On December 3rd I went to Africa for the day. Specifically Marrakech.
I was browsing a flight search engine a month ago, trying to find some inspiration for an ambitious day trip. We've all seen the possibilities of day trips to Paris or even Rome but I wanted further. I wanted to go to a different continent for the day. So when Marrakech, Morocco came up for -80 return from London Gatwick I spoke to my friend John (Shakes) and got tickets booked that evening.
The flights took a little over 3 hours each way which worked well as it would allow us a solid 6 hours of exploring. We departed from Gatwick North terminal early at 7: 45 am and arrived in Marrakech about 11am. Arrival formalities were quick, especially as we'd completed our landing cards beforehand. Passport stamped we cleared immigration and were met in arrivals by our driver who'd take us to the Mamounia palace hotel for coffee. Arriving here was magical, it was one of the grandest and unique hotels i've been to, albeit I was only there for a drink. We sat on the terrace over looking the gardens, and lapped up the morning sunshine. It was hard to believe a few hours ago we were in cold England, deicing our cars.
After a drink and walk around the gardens we walked down past the Mosque and into the main square of Marrakech. To describe most accurately it felt manic but somehow organised. We got a freshly squeezed orange juice from one of the stands, which cost just -1 and was sooo refreshing. Next we walked past the market stalls, trying to prevent harassment by the restaurants until we were at the far side of the square. Here I noticed a Monkey doing some strange performance and most notably two cobra snakes swaying to the sound of music. Surreal. very surreal!
We could see a rooftop terrace which looked like the perfect vantage point for a spot of lunch. We indulged in a lamb Tagine each which was lovely. Following this I just had to try some traditional Moroccan tea and this was gorgeous, very refreshing and subtly minty.
Next we walked through the souks, and I was offered anything from a new carpet to erotic massage oil. yes I know. everything! It was a real deep dive into the culture and whilst I probably looked a little overwhelmed on some of the video, I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. We finished our afternoon having an ice cream on another rooftop terrace, overlooking the square.
With our afternoon tour finished, we headed back over to the airport in an ancient Mercedes S class, which added to the experience. I think the whole time it was quite hard for me to realise where I was. waking up this morning (next day) it almost felt like a dream. Overall then, a day trip to Marrakech is indeed possible, and it's a lot cheaper than you may think! Date: 2022-05-17
Follow Nice music choice haha I love it. This country is in my list for 2019. Gonna have to watch this again when I go this year - well done again.
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SofiKoshka This is a great video. You always do an amazing job! thumbs up! great to be friends with you: ) Our like # 15
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hu seems you have a lot of fun in this short trip. very glad to see you so. welcome to morocco any manytimes. thanks reply
