The last day: Marrakesh, Morocco (Day 9)

My last day in Morocco, we headed back to Jamaa el Fna to continue the search for a lamp and for me to get some pictures since I taken many when we went before.  We started off with a video of the snake charming:

Snake charming

And I finally got a picture of the robe I'd seen so many people wearing across the country:

Then we made our way into the souk, possibly my favorite place in Morocco.  Well.. tied with  hamams. I was determined to find a lamp to take home and Hajar was determined that he would find one offered for a good price.  It was a good goal because it required us to search the place up and down, giving me lots of opportunities for pictures of the fascinating place.

Walking through the souk

The colorful souk in Marrakesh

 Once we'd been searching unsuccessfully for a bit, we decided to take a break and have some coffee at a coffee place that overlooked a courtyard area of the market.

View of the market

My coffee

 After that we headed back into the souk to continue our quest to find a table lamp.

Hanging lamps

So colorful!

Spices for sale

Leather belts and bags for sale

After a lot of searching, we came across a man who decided he was going to help us; Hajar later nicknamed him our "guardian angel."  He left his own booth in the souk--which was filled with tea sets, plates and pots--and led us through the market to several different vendors until we found a lamp I liked that was a price Hajar agreed with.  He also haggled and argued with vendors for us... amazing!  Here is a video of a little bit of that journey:

Hajar had wanted to buy a tea set so she purchased hers from our guardian angel when we returned to his booth and then we each took pictures with him.

Me with our guardian angel who helped us find my lamp

My lamp and decorative bottle

Later that evening we made the drive back to Casablanca, I packed my things and headed to the airport the next morning to go home.

Marrakesh, Morocco (Day 7)

In the morning we had breakfast and then went to meet Hajar's middle brother, Rachid.  He drove us to Jamaa el Fna, a square and market ("souk") nearby that Hajar had told me I was going to love.. she was right.  When we walked onto the square, there were vendors showing off monkeys and snake charmers!  I had no idea snake charmers were an actual thing.. but there they were.

We ventured into the market and began shopping.  I bought instruments for my niece and nephew (a small version of the iron castanets the Gnaouas played in the desert to go along with the CD), a wooden tissue box for my grandmother, a personalized bookmark for my brother-in-law a scrubbing shower mit (like what was used in the hamam) for me, and a black leather belt for my dad.  The belt turned out to be quite the adventure.. I knew that my dad would need a belt that allowed for the buckle to be changed out, but no one had snaps or even understood what I was talking about.  Rachid was sure we could figure it out, so I bought one and we went around trying to find a vendor who could convert it into snaps!  We didn't find snaps, but he ended up taking it somewhere and it had removable screws installed.  We also searched for a lamp, which I had really wanted to find, but didn't see the right one.

After lunch, we went to Jardin Majorelle, a garden formerly owned by Yves Saint Laurent and wandered around, then went into the Berber museum connected to it.

Jardin Majorelle

Jardin Majorelle

me and Hajar in Jardin Majorelle

Jardin Majorelle

While we were in the area by the garden, we went into a store and I found a Simpsons postcard that I bought to send to a friend.

Marge Simpson in Morocco

After that, it was back to Jamaa el Fna, where we continued shopping and I bought a Hand of Fatima charm for my charm bracelet, and a silver bracelet.  A little later, we met Hajar's dad for some Moroccan mint tea and then went to the square for dinner.  At night, the square at Jamaa el Fna transforms into a myriad of food vendors/restaurants.

Jamaa el Fna is covered with food vendors at night

Hajar's brother and dad chose one for us, and we waited, standing closely behind people sitting at the counter until they were done and we could take their seats.  We had fish, calamari, bread, and eggplant.. all so good!

Dinner on the square at Jamaa el Fna

Once we were finished eating, Hajar's dad wanted to go to one of his favorite places nearby to buy tongue!  So we went, and I tried some.  Not my favorite, but he was thrilled I tried it.

About to cut a piece of tongue for Hajar's dad

Tongue and bread

Herb juice

After trying the tongue, we went over to a vendor that sold a sort of juice made out of countless spices, and we each had a small cup of that.  Again. not my favorite.  I would probably take the tongue over the juice actually.  But it's supposed to be healthy.  The vendor let Hajar and me climb up into the booth to take a picture with her dad.

me, Hajar and her dad

After that, we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.