We flew to Marrakech, our second visit in sixteen years. Much is the same. The city has grown, so there are blocks of new apartment buildings surrounding the old Medina walls. Inside the walls, there are still donkeys pulling carts full of goods to sell, most locals wearing traditional clothing, and fresh fruit stalls where people stop for glasses of juice. There is some visible damage from the earthquake, but not a lot. Higher parts of mosque towers have cracks and some have shifted. We saw the third floor of a townhouse missing, with stacks of bricks and other building materials on the ground beneath. People of Marrakech are taking care of the broken pieces of their city with a positive attitude. Everyone is friendly.
We were picked up at the airport by a Riad driver. We were greeted at the Riad with hot tea and cookies. We shopped and bought a rug for the Lectoure house and the rug turners saw us later and wanted their photo with Papa. We had a snack of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice in Jemaa El-Fnaa. After a rest, We had a private dinner at the Riad, couscous with chicken and tagine of beef, onions and tomatoes. It was delicious and huge! We had a good day.
