We want to escape the Christmas season commotion with its excessive consumerism as well as get some warm weather, so we flew to Morocco over the holiday season. I’m afraid my memory fails me a bit in reconstructing this trip, so any corrections about the places would be welcome.

Our plane landed in Agadir, and we immediately left for Taroudant, a city in the Sous Valley. It is encircled by a 6 to 8-meter-high clay wall that stretches for 8 km.

On the road

Delicious tagine

Ait Benhaddou, with an excellently preserved clay fortifications, it has been the pictures in many films including Lawrence of Arabia. It was recently used as a backdrop for Game of Thrones.

Wish I could remember what this was!

Atlas Mountains in the distance

Ouarzazate, nicknamed “The door of the desert”, at least I think this was it

On the road again

Draa River Valley

Zagora

A beautiful hike somewhere

M’Hamid, end of the road in Morocco

Please brother, I give you good price!

Obligatory camel ride

Then a long ride over the Altas Mountains to Marrakesh.

Although we were warned that you could not walk through the market without being constantly hassled by touts, they surprisingly left us alone, even when Mechtild walked through it alone. I can only surmise that we had become so used to such touts that we gave off an aura that kept them at a distance.

The boys in the band

Good eats!

Fishing for trouble, i.e., to lose your money

Last stop Essaouira, former hippie haven where Ginsberg, Burroughs and Kerouac apparently were the forerunners there and Jimi Hendrix years later. Nowadays it is more known for attracting kitesurfers and windsurfers.

A short trip, but worth it!