Essaouira Savoring the Delights of a Coastal Portuguese-Moroccan Town

Saturday, November, 23, 2019: 

Essaouira: Savoring the Delights of a Coastal Portuguese-Moroccan Town

Bonjour de Maroc!

It was an early start today. We set our alarm for 5.30 am—but then both Llew and I had slept like logs and were rested and ready to begin our day. We were on our own as our package tour begins tomorrow. We had decided to spend the day on a day trip to Essaouira, a journey of three hours by bus from Marrakech. It would take us to the Atlantic sea coast to a small trading town that was supposedly filled with picturesqueness and history.

Accordingly, we washed and got dressed speedily and at 6. 15, we were in Carpe Diem, the coffee shop of the hotel for our buffet breakfast which was quite splendid indeed. There was freshly squeezed orange juice which we both enjoyed as there was neither decaf tea nor coffee—there was a lot of mint tea, however. I chose the protein-rich side of the buffet—omelette cut up in squares with lamb sausages and merguez, grilled cherry tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and roasted potatoes. I did not eat any carbs as I was sure I would pick some up during the day.

By 7.15 am, we got out of the hotel, found a cab right outside and told the driver to take us to the train station (forgetting that we had tickets for the bus!). Luckily, the bus station was right behind the train station and we walked across Platform No. 1 to get to the bus station which was literally just five minutes away—thankfully! 

At 7.45, on schedule our bus took off. It was only about a quarter full and we had a very comfortable journey with our ear buds playing my music and the two of us sharing it and dozing in and out of sleep—very restful indeed. The Landscape as very boring indeed with nothing to see—in the distance were the Atlas Mountains and closer to the highway (beautiful roads, very modern, all toll roads) were groves of Argan trees as these are a really important part of the Moroccan economy. We made one stop about half way through, at a restaurant pit stop where we used the facilities and then carried on our way. Neither of us was hungry as we had eaten a huge breakfast.

Arrival in Essaouira:

We arrived in Essaouira (pronounced Sweera) a little ahead of schedule and were cruising along the beach front when I awoke to find that we had reached. Our bus parked at the bus station but, sadly, it had started to rain (just a light drizzle) but the place was wet (we were outside the city walls) and we were very grateful that we had checked the weather report and were equipped with our travel umbrellas.

Not really knowing where to begin once we got off, we were grateful to find a group of three girls who guided us to the entrance to the Medina. The drizzle was constant and irritating, but we had no choice but to begin our exploration.  Luckily it was not too cold and since I had carried my light down Uniqlo jacket, I wore it and was very comfortable. 

Exploring the Medina:

The Medina, as in all parts of Morocco, in fact in all of the Maghreb (Northern Africa) is a maze of narrow streets filled with cheek-by-jowl modest dwellings and shops at the base. This one is interesting because the entire town in white-washed. We were in a non-tourist part of the town which meant that we got to see normal, regular shops, not touristic ones. The drizzle made it annoying, but it did not stop us going deeper and deeper into the Medina and getting a flavor of it.

After about an hour of walking through a maze, we arrived at Patisserie Driss which all the guide books had extolled. It was a good spot to get a coffee as the rain had made a hot beverage enticing. Patisserie Driss is a French bakery with all sorts of French pastries and we chose to drink cafe au lait together with a chocolate choux bun and a palmier. Both were good and it offered us a rest for our feet and a chance to warm up out of the rain.

Getting to the Squala de la Ville:

Luckily for us, during our coffee break the rain stopped and within a half hour, the sun came out. We were ready to find the tourist sights and started off by seeking directions to the Squala de la Ville, which is on the stone bastions built on the ramparts of the town. This is a good spot to say something about Essouira’s colorful history.

 Essaouira seems too have started its history as a Phoenician trading post. All trading traffic from Africa to Europe crossed the Atlantic by stopping at Essaouira. In time, it became a Portuguese trading post.  They named it Mogador—which is also the name of the islands that one can see from the mainland. The town is also associated with the name of Sidi Muhammed II who brought Islamic flavor to the place. Today, the town is a lovely combination of European and Muslim architecture and culture. 

By the time we arrived at the ramparts of the town, the sun was out and the place was full of tourists. It made a lovely picturesque spot for taking pictures. The ramparts are in crenelated stone and lined with canons. The town behind, in shades of white, made a lovely picture. The waves of the Atlantic were fierce and they dashed on the rocks that lined the waterfront. People could not stop posing or taking pictures. It was such a magnificent spot. 

