2024 WORLD CRUISE
2024 WORLD CRUISE – BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS
SILVERSEA Silver Whisperer – January 15 – May 26.
132 Nights. 66 Ports, 15 Countries.
Photo of the Day – Marrakech Camels
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Colorful Camels
Today we ventured out of the of the center of the city to visit parks, gardens, and museums.
With the arrival of the French in the early 20th century Marrakech outgrew the city walls of the Medina.
The French built a new modern city of broad avenues, villas, and parks.
Avenue Mohammed V is a wide beautifully landscaped avenue named after Morocco’s first king.
It is the spine that connects the old and new parts of the city.
Avenue Mohammed V
It doesn’t take much time to get out of town to the wide open spaces where tourists go to ride camels and jeeps in the desert.
We passed on the camel and jeep rides to enjoy a drive through the “Beverly Hills” of Morocco.
Hertz Camel Rental
One moment we were in a desolate desert, the next moment we found how a lot of money can transform the desert into a real oasis on the outskirts of northern Marrakech.
La Palmeraire is the “Beverly Hills” of Morocco and has over 150,000 palm trees with luxurious villas, hotels, and golf courses.
La Palmerie Resort
The Majorelle Gardens are the most beautiful in Marrakech.
In 1924 French painter, Jacques Majorelle bought the land around his art studio and began developing a botanical sanctuary. The gardens became a popular attraction when opened to the public.
The gardens fell into disrepair after Majorelle’s death.
In 1980 French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent completely restored the gardens.
John & Sandy at Majorelle Gardens
Majorelle Blue is a striking shade of cobalt blue used throughout the gardens.
The former painting studio, now a museum, is painted in this color.
Museum of Muslim Art at Majorelle Gardens
You walk on winding paths of arid cactus gardens with exotic species from around the world.
Enjoy seeing the exotic cactus at each turn in your path.
Majorelle cactus
Majorelle Cactus Gardens
Majorelle unusual cactus
Majorelle Cactus and Palm Groves
The garden transforms as it goes from an arid desert cactus display to a display of tropical plants.
Bananas in bloom
The tropical part of the garden continues with a towering forest of bamboo.
Sandy in bamboo forest
Sandy in bamboo forest
There are also pools, fountains, and ponds with floating water lillies.
Pond in bamboo forest
Sandy at Majorelle gardens
Water lillies at Majorelle Garden
Our next stop was to see the gardens at the La Mamounia hotel.
La Mamounia is the world famous, glamourous hotel outside the Medina walls in Marrakech.
The Crown Prince Moulay Mamoun established the gardens on land given to him by his father, the sultan, as a wedding present. The gardens are designed on a traditional axis style with walkways, flower beds, orange and olive groves, and palm trees.
Anyone can enjoy the gardens by having lunch at the pool side restaurant or take afternoon tea at the La Menzeh.
Both overlook the spendor of these massive gardens.
Sandy on olive walkway at La Mamounia Gardens
Sandy in orange grove
Mamounia Gardens
Mamounia flowers
Mamounia blooms
Mamounia bouganvillia
The Museum of Marrakech is in the center of the Medina. Origianlly the museum was hte Dar Menebhi Palace buit in the end of the 12th century. The courtyards have beautiful mosiac floors, intracate tile work and carvings.
Museum of Moroccan Arts
The atrium has been covered with glass and has a massive Moroccan chandelier,
Sandy with chandelier
Ali Ben Youssef Madrasa is one of Marrakeck’s most significant monuments. It was built by a sultan in the in 1565. After the sultan, the building was converted to a madrasa or theological school housing 900 students. The admission requirement was to know the Koran by memory. It was a center of theological education from the 14th century to 1962.
Ali Ben Yossef Madrasa
Sandy is in one of the 130 dorm rooms that overlooks one of the courtyards.
Sandy in Yossef Madrasa dorm room
The Koutoubia Mosque was built in the 12th century. Its minaret is Marrakech’s pre-eminent monument which towers over all other buildings.
Sandy at Koutoubia Mosque
Koutoubia Mosque at dusk
That evening we went to combination restaurant and dinner club called Jal Mahal.
We sat upstairs in the bar area, had a great Moroccan meal, and were entertained by singers, jazz players, and a troupe of belly dancers.
As you have seen before entertainers like to get someone in the audience to perform with them.
Tonight their target was John.
As you can see, they are very professional as their eyes are always on the camera for a good photo.
Belly dancer approaching John
Belly dancer asking John to dance
After lots of shouts of encouragement from the other diners, John was pursuaded to get up and dance.
He was determined not to be embarassed or shown up.
When the belly dancer went low, John went low.
Dance move #1: Arms low
When the belly dancer went high, John went high.
Dance move #2: Arms high
When the belly dancer went shimmy, shimmy, shimmy.
John went shimmy, shimmy, shimmy.
Dance Move #3: Shimmy, shimmy, shimmy
As crowd was cheering and chanting, “He’s a professional”,
the older, more mature leader of the troupe came over to get John to dance with her.
John dancing with lead performer
Sandy was prepared by now and got their dancing captured in a YouTube video which can be seem by clicking here.