Marrakech, Marrakech!
I have a note in my calendar from last January. It says: “Go someplace warm!”. Many Scandinavians defends the winter and says thing like “but the snow is so beautiful” and ” I like the freshness of the chilly weather”. I have never been one of those Scandinavians. I´d rather show you some photos of not-so-beautiful snow, and then, tell you about what I did this weekend.
This is not my cup of tea…
Only a five hour plane ride away from Uppsala, and with just one hour time difference, lays the majestic, colorful and lively town of Marrakech, Morocco. So off we went!
This, on the other hand, is my cup of tea. Moroccan tea, preferably.
Marrakech is one of those places that you, when you´ve first visited it once, you just have to go back. The food is great, the people are friendly, the weather is always nice, the architecture is magnificent. There really is nothing not to like about this place. We didn´t have much time, so I actually didn´t buy any fabric or other sewing related things. But I took lots of pictures of patterns, mosaic and embroidered fabric. And I will go back as soon as I can!
Beautiful mosaic in the Ben Youssef Madras.
Unbelievably beautiful colors on the terrace on the Riad Amiris where we stayed. I must make something in these colors for summer!
Beautiful 18th Century embroidered shawl.
More gorgeous traditional embroidery.
And some more. Can you believe it? Everything stitched by hand. So beautiful.
If you are thinking of going on a little trip this winter, go to Marrakech! It´s fantastic! It´s a good advice not to go there in the summer, as the temperatures can reach 40 Celsius in July…
The common area at the riad we stayed at. The difference between the hustle and bustle out on the town, and the tranquillity and calmness inside the riad is striking. Marrakech is a place of contrasts.
The traditional crafts of Morocco is quite stunning, both textile, woodwork, metalwork, well the list goes on and on. The great thing is that there are both a continuity of keeping the traditional crafting alive, and a more modern approach to old traditions, resulting in pieces reflecting both the traditional and the modern part of the culture. I love it!
Traditional berber carpets in the souk (the market).
I love this piece! Obviously made for a much shorter woman than me, I settled for a picture of it.
I now think I will manage to make it through the rest of the winter, by going back and look at the pictures from this little trip.
I love your pictures, Morocco has been on my “places to see” list since I was in grade school. I know what you mean about people having an idealized view of snow–we’ve got those same delusional people here, that seem to forget about all the trouble that comes with it.
Thanks! 🙂
Lovely pictures and lucky you! I’d love to go someplace warm & colorful like that. Seattle doesn’t get a lot of snow, but it’s constantly overcast and rainy here during the winter months, which can get to be a real drag.
Thanks, Amy.:-) I understand, October and November are usually like that here too.
Just looking at the pictures makes me feel warmer! Even if you hadn’t time to buy any fabric, the inspiration for color combo and patterns is great!
Did you go to the “jardin de Majorelle”, former moroccan home of Yves Saint-Laurent? I never went there but all the pictures I’ve seen of it make it the core reason of any future moroccan trip of mine…
Majorelle Garden was on my list, but we just didn´t have time. We focused on the Medina this trip, and will definitely go to the Majorelle Garden and Bazar next time!