The Road to Marrakech

So right after Christmas, we spent four days in Marrakech in La Palmeraie--actually a palm grove that's an oasis.

 

Here's the patio of the apartment we stayed in.

And the orange tree just beside it.

Tuesday we went to the souks in the medina.  Marrakech is much more of a tourist destination than Rabat so there are lots of random offerings by guys of stuff to buy--and they're fairly persistently.

Wednesday we drove to the foothills of the Atlas Mountains to Terres d'Amanar, an adventure park--no rides but with adventuring activities for all ages, ranging from a zip cord traversing from one hillside to another across a valley several hundred feet below, to a kid's playground with similar activities that the girls loved.

 

The reception was housed in a reproduction of a Berber tent.

And there was a sheppard tending his flock on the grounds.

 The scenery was spectacular.  Here's No. 1 son.  You can barely see the snow-topped mountain peeking out between the hills in the foreground, the bit of blue mist merging into the sky.

 

At the end of they day, they light a fire to keep away the chill of the desert evening.

 As you might guess, the seeds of a story are planted and growing.

Wishing you une nouvelle année joyeous

Judi