I'm on vacation and trying to stay off social media but cohost is cool so I'll post photos every so often
Shots from the old quarter of the famed "blue city" of Morocco, known for buildings painted in blue and white.
Photos from the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, a palatial funerary complex in Meknes, one of the former capital cities of Morocco. It features intricate zellij (zellige) tilework and more of the country's famous doors
(reuploading as I appended to the wrong post in the thread)
Photos from Ifrane, a popular cool-weather vacation town ("Morocco's Switzerland) and part of Morocco's Atlas Cedar Forest and Midelt, an apple-growing city often used as a base and stopover point for tourists looking to climb the middle and high Atlas ranges or head towards the desert.
Check alt text for image description/captions.
I'm dune it! I'm duneposting (literal)!
A real highlight of the trip so far has been a visit to Erg Chebbi, one of the large sand dune formations in southeastern Morocco, on the borders of the greater Sahara desert (opinions appear to be split on whether these and other dune seas in the region are genuinely part of the Sahara).
The dunes, also known as the Merzouga dunes, are ringed by small hotels and resorts catering to tourists visiting the dune seas. The hotels offer short camel rides into the Erg and for some, 4x4 rides on quad bikes and rally-style desert vehicles.
The last 2 days of the trip were consumed by a long road trip into Marrakech, but there was enough time to stop by Ait Ben Haddou, one of the best preserved Ksar (fortified villages) in the country, and an example of Moroccan earthen architecture.
(I'm actually back now, but will continue posting pics in batches)
The Marrakech leg of the tour package included a cooking class where we learned to cook Tajine, Zalouuk (eggplant and tomato salad), and Taktouka (chili pepper and tomato) using traditional methods, eating what we made for lunch.
Photos from Le Jardin Marjorelle (aka Marjorelle Garden), a local attraction designed and built in the 1920s by French artist Jacque Marjorelle, who was known for the peculiar shade of blue he patented (now called bleu Marjorelle), and for its collection of succulents and other plants suited to the Mediterranean climate. These days the garden is run by a nonprofit founded by Yves Saint Laurent.