Salaam from the Red City!
Salaam from the Red City!
After five fun-filled days in Marrakech, we are preparing to hop on a bus tomorrow for some time in the beach town of Essouira. The group has really been enjoying exploring a new city and having a wonderful hostess, Gita of Riad Arabesca, to give pointers along the way. We've had several tours of different parts of the medina, seeing everything from a man who turns old bicycle tires into works of art to the spice and medicine markets to exploring ancient palaces. Today, we were even given the opportunity to play dress-up with some of Madame Gita's traditional Moroccan clothing. We looked as though we were ready to waltz into a wedding!
Our time in Marrakech has also allowed us to learn more about Sufism and the complexity of Amazigh (Berber) culture and language. Today, one of our lecturers even gave us an overview of a traditional Moroccan tale that reaffirmed the well known fact that women are far more cunning than men. (Come on, we're a group of five women.) The group had a fantastic drumming lesson this afternoon in which the girls created their own beats and entertained the neighborhood for an hour.
Enjoy the photos!
Ciao,
Katie
The group visiting the beautiful Ben Youssef Medersa.
Chatting with the performers over tea after the Sufi dikhr.
Learning to drum with a Marrakechi musician.
Lindsay and Gita demonstrate how this traditional cape can protect one from desert sandstorms.
The group modeling Moroccan wedding apparel (notice the matching headscafves and footwear).
Even Addie and Katie got to participate!
