| Our tour of Marrakesh began in the Menara Park. This is a huge olive grove with beautiful roses bordering the olive trees.
| We learned that the olives ripen first on the top of the trees, and the black olives are high up while the green olives are on the lower branches. We also saw lots of date palms in the Park.
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| | At the gate to the medina we saw lots of storks nesting. This means good luck!
| We visited the Tombs of the Saadian dynasty. The kings have their own room, the queens another and another for the princesses.
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| | Then we entered a Berber Pharmacy. They had all sorts of herbs and spices. Renée bought essential oil to rub in for headaches, mint tea, and hand cream.
| The streets of Marrakesh are amazing. All sorts of vehicles and pedestrians share the road with little concern for lanes or crosswalks.
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| | Our next stop was the Bahia Palace.
| Its beautiful decorations include some wonderfully painted doors.
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| | We visited a "Wonder Shop" with all sorts of amazing merchandise.
| We continued through the narrow streets of the medina.
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| | And then ... we emerged into the amazing square known as the Djemaa El-Fna -- the Marketplace of the Nobodies! This teeming place has peoples of every kind and merchants and entertainers of every description all in a constant mass of motion.
| The snake charmers with their cobras were a big attraction. They made very sure nobody took a picture without making a contribution.
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| | Also in the square were these macaques -- the famous Barbary Apes.
| The hotel in Marrakesh was particularly beautiful. Many Europeans, especially French and Spanish, come over to Morocco for a short vacation and the Es Saadi Hotel obviously catered to them.
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