This Little Girl Lost In Marrakech: Sightseeing & Sweltering

As the title of this post suggests I'm going to give you a quick recap of my amazing trip to Marrakech on the blog today - its also highly ironic as we did indeed get lost (this happened pretty much every day) in and around the city, with its winding back alleys.

What I took away most from the trip is that Marrakech is such a study in contradictions; for example the main square -  the Djemaa El Fna - is a tourist trap from hell (think filthy, smelly, full of snake charmers, beggers, and men selling tat) whilst there are some oasis's of calm to be found like the tranquil Jardin Marjorelle and Hammans. Likewise in the Medina - the old part of town where we stayed - Riad's are jam-packed next to each other, but in the new part of town hotels are huge and luxurious, their manicured gardens sprawling over several acres. 

There's no better way to experience this contradiction than by walking it, but in order to orientate ourselves on arrival (that idea didn't work out too well) we chose the comfort of the hop on hop off tourist bus as it was 36 degrees that day. 

We started by visiting the Jadrin de la Menara, before heading to the Tombeaux Saadiens - Sultans Tombs - which were well worth a visit thanks to their beautiful mosaics. Next we stopped by the main square where my travelling companion, Andy was attacked by one of the many men with monkeys (we avoided them like the plague the rest of the trip) before heading to see Bab Agnaou - one of the nineteen gates of Marrakech, built in the 12th century and still standing today. 

We then headed back to our Riad (more on that in later) to enjoy a meal big enough for a family of eight before heading to bed, worn out from our 3 am airport run the day before. 

one of the many mosques around the main square

See more images after the jump

Saadiens Tombs 

Bab Agnaou

Here I am reading the bus tour leaflet in the heat which I managed to get used to by the second day. Though I thought this jersey maxi dress would be practical it turns out the filthy streets of Marrakech were not made for trailing hems and flip flops - it was strictly midi lengths and loafers the rest of the week. Dress Miss Selfridge. Messenger Bag, Zara. Leopard print scarf, Zara. Etched Midi Ring, Topshop. Sunglasses, Topshop. Charm bracelets, Shimla Jewellery. Manicure courtesy of Boutique Spa. 

the main square with souks behind it