The House in Marrakesh

Magic Windows, Marrakesh and Elsewhere

2013-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

All photos taken Feb and March 2013

Windows, like doors always hold a hint of mystery...

a moment of transition between inner and outer.

This window is in the Artisans' Ensemble in Marrakesh

as is this one. How Moroccans love colored glass as I did when we lived there.

Decorated window and door frames abound.

Here at Sherazade, the little old hotel we love in the medina right near Djemma ElFna, the windows have safety grilles. How many patterns can you see?

More windows at Sherazade --here facing the courtyard.

As above.

A nice austere window at the Bahia Palace.

Last two windows in hotels in Tiznet

and Essouira.

Sidi Ifni part 1 0f 3

2013-03-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

The history of the Moroccan seacoast is complicated --variously French, Spanish, Portuguese. You can read about it here.

Anyway, in late February we drove south to Sidi Ifni, where the Spanish were in charge until 1969. It has something of the air of a town-time-forgot --but the town hall is freshly painted.

This looks a little like a fort in the Spanish Sahara.

The cinema is being renovated --albeit astoundingly slowly.

The town square, high above the Atlantic, has charming plantings and a small encampments of protesters. We make a point of not getting involved in politics when abroad.

February flowers!

The Spanish consulate. A splendid building which could/should/maybe never will be restored!

A wall with shadows.

A mosque.

Looking down at the sea from the Belle Vue Hotel --a super precipitous view -- a rather tatty hotel

Exterior of the Belle Vue.

Robert outside the long defunct Twist Club

View over the rooftops from Xanadu where we stayed. A most wonderful, beautifully decorated French run riad.

Blue in Essouira/Feb

2013-03-03T22:43:00.001-08:00

Unlike Marrakesh the pink city, Essouira is mostly blue and white.

Here an old house awaiting renovation

and an internal door at the hotel Riad al Madina.

Doors and shutters heading to new homes.

Stairs to somewhere.....

Even blue phone booths....

but the door to the mosque is brown.

Currently I'm posting more Morocco photos here

In the Souks with Zaki/Feb 2013

2013-02-26T07:37:00.001-08:00

In the spice market there are all sorts of delights

like snails

and chameleons.

And foxes drawn high up on the wall.

A young arm with a chameleon....

then we follow our leader

to find rosebuds

and spices of all sorts

and dingly things to wrap round napkins

and my absolute favorite --the tiles.

Back in Town --Briefly

2013-02-23T10:33:00.002-08:00

Some things change --but much stays the same....

but the cats are certainly in the leather goods shop

and the spice market

where the lizard and the tortoises live too.

A big and wonderful change --no bikes and mopeds in most of the souks!

Bliss.

There are notices to prove it.

But you still have to cart things around one way or another --by cart

by bike and so on.

The oranges are extra wonderful this year.

And last a cat in the slippers.

It's good to be back in Marrakesh after an absence.

Moulay Bouzerktoun

2012-06-17T10:42:00.001-07:00

Thinking of the mosque by the sea

and the beach

and blue boats

A New Book

2012-05-01T12:02:00.004-07:00

There are all sorts of things I miss about Marrakesh....

the patient donkeys amongst them....

not to mention the brilliance of the colors ( here in the dyer's souk)

and the Jardin Majorelle.

Marrakesh has so much that is beautifully shabby-chic (here at the Bahia Palace).

I always like this photo taken on rue riad Zitouna Djedid of three generations....

I miss the mystery of evening coming on in the square. So I'm really looking forward to the arrival of Maryam's new book which just came out.

Maryam Montague. photo courtesy google images

I imagine a compendium of delights awaits within. Click here to see.

Cooincidences/Paula Wolfert

2012-02-14T12:05:00.000-08:00

One of my great friends in Morocco has a farm in the verdant land heading towards the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.

Such magical countryside!

Here looking out of the enclosed garden of the house where I had the most delicious trid I have ever eaten. Anyway, in the depths of New York winter, I hear that I have missed the publication of Paula Wolfert's new book, The Food of Morocco and that Barbara's family are in it.......... gosh! (http://moroccomama.wordpress.com/)

I order it immediately.

