Day 4: Exploring Marakkesh

10.25am. Little later start after some confusion over time as Fitbit has decided to go back in line with UK time but phone stayed on Moroccan time. Having had a plentiful breakfast we off to find a secret garden.

I may or may not tell you about.

11.32am Interesting morning, we were just stood outside hotel discussing whether to get our passports from reception when we were approached a  Moroccan who was 48 had just become a dad and was an Artist in the market over the road. To his studio he led us from where we learnt that he likes Queen as in my name as well as how to write our names in Arabic and make green tea. 

We also have a meaniful painting of an open door, and the painting we helped paint that represents ourselves, the children and grandchildren. The artist confessed to being an art therapist, he even suggested we went back later for sex therapy I think!.

The painting started at the fixed price of 2800mdr, we straight away said we could only afford 1000mdr, we eventually paid 1200mdr. Less than 50%, think we did OK  haggling.

13.00 we found the secret garden, not too difficult as it is well sign posted. 

Spotted en route , not sure how we can get it home.

A busy but peaceful place, so different from the surrounding alleys and hustle bustle. 

They even serve Casablanca 

And the bathrooms have beautiful sinks

The lavender, Rosemary & Bergamot also smelt wonderful 

Tranquility of the mosaics and water

Turtles basking and loved the idea of the large stones providing shelter for the fish

A spot of modelling my new handmade layered wardrobe 

A large old frangipane tree

The secret garden was actually  entered from the souks.

An afternoon visit to the Jemaa el-fna was our next stop, we choose to pass time one of the many roof cafes.

From here we watched the many activities that were going on which included the setting up of the street food stall where we ate last night. It's hard to believe that they are taken down and set up every day.

Generally we did not feel to hassled by vendors in the souk or on the square. With the exception of the Henna lady, who was not happy that I was not interested and stabbed my hand with her Henna pen which made me feel a little angry 

There is only so much time you need to absorb the atmosphere of the souks. So we decided to take a slow walk back to the Hotel 

One last souk for day where we choose a pretty, colourful street restaurant that seemed to be popular. 

We ordered a chicken and beef kebab, a cheese and a keema samosa type dish and a bottle of water. How could they get it wrong, not the best experience we have had.

The best part of the experience was watching the motorcycles dodging each other as they entered and exited the narrow souk.

It was just after 7pm when we got back near the hotel, low and behold there was our painter friend.we declined a repeated offer for dinner with him and the sex therapy was not mentioned. 

Being early the intrigue of the area adjacent to the Hotel got the better of us. The area of Gueliz has beautiful new shops and a lounge bar

The Queen Atlantic where we could not resist a bottle of red.A treat to end a great day. 320Mdr (£29) and so near the hotel.

,