Agadir Nights

It was Beloved's birthday this weekend so we went to Agadir so that he could watch his team be beaten by Arsenal live at the English Pub. The English Pub is quite an institution. It shows all televised English football matches  (and many Spanish) and other major sporting events such as Wimbledon and the Test Matches or Grand Prix. There a big screens showing usually 2 separate games and booths with smaller screens so you can watch the game you want if it is unpopular. The advertising hoarding is changed every year to reflect the current Premiership composition. The pub doubles as the British Consulate.
We stayed at the nearest hotel to the pub. Previously we have always stayed nearer into town so we had not experienced the tourist hotel ghetto before. From there you can see the God, King, Country sign illuminated at night and we could watch the sun set over the atlantic from our room. We had rather a good fish blowout at the restaurant across the road but could not escape the french campsite style animation because the lighting in our otherwise excellent room (heating. clean, fridge) was set to seduction levels and it was impossible to read there. There were lots of longstay snowbirds, a dutch woman I spoke to was staying for 80 days for the 6th year running, but I left slightly feeling I'd escaped a prison term.



Sunday morning yoga on Agadir beach





Plateau Royal



The Throne Shop

The first time sweetheart took an evening caleche ride she came back talking with great animation of the throne shop which she had seen. It isn't really a throne shop of course but a traiteurs, and outside caterers who will supply everything you need for your feast. There are several around town. They advertise by displaying their impressive tablewear, chair covers, lamps, ewers,intricately folded napkins, huge decorative servers, and, because they are mostly used for weddings the decorative seating on raised platforms on which the happy couple  sit to receive their guests. I suppose that is easier to assess than the quality of their merchoui (roast lamb). Jennifer Lopez eat your heart out.

The Curious Case of the Car in the Night

We had an incident the other night. Beloved was woken by shouting in the street, and then flashing lights and sirens. The garage down the road had a Renault outside awaiting repair and it had caught fire. The police and Pompiers turned out . Full modern engine and fireman's gear.
Everyone kept back in case it exploded. Very exciting. And what did yours truly think of it? Sirens, shouts, flashing lights, I snored through the lot.

Whaaaasup?

So what has been happening in Taroudant while we were away? Not very much. Jacques Chirac stayed at the Gazelle D'Or for Xmas and went to church with a lot of expats.  8.5 million euro has been given to bring potable drinking water to smaller communites in the province and the new minister for artisan crafts is the local boy from Ouled Teima. Most of the focus though appears to be on the lack of rain and its effect on agriculture and prices. It was used as the excuse for charging me 25Dh/kg for pears this morning and makes the news articles. I was surprised as most of the water is from barrages and melt water from the Atlas and altough the snow is less visible this year I am assured it is there above 1300m.
The other complaint is the lack of tourists. Apparently a number of flights into Agadir have been cut, particularly those from Italy and so  the number of tourists is less and the complaint is also that those that come spend less.  It is "la crise" which is to blame.
Nevertheless several of the stalls displaced from Place Tamoklate have moved to Place Assareg including a new "art" stall clearly aimed at tourists, and there were several tourists with cameras trying to snap the snakecharmer this morning. I just hope they all paid up.




The new art stall in Place Assareg



Elusive tourists try to snap the snakecharmer

Bird of Paradise Fledges

Yesterday was Blue Monday, the day of the year when people are most unhappy. Xmas is over and the finances are feeling the repercussions, it's cold, summer seems a long way away, and you have to go back to the routine of work. So it was a very fitting day to leave all that behind and fly out to the sun.
We flew Manchester - Marrakesh and it is one of the idiocies of current transport pricing that the taxis at each end cost us twice the cost of the flights.
It was raining in Marrakesh. That stopped as we came out of the Atlas but there was a fierce wind and rubbish blowing about in circles. This was about midnight but by the time we were out somewhat late this morning not only was it a fine sunny day with no trace of wind but the streets had been cleaned up and one public spirited guy was burning the plastic bags which had built up in the gutter.
The weather has been exceptionally warm this year. I was going to say good because you may remember that last winter I was reporting rain and roads washed out and bridges washed away but we are never satisfied and the worry this year is that there has  been no rain at all whilst we were in Britain and this is going to cause major problems for  the water supply and that already the pressure is running low at peak times as though it were summer.
I was heartened that the cacti I had planted just before leaving seemed to be thriving as were the patio plants but the really pleasing thing was that the Bird of Paradise plant I have had for 2 years has at last flowered; at least one of them has , the other is still sulking. The downside is that last nights gales have dumped much of the Sahara on my terrace, patio and pool.