So many happy memories and hopes for food to come!

Pink

2012-01-13T12:48:00.001-08:00

I miss having roses all year long......

A Door in Kennaria

2012-01-10T11:27:00.001-08:00

A room in a friend's house beckons. The tile floor, the funny old chair with the star design, the curtain billowing so slightly in the breeze.
Next month, I think we will be there.....

Presents and a Wonderful Giveaway

2011-10-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Shopping in Marrakesh is always wonderful fun.'

You can pick up the little bowls with the calligraphy design in the souks. They come in lots of colors. The tiles are handmade by a craftsman whose workshop is between the rue riad Zitoune LaKadim and rue riad Zitoune djedid.

The painter Mortesi's shop is next to the mellah market.

But since I'm in New York, I won't be able to pick up

any of these treasures before Christmas.

Next best place for unusual and lovely presents and accessories from all round the world is Novica's website with super women's silk scarves ( like the ones they sent me above)

and also men's accessories like cuff links and walking sticks. Leave a comment below and I'll put your name in a jar and pick a winner to receive a $100 gift certificate from Novica. Drawing next Saturday November 5th.

(Novica are also looking for people who would like to host parties featuring all their fascinating products. Go here to find out more details.

Vanishing Marrakesh

2011-08-03T07:38:00.001-07:00

Dusk falls over the big square which isn't square at all but sort of kite shaped.

In the early morning Djemma Elfna is almost deserted. At night it is exotic and strange.

There are snake charmers, food sellers and story tellers. Needless to say, I can't follow a tale in Deriga (the local dialect) though the rapt attention paid the teller of tales convinces me that I'm missing something wonderful. So The Last Storytellers by Richard Hamilton came as a joy. There is a sweetness and a magic to these tales spiced with gruesomeness of Grimm and the bawdiness of A Thousand and One Nights. The pure of heart mostly triumph as they should. Most of the stories were new to me and I gobbled the book up in one day. Highly recommended!

A blessed and joyful Ramadan to all our friends in Marrakesh.

Traveling

2011-06-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

When we next go to Morocco --probably next spring

we'll certainly goto Essouira --we've been there every year for the past thirteen years

and it's always a wonderful blue oasis after the warmth of Marrakesh.

The air is so clear and bright and the shadows so crisp --

here in the Hotel Riad al Madina where we often stay

This is the corner of a friend's house in the old part of Marrakesh --such a typical chair!

And the gardens-----always the gardens with their reflecting palms and little hidden frogs.

and a bench to sit on in the dappled shade. Now we no longer own the little house on derb djedid we may have to look into Morocco vacation rentals which might be rather fun. I'm counting the days.

Flights of Fancy

2011-06-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Reflecting recently on Marrakesh --really detailing everything a gardening

friend needs to see -- I decided that

the Jardin Majorelle comes pretty close to the top of the list

as does the Bahia Palace (jasmine in their garden)

and the delights of jumbled tile.

A lover of flowers should rush immediately to the Mellah market

and ask for Said and fill wherever they're staying with roses.

This last photo is from a roof garden with desert plantings

( like Crown of Thorns) -- much more sensible really considering the climate.

Perhaps I'd better look into cheap flights to Marrakesh now!

Moroccan Tales/ Must Reads

2011-06-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Robert's art show opens in Chelsea, New York, which made me think back to his studio on Derb Djedid where these red people were painted -- all of them walking across Djemma Elfna.

The little house was a place where I did lots of writing --and reading too, so I'm really looking forward to reading The Last Storytellers: Tales from the Heart of Morocco, a collection of traditional tales collected by Richard Hamilton which has just been published in England and will appear in the US in July. Update: A really terrific book. Reads just like Grimm's Fairy Tales. Wonderful stuff!

Must reads about Marrakesh include Peter Mayne's 1956 A Year in Marrakesh (Eland Press) and Leonora Peet's almost-impossible-to-track -down Women of Marrakesh which contains one of the most chilling stories I've ever read called "Couscous of the Dead".

