STORIES FROM 1001 NIGHTS

"Like a mirage from 1001 nights, the cityscape of Marrakech appears before the peaks of the snow-covered Atlas Mountains. Behind the mighty red city wall lies the magical metropolis, which has fascinated people with its oriental attitude to life since time immemorial."


James Bond, Humphrey Bogart, Yves Saint Laurent YSL, Andre Heller, Jacques Majorelle - big names and they have all been here. Have performed great heroic deeds here, found their muse, or fallen madly in love with this lively city... to stay forever!


 


Well, I wasn't planning on staying forever. But falling in love... why not?

Curious about our fellow travellers and full of expectations, we, a group of 14, fly non-stop to Marrakesh on a Tuesday.

We reach the "red city" around noon. An entertaining flight, as each of the fellow travellers had to tell us about their personal ideas and expectations of this trip.

Exciting! Can all these different wishes be combined in one group tour?

YES! Perfect planning, an exciting and relaxed programme, beautiful, authentic accommodation, but above all a companion who gives the greatest possible space to the need for individuality - but who is always available with unobtrusive support. Chapeau! Anytime again with this small, fine travel agency!

Our hotel, a riad, is located in the Kashbah quarter behind the seemingly impregnable, massive city wall, centrally located near the Royal Palace, not far from the square "Djemaa el Fna".

Our driver knows his city, the alleys and secret ways, finds his way through the bustle of traders and squares, brings us safely to our hotel. We stop in front of an inconspicuous door, carelessly I would certainly have passed by. But behind this inconspicuous door is a real paradise...!

A riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with a courtyard or inner garden. Lovingly restored and modernized, our Riad is a soothing oasis of peace and relaxation, leaving the noisy, lively Marrakech outside and us finding ourselves in a world of enchantment. The traditional courtyard, where you can enjoy delicious tea and dates, is shaded by lush vegetation. In the refreshing swimming pool, you can take a small, invigorating break from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy one of these delicious Moroccan treats in comfortable launch cushions under arcades. The rooms are lovingly furnished from comfortable to luxurious in oriental style.

Our Riad is a hostel of security, our soothing "home" for the next few days. No, this is not how I imagined it! No, really not, this is even more dreamlike!

Together we stroll off, want to go to the place of the jugglers, want to orientate ourselves, go on a first discovery tour. After only a few steps, a world unknown to us surrounds us.


Strange sounds, intense scents and smells, new and by no means frightening, we look everywhere into the friendly faces of the people we meet.

Marrakech is a very friendly and clean city!

We find our way; there are certainly more direct ways to our destination. But is that what we want? Opposite the mosque with the fountains on the square in front, we discover this small Moroccan restaurant. We decide spontaneously to spend the evening here later and have dinner. From the roof terrace we surely have a fantastic view over the square...

We continue walking and are visibly struck by the vastness of the "Djemaa el Fna", the "place of the jugglers". In the past, this was the "Square of the Beheaded", but that was long ago...

So this is it, the "Djemaa el Fna", the heart of Marrakech, the setting for many famous feature films. Generations of snake charmers have always vied here for the attention of tourists, always with a watchful eye on their brood. For a little "money", the intrepid can have one of the "most poisonous snakes" placed around their shoulders, photo included. Well, as I said, "always with an alert eye..."

I am more interested in the countless and varied stands of the traders and farmers. Here you can buy everything you need for your daily life, and everything superfluous. Even teeth and whole dentures...

Twilight is falling. And a miraculous transformation takes place with the large square... The stalls of the merchants disappear and in no time at all, cookshops brightly lit by a thousand light bulbs take their place. Charmingly and loudly they try to make us sit down to choose one of the offered dishes. Tempting, but we have other plans.

Bahir, our Moroccan city guide, already expects us the next morning. He is looking forward to us, because he hasn't guided in German for a long time!

Bright sunshine accompanies us today on our tour to Marrakech's historic buildings, the Bahia Palace, the legendary Saadian tombs or the great Koutoubia Mosque. Bahir is a good guide for us, as he knows how to communicate facts and figures in a pleasant "economical" way. He is also interested in showing us the small, lively, bustling alleys and squares.

We have arrived at the big souk. Spice and leather market are only two of the markets worth seeing.



Stand firm, resist the praise of the friendly traders. Really? Haggling is so much fun, and when both parties are satisfied... I am!

Loud, shrill, full of life - but also places of peace, beauty and nature - Marrakesh has many facets. Among the most famous are certainly the Jardin Majorelle or the Anima Gardens - almost a secret tip - just outside the city.

Refuges, but also places of inspiration. None other than the great fashion designer Yves-Saint Laurent awakened the botanical park Jardin Majorelle from a deep sleep in the 1980s, thus completing the work of French artist Jacques Majorelle. YSL, for whom Marrakech had meanwhile become home, also established here its extensive, unique collection on the history and life of the Berbers.

The benches in the shade of the trees offer me the opportunity to linger. I let the unique variety of plants and trees take effect on me, sink into the majorelle-blue of the clay planters and shining mosaics of the fountains. I feel sheltered, almost private.

In contrast to the extensive, paradisiacal garden of Andre Heller: Anima - Le Retour du Paradies.

I enter the garden through a heavy wooden door and immediately find myself in another world. From the first second I am enchanted and captivated by this realm full of surprises. I am surrounded by metre-high palm trees, huge, ancient cacti, bamboo forests, trees and bushes. At every corner, every bend there are surprises, new perspectives open up. Large, but also small sculptures, ceramic plates, figures, colourfully painted cones and a Berber tent on a hill. So this is how Andre Heller imagines paradise.

I am very happy to take the opportunity to let myself be introduced to the secrets of Moroccan cuisine. The tastes are different, as varied as the different tajine preparations, the traditional cookware of the Moroccans. The art lies in the right combination of spices, among other things. We are served in the garden of the AMAL. Simply delicious! I have prepared this? I want to try it at home and I buy a tajine in a pottery, of course the original unique genuine tajine...

And if it doesn't work out, I have another reason to fly back here. I'm sure I do, because... I'm in love!

"Marrakesh - Tales of the Arabian Nights!"

 

And for those of you who are now in the mood and want to learn more about our city tours, here is a selection of our most beautiful tours!
Or better ... be there next time. We are looking forward to you!

 

HotSpot Marrakech