.  Above the wall tiles and around the arches is carved plaster there are usually Koran sayings.  The rooms are spectacular.   We left the palace amazed at the amount and quality of the artisans.   We also saw the mosque, Koranic school and the segregated room with no adornment at all and only a loudspeaker for them to hear the Iman.

From the palace we took the car to visit the Saadian Tombs.  The tombs are in an area like a garden which had been closed off for many years. The tombs are covered in mosaic tiles and each has a different pattern.  The wives and children are buried here.  The descendants of the prophet are inside. When he French took over Morocco as a protectorate in 1912 when they reopened the narrow alley after an aerial survey in 1917.  The entrance was bricked in during the 17th century.  Again very fine carvings and mosaic tile work (know as Andalusian tradition). Our guide took us to where the important women were buried and told us to look around a bit and line up in the queue to see the important room and he left us. We stood in line for almost 40 minutes in the blistering sun before we got a 1 minute peak into the important men's tomb.  Impressive but not worth the wait.  Looked  around for our guide, couldn't find him so started out. He came running out of the shade where he had been waiting.

 Then he took us to the Place Jemaa el Fna  square.  We had been there yesterday and had looked around a bit. He asked what shopping we had to do. We said maybe some tee shirts.  He marched us across the square to a tee shirt shop, he said which sold quality tee shirts.  We were able to pick out a few, but the price was out of this world.  We said no way and started to leave. The sales man dropped the price by 30%, we said no we could buy them cheaper at another store.  His were much better quality and made in Morocco he said. Still no.  We said we would be satisfied with the cheaper ones.  Give us your price. I gave him what was the price another store which didn't have what we wanted, but came down to.  The sales man cut the price to about 40% of the opening price.  When I said let’s leave it, the guide stepped in with a compromise offer just a little higher than we offered.   We said okay, the guide and salesman argued (I think) andlike.  in the end we got the lower price..  The guide walked us out side and offered to walk us back to our hotel.  We said we could find our way back.  Our all day tour lasted less than 3 hours.  We think our guide was not interested in us because we said no carpets, no leather, and no jewelry.   They get commissions on the big stuff.
So we had the afternoon to ourselves .  We each had a panini for lunch, watched a handler chase a monkey which had gotten loose and then spent a couple of hours walking around Jemaa el Fna square and the various alleys running off the square.  We are now more confident in navigating around.  When we go down an alley we both look for reference points and point them out to each other.  We make no more than one turn down an off shoot of the alley and go as far as we feel comfortable or reach another branch and we turn back and walk to the square before taking another.  Jemaa el Fna is the main square in the medina. There are acrobats, snake chargers, story tellers, monkeys, birds, henna ladies by the score and dozens and dozens of people hawking their wares.  There are carts selling fruits and vegetables and even a plant nursery .

L We headed back to our room to get out of the heat and have a rest. On the way back dogging mopeds, scooters,  donkey carts and bicycles we stopped to talk to Canada. Canada is a shop owner who recognized the flag on our day packs and hollered out hey Canada every time we passed. With or without our packs, he recognizes us, and we pass by his shop several times a day. A very pleasant young man.  After our rest we headed out for dinner, back to the square. We selected a restaurant with an upstairs balcony so we could look over the sea of people.  The meal wasn't the best, but the view was great, and a large part of the square appeared to be packed. It was getting dark and we were leaving in the morning so decided to call it a night.

Marrahech/lmlil Day 11

Well we told our guide yesterday that our itinerary had us going to the village of Imlil back 2 hours in the Atlas mountains. We were thinking of skipping it. Our guide insisted that today we were going to have a local guide take us around Marrakech.   So okay we dressed for a hot day of touring.  We get picked up near our Riad, and about 15 minutes in the car he says sorry he was wrong and we would be going to Imlil today and the tour will be tomorrow. It seemed like  we were going there to take a ride on mules.  Linda was ticked off as she had put on clean clothes and didn't want to ride the mules anyway.   Besides we had just come through the mountains and neither of us  were keen on driving all the way back. She sucked it up and on we went. We were about ½ there when he asked us if we had brought warm clothes as it is chilly up in them there hills. We said no we dressed for a tour of Marrakech. Turns out he didn't bring a jacket either. It was the usual trip, narrow winding road with a lot of traffic either going very slow or trying to go too fast. Actually the scenery was pretty good once we climbed into the valley.  Very green with a stream running beside the road.  When we got there, the guide couldn't park where the mules were, and we needed a bathroom break,  so he took us to a hotel.  At the hotel a young man, we think the owners son, sent for the mules.  Linda wasn't getting on one.  They assured her that her mule would be a little one. Well one came, fine, when the second one came you couldn't tell the difference in size between them.

 Linda is saying, "I can't get up there".  They pulled the first mule over to a staircase which made it easy for me to get on. When Linda saw the staircase she breathed a sigh of relief.  With very little help she managed to get up and onto the mule.  They asked how long did we want to ride, one hour, 2 hours. I think we both said 15 minutes.  Anyway once we had gone a little way we both got comfortable and extended our ride to about 30 minutes. One of handlers would lead each of the mules.  Worked well until one of the handlers tried to nip into a small convenience store.

Linda's  mule was suppose to stop, instead it just kept going . The handler had to run to catch up.   Good thing these animals only go at a walking pace, as neither of us have much experience riding (make that zero riding experience (L).  After our dismount we headed to the hotel for lunch.  On the menu was a Berber omelet.   We both thought we would try it.  It was very good.  They put tomatoes, onions,  and peppers in the bottom of the tagine and pour the egg mixture over top, put the lid on and cook.  I thought it was very tasty.  Abdul of course eats elsewhere and gets a complimentary meal. We have offered to buy him lunch, and he says why spend the money when he can get it for free.  As I said, the only thing is in most places he cannot get the free meal if he eats in the dining area. It is time to go back to Marrakech.  The drive back seemed much easier and quicker than the way there.
Back at Marrakech we have most of the afternoon free so we walked up to Jamaa el Fna square. 

We thought that if we had a look around and got a feel for what we wanted and maybe even some prices with out guide advising us we could do better. The first shop we stopped at put us right. Of course best prices, but he didn't have exactly what we wanted.  Just wait I will get it. Ten minutes later more come but still not right.  He is getting angry, we are frustrated so we walk.  Makes him even madder.  That finished us for a long time.  We just walked along and browsed, trying to appear not interested. We finally plucked up our courage and asked some prices and actually bought something.   It was getting hot so back we go through speedway alley to our Riad Slitine.   After a rest and a little blogging it was dinner time.  Back to last night’s restaurant and more motorbike  antics.  Good food, good price.  Still early enough for another stroll around the square.  Different at night, larger crowds, and more entertainers.   Time to call it a night.