November 11, 2014
Tuesday
Submitted by
Carol Alexander
carolea@easystreet.net

2014 MOROCCO TOUR
GROUP JOURNAL

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Day 13 Essaouira - Marrakesh
Melitour Home Page
Morocco Tour Itinerary 
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Click here for
Day 13 Essaouira - Marrakesh
Melitour Home Page
Morocco Tour Itinerary 
Photo Gallery  

After breakfast we wandered over to the port, where the fishermen were still unloading last night's catch.  What a haul they seem to have had - thousands and thousands of glittering silver fishes, all of a size.  Considering that the huge Japanese fishing vessels have moved into the coastal waters of Morocco (more or less with permission, per Meli), today must have been a relatively good day for the locals, as there were fish (and people) everywhere.  Why are most of the boats bright blue, we wondered?  To fool the fish? Or just because they look so beautiful?

Boat are still being constructed in the port in the traditional manner.  The seagulls surveyed the scene from the ribs of one of these boats.  Some women were in evidence,  very well covered in a variety of somewhat bizarre outfits.  Was the facial covering for modesty or to lessen effect of the fishy smell?
Still in the harbor area, we discovered a movie being filmed - flags and medieval fighting gear was in evidence, along with good-looking, flirtatious 'extras'.
We found eels and larger fish being unloaded further along, and then wandered the edge of the city wall, eyeing shops with intriguing items for sale - leather goods, pottery, scarves and other fabric items, jewelry and so much more.

After a morning coffee break (good coffee), we went our separate ways, some looking for spices, others seeking 'the best' inlaid wooden box, and others just wandering.  The medina is so very colorful, and the shopkeepers friendly, but not too aggressive,  What a charming small town!

A chance encounter on the street, just when hunger was demanding attention, led three of us to a charming Italian restaurant, run by an Italian family.  Although the cheese on the caprese salad wasn't 'real' mozzarella, the three pastas we chose were excellent.

Naps and relaxation seemed to be required, and an afternoon walk on the beach, perhaps.

We climbed the ramparts to see the long line of cannons, from the 17th-18th century when Portugal was a force in this area.  The sea below was quite turbulent, and we watched a few men harvesting mussels (or oysters?) from the rocks below, seemingly risking their lives as the waves rolled over them.