New Year's Eve in Marrakech was very eventful for our group, but I will share only the good. We had breakfast at our riad together, which was an assortment of jams with Moroccan crepes, pancakes, and honey. Later we broke into smaller groups to explore the city. The group I was in visited the Carrefour (grocery store) in the new town to get snacks and drinks for a NYE celebration. Then we went into the old medina to a place called Henna Art Cafe where I got henna on my hand. It is a beautiful cafe, and we met both of the owners. One is a local and one is a woman from the United States. She was so kind and accommodating to our questions.
After a trip back to our riad to momentarily relax, we trekked through the souks (markets) some more. You could spend days in the Marrakech souks and not see them all. They are an endless maze of stalls. We stopped in a spice stall and learned about some of the ingredients used in Moroccan food. I purchased some mixed spices for friends back home as well as black anise, which is used for a number of ailments. It is balled up in a piece of cotton fabric and sniffed through the nostrils to clear sinuses and relieve headaches. It is incredible stuff. The shop owner was incredibly kind and explained every spice we could point at. It was a great experience.
After the second trip through the souks, Erin and I lagged behind to walk slowly and buy fresh-squeezed orange juice in the square. 1.5 liters cost roughly $2.00 and it is the best orange juice I have ever had. I bought a metal lantern from a shopkeeper I had met earlier in the day and we went back to our riad.
The evening was suppose to end with much celebration, but I fell and possibly broke my knee cap so I went back in early. The amount of blood on my pants wasn't pretty! But, I am feeling fine to walk and will have it looked at back in the States. It's all part of the fun of traveling!
Happy 2015! This year is going to be amazing, I can feel it.
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