Here is a memorial in the gardens for Yves Saint Laurent- we were told he lived in Marrakech at some point and had a great affinity for Moroccans- and they for him.
After the gardens, we went to the Square and the first thing we saw and heard were the snake charmers!!! Check out the Cobra at Gant's left foot! They put a viper (the yellow one hanging on that man in the white) around Henry's neck while they guys were standing there. You can see how far back I am standing!!! Ewww!
Then we went to check out the Souks (the open air markets) full of handmade goods. Some of it reminded me of Pier 1 circa 1990 and looked a little junky, but some of the items were beautiful! They had handmade leather, rugs, blankets, bags, etc. of so many colors and patterns! And of course the famous Moroccan shoes were everywhere.
Isn't all of that just amazing??
Here we are as the guys are getting the hot air balloon set up- what a cool thing to watch as they get the fans and fire going up get it off the ground!
They tip the basket over for a few people to get in
Then once the fans and heat are going, they tip it up and the last people jump in!
It was so smooth and quiet and gave us an amazing view of the Atlas Mountains and the desert below.
Then we headed off for our camel ride!
Then, since we had gotten up at 5 am to do the balloon ride at sunrise, we spent the afternoon at a hotel pool nearby.
On our last day, we had a great meal and Henry got a Henna tattoo ( it lasts about 2 weeks) you can see here. It says Aziz, which was the Arabic name the guys who worked at the Riad gave him. They said it meant big heart!
It was such a blessing to see such a different culture- it was magical!!! So thankful for the experience.