Anyone setting out on the great adventure of owning a house in Morocco should read Tahir Shah's The Caliph's House --or read it anyway; it's stunningly good.
And if you haven't yet read The Arabian Nights, well, a treat in store.

Donkey

2011-05-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

A patient donkey in Djemma ElFna

Photograph courtesy of Claudia Schmid.

A Haunting Painting

2011-05-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

For some reason I keep coming back to look

at this atmospheric painting in the window of an antiques shop in the souks.

My photo is terrible, but you can see the hard ground of the stony desert

and the men alone with their sheep.

A Sad Day

2011-04-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

A photo taken this February of Place Djemma Elfna.

How very senseless and sad the tragedy there today.
Our hearts go out to the families of those killed and wounded
and all our Moroccan friends.

In the Mellah Market

2011-03-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

February at the Market.

Mother and son.

Choosing the perfect fish!

Glimpses of Dar Tah-Tah

2011-03-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Dar TahTah is a wonderfully funky no-frills tiny guest house

tucked away in the medina just near the straw market

with wonderful checker-board stairs

and eau de nil doors

and a tiny little courtyard

It really is rather fun

and full of wonderful colors......

The Little House Itself

2011-03-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

When we lived in the little house in Derb Djedid it had bags of charm -- but probably all sorts of structural defects and quirks.
There was the time when we had to jump over a giant hole in the stairs and had to have an entire beam replaced.
There was the time the courtyard filled up to our knees with flash flood water.

So, it was exciting when we heard that the new owners were completely remodeling the place.

So, this is where the salon was -- an uber-swanky kitchen. Gosh.

I don't think I ever took a photo of our old kitchen.....

Look at the wonderful storage carved into the very thick walls.

This is the front hall. The floor was raised 18 inches and the scruffy little WC is now a utility room.

The bathroom window

The stairs are in a quite different place. Above where the old kitchen was.

Looking down into the courtyard......

Looking up from it.......

I was happy to see jasmine on the roof. So, the little house has an entirely new life which is thrilling.

We were welcomed back for a state visit. I was surprised that I wasn't a bit sad --just pleased to see how well the work was done. Grant Rawlings of Chic-Marrakech designed the new house and oversaw the whole project.

Cats/Part II

2011-03-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

On the whole, Moroccan cats are pretty fortunate.

They get to wander around at will and get petted by everyone.

They tend to be both handsome -- and noisy. They call out to catch your attention.

They assume they are welcome in shops --here a blanket seller in Essouira.

and kittens outside a ceramics shop in the same town.

How nicely the white cat contrasts with the blue door!

A sensible choice of venue: underneath a fishing boat.....

At the rug seller's again.

In the inner garden of the Bahia Palace......

and little kitties just hanging out in Essouira.

Most of these photos were taken in Essouira one of the places you
must visit while on your Moroccan holidays!

Cats/ Morocco Edition Part I

2011-03-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Sindibad, the monarch of all he surveys, now lives a very pampered life

but was born in the vegetable market in Djemma El Fna.

This elegant young lady is our Mimi reincarnated -- the same multicolored fur and up-slanted eyes.

Taking a nap in Gueliz in a planter with bamboo.

Taking a nap in the old part of town in a nice cardboard box.

Waiting for her babies to arrive in a nice sunny spot in Essouira.....

This mother-to-be was photographed in exactly the same meat market where Sindibad

(in the top picure) was born. May her kittens be just as handsome.

Light at Susie's House

2011-03-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

One of the magical things about Morocco is how light......

is tossed from a lamp casting shadows ......

seeps in though internal windows.....

falls slap onto oranges in the courtyard

and bathes the pale roses by the pool.

Blue and red glass in the fanlight brighten a quietly colored room.

So very many cushions in the salon!

and how sharp the shadows of the olive tree in morning light.

In the evening the candles flicker on a sheepskin rug in the courtyard.

All the photos in this post were taken in February at Riad Villa el Arsa, my friend Susie Scott's very old guest house in the medina where we stayed part of the time we were in Marrakesh.

The Beach at Essouira

2011-02-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

Late afternoon light.

Looking back towards town

The remains of a strange fish.

On the sands

Reflections.

The water was surprisingly warm.....