Part of the Sahara blown into the pool.

Marrakesh Palmerie

Marrakesh Palmerie has existed for centuries just outside the city but is now under threat. The older guidebooks recommend it as a pleasant place to explore by bicycle but these days the tourist is increasingly likely to visit by staying at a resort hotel. The process started under the old King whose favourite Hotel featured 2 golf courses.  Increasingly more Hotels are being built each with several swimming pools and often  with one , or two, golf courses. Golf courses and swimming pools use a lot of water so the Palmerie is at risk both of being concreted over and of having its trees parched to oblivion.
The pressure from Marrakesh's tourist success operates in a less direct way also. More and more of the buildings in the medina are being done up as posh "authentic" Riads, often owned by foreigners, with ensuite bathrooms and modern plumbing. The residents are being displaced to doughnut developments on the city perimeters, some of these are "appartements  en hautstanding" , (highrise flats), but the more upmarket building is of villas and many of these developments are in the Palmerie. Whilst the world economic crisis has left the Atlantic coast somewhat like Ireland with abandoned half built developments aimed at the european market it does not seem to have had such an arresting effect on the Marrakechi new build. Word is however that many of the europeans owning riads in the medina are feeling the pinch and that now is a good time to pick up a bargain.

Marrakesh - The Baadi Palace

The Baadi Palace is famous for its storks too. It is just along the  road from the Saadian Tombs. It was built by Sultan Ahmed el Mansour, the Victorious. He was  so named because he he vanqished the Portugese in 1578 at the battle of the 3 Kings. He earned huge ransoms for the Portugese King and nobles and used this to establish dominance over the Saharan gold trade and conquering Timbuctu. He also traded sugar and slave with Britain, Spain and Italy. Much of the proceeds was spent on this palace.  His successor Moulay Ismail spent 10 years stripping it of its contents and decoration much of which was recycled to the Bahia. What you see now is the bare skeleton of the Palace, the sunken gardens and the central pool,but most of the Pavilionsare disappeared or ruined.  It's a nice space though and you can watch the storks 0 or the ducks.

Marrakesh - The Kasbah Mosque

The Kasbah mosque is near the Saadian tombs. You can see that the minaret is based on the Koutoubia. If you turn round and look back to the tombs you may catch sight of the storks which nest there.

Saadian Tombs -Marrakesh

The Saadians ruled from Marrakesh from the mid-16thC to the mid-17thC. The were deposed by Moulay Ismail who founded the Alaouite dynasty which rules the this day. He destroyed most of the Saadians buildings to show his power but neglected their tombs for fear of the consequences of desecration. The tombs are tucked round the back of the Kasbah Mosque with a narrow recently constructed entrance alley. There are two mausaleums with fancy plasterwork and zellij and tombs covered with simple tiled gravestones only a few of which have a central stone bearing an inscription, usually
"There is no God but Allah
Muhammed is God's Messenger
Praise be to God.
The occupant of this tomb died on...."
The whole are contained in a pleasant garden.



Mausaleum, Saadian Tombs,Marrakesh




Saadian Tombs, Marrakesh




Gardens, Saadian tombs, Marrakesh




Garden Pavilion,Saadian Tombs,Marrakesh




Saadian Tombs,Marrakesh




Mausaleum, Saadian Tombs, Marrakesh



Marrakesh - The Bahia Palace

The Bahia Palace was built in the late 19thC by Si Moussa, a former slave who had risen to be grand Vizier to Sultan Moulay Hassan and who seized the regency of his successor 14 year old Moulay Abd el Aziz. The Regent then expanded the Palace until his death in 1900. It was used during the "Protectorate" as the residence of the French Resident General. It is near the Royal Palace and, according to the Rough Guide, occasionally still used when the Royals are in residence but it is a building entering decline and the Great Court was shut pending repairs on our visit.



The Great Court, Bahia Palace, Marrakesh



Marrakesh Gardens - the Koutoubia.

Of all the gardens in Marrakesh the Koutoubia is perhaps my favourite. It is right in the centre of town and a peaceful retreat from the adjacent Place. It appears to be well-used by locals and popular with courting couples. These photos were taken in December so do not display it at its best because really it is a rose garden and here one is seeing the skeleton rather than the full bloom.