We see no churches here
none on the map . . nor in the skyline
So we wander and observe
The story of sheep continues.
After the slaughter . . .
skins . wool . innerds are now being hauled away
skins . wool . innerds are now being hauled away
all over town . . probably to the tanneries.
Some linings are stretched over furniture.
Heads are stood up onto wire remains of old bed box - springs.
They light a fire underneath to burn them.
We see this throat cutting event is considered . normal . sporty . party - time
( 'Nuf said . . about that topic til we're 'outta here' !! )
Caleche rides are a choice for many . .
They clop along the widest and prettiest boulevards . .
They clop along the widest and prettiest boulevards . .
This globetrotter arrived last nite . leaves tomorrow morning for home in Ireland . .
before taking off to his other home in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
He's needing a pharmacy
( on a holiday ) . .
Is either dehydrated or has picked up a bug.
Rusty and Wrinkles become doctor and nurse
sharing remedies of Imodium & Ciprofloxacn.
He's a little desperate . .
Doesn't want to deplete our water supply.
Two of each pill 12 hours apart will get him thru his flight to Emerald Isle.
He's so relieved he insists we take his ticket
to ride the 2 hour tour bus around the city.
So we'll do one hour today and one tomorrow.
Waiting for the crowds to fill the one hour bus that tours within the city itself
(Met on bus), "Iris" from Munich, Germany spends the evening with us.
Crippled since age 4, hit by a car as she ran between her mother and father
. . she tells stories of the legal ordeal and the enormous sums of money
her dad ( whom she adores ) had to pay
( judged an unfit . abusive father ) . . sort of unbelievable.
Now paralyzed on one side, she travels a lot around the world,
is decorating her apartment with Moroccan furnishings,
has 4 godchildren in Cuba that she sees at least once a year
( stays a couple months )
. . . And 7 godchildren in Venezuela that she relates to in other ways . .
because "it's too dangerous to go there!"
She returns to Munich tomorrow.
Our 3 - some at dinner ( overlooking the big Djemaa el - Fna ) turns out to be a 5 - some.
Don and Judy from Vancouver, B.C. join us
and we spend the evening talking travel since we are all "into it"
They flew in from Seville, and now from Marrekesh
( their single destination in Morocco ),
they go next to Barcelona's Gaudi top site, 'La Sacrada Familia'
From the restaurant overlooking
Djemaa el - Fna
Djemaa el - Fna
the square that the United Nations gave . .
'Masterpiece . . of World Heritage' . . status
'Masterpiece . . of World Heritage' . . status
. . historical significance being that it was the site of public executions
around A.D. 1050 - hence its name, meaning 'assembly of the dead' !!
Ever since that bloody scene ( 1000 years ago ! ) . .
it has been non - stop carnivalesque hoopala of open - air dinner theatre . .
and THE place to slaughter massive numbers of sheep for major celebrations
Gnawa ( or 'Gnaoua' ) musicians at the same big square . .
play tunes sung by slaves as they waited in this region of Morocco
to be sold by their Chiefs and . . shipped off to several continents . .
Same square - this circle is fishing . .
trying to get a little ring around the top of at least one bottle.
Circles of lanterns are lit, carriages are parading around,
tables are filled with hungry people enjoying the noisy setting along with the food.
There are board games, wide - necked cobra snakes with their charmers,
drummers, tattoo artists . .
Hard to get a good shot because they all want coins for photos
We'll head to Ouarzazate by bus this afternoon.
Along the way we'll prepare a few shots of sites we haven't mentioned
here in Marrakesh.
Signing off as . . Rusty and Wrinkles . .
P.S. In more ways than the obvious, we are rusty
with our school days Spanish and German,
and everything we wear is plenty wrinkled, but that's a minor issue.
So far FRENCH is definitely the predominant language!
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