After we had our fill of photography and the spot, we began our exploration of the rest of the town. What a relief it was not to have to walk in the rain! In fact, we were fortunate enough to see the rest of the town in beautiful sunshine. The narrow road between the town walls then led us to the next spot—the Squala de la Port

Exploration of the Squala de la Port:

This is the second gateway to the town—another stone bastion—triangular in shape— which is also the entrance to the fishing port. The place was full of people and, as we inched closer, we could see the fishing trawlers which go out each morning to bring in the catch. Fresh fish and seafood is then grilled and served to patrons right on the waterfront. The entire place is very atmospheric and with the white-washed backdrop of the town, the screeching seagulls and the  few palm trees, it felt as if we were in an exotic Mediterranean port. 

We did relax here, finding a bench on which we rested our feet and stretched them as I am mortally afraid of getting planta fasciitis. It was enough to spend almost an hour here. Our bus to Marrakech was returning at 3.30, so we had our eye on the watch. We were still not hungry as our breakfast kept us going.

Doing A Bit of Shopping: 

By this point, traipsing past so many shops, I became attracted to Argan oil and, more particularly, to the oil of prickly pear seeds—about which I had recently read in a column by the food columnist Nigella Lawson. Since this product is native to Morocco, I decided to try and buy some of it here. But here, it is known as cactus flower oil and it took me a while to find out that the two are the same thing. As it turned out, we happened to pass by a small shop and entered to buy our usual magnet and postcard when I noticed that it sold Argan oil. I asked the shop keeper about prickly pear oil and he gave me a packet, made by a reputed laboratory, and there I discovered that cactus flower oil and prickly pear oil are the same. I also discovered that the miracle product is made from the seeds specifically—not the leaves or the flower. I ended up buying the oil for 150 DMs in addition to our regular souvenirs.

Off to the Galerie Damgaard and the Church of Our Lady:

My guide book had suggested a visit to Galerie Damgaard as it had been established by a Danish man to showcase the work of local artists. Sadly, when we got to the square where his gallery is located, it was closed for lunch. We did not have the time to wait until 3.00 pm when out would reopen. Instead, Llew suggested we walk to the Catholic Church called the Church of Our Lady which was right off the waterfront behind the Le Meridien Hotel. To get there we actually walked on the beach at Essaouira which is one of the broadest and best in Morocco. The church is notable for its pews which are made of the local thuya wood—of which we saw many well-crafted and carved articles in the shops. Sadly, the church was closed but we did get to use the facilities in the Meridien Hotel.

By this point, it was about 2.45 pm and we thought it best to make our way to the bus-stop to take our 3.30 pm bus back. We walked back leisurely and were there within ten minutes. We took a few more pictures of the Medina which looks so different under sunshine from the dull grey hues of the morning. What a huge difference a bit of sunshine can make! We really lucked out in that a day that promised to be lousy, weather-wise, cleared up miraculously. 

Half an hour later, our bus left. We did the reverse journey really quickly with a stop half way through. We used the rest rooms again and then bought ourselves Magnum Double Chocolate ice-creams which we really enjoyed. It kept us going together with one of the nut bars that we had carried from home—we shared a bar and it was adequate.  

We screwed up right at the very end when we passed a Carrefour and mistook it for the one right next to our hotel. We told the bus driver to let us off at the side of the road but it turned out that this Carrefour was nowhere hear our hotel and we had to then take a cab to get back to our hotel! In fact, the supermarket was in a place called Tagda. Some policemen very kindly helped us find a cab and told us to go by the meter which is mandatory in Morocco—not that any of the cab drivers have been going by the meter so far! 

We were in the taxi for more than 20 minutes! So you can just imagine how far away we jumped off. It cost us 50 DMs to get to our hotel from where we then walked to the Carrefour near us. We bought a bottle of wine and a beer (Casablanca) from there, some bars of Snickers and found the prickly pear oil but it was not organic. We will look for yet another bottle from some place else.

Back in our room, about a half hour later, we enjoyed our drinks on our balcony while we checked our email and caught up with work and friends. At abut 9.30, we left for dinner.

Dinner in Traviata Italian Restaurant in our Hotel:

We ended up going back to the Italian restaurant in our hotel and this time we had couscous with beef which was also very good. The meal was filling and having eaten olives and focaccia as appetizers, we had our fill.

Back in our room, we had our showers, watched a bit of TV and fell asleep after what had been a really wonderful day in Essaouira—a town that I am sure will be unlike any of the places we shall see on the rest of our travels. 

I am enjoying using my French again—it is getting better with each day. I was also relieved to find from a quick call to Dad in the morning that he is also getting better each day. 

     

A bientot!