The colors of Marrakech, Part I

I’ve been quite surprised by Marrakech. I wasn’t expecting to find this colorful place, where the streets of the old Medina look like a labyrinth! With this post (and the next one), I will try to recapture the memories of this trip through the pictures I shot in Marrakech.
As usual for my trips, my photo equipment was very small, so I could travel light. I brought with me the trusty Fujifilm X100T, the Fujifilm X-Pro2, and the 16mm f/1.4.
I have to say, honestly, I forgot the 35mm f/1.4 at home, which is still small and light. With it, I could get some more portraits of the people of Marrakech. Well, I don’t know if I was going to use it in the end, since I’ve noticed that people in Marrakech don’t like being photographed so much. So the wide lens lets me capture more of the environment and the streets.

The arrival in Marrakech: the adventure in the taxi

As with almost every aspect of Marrakech, taxi fare has to be negotiated. This is something totally different from what we European are used, but it’s part of the Marrocco’s culture! The taxi was quite old (just to be sure), and it was a funny “experience” to see the quite chaotic traffic in the old city center in the evening!

The Riad Khol

We’ve spent our holiday staying at the Riad Khol. I found the place on Booking.com, and honestly, we were amazed. The Riad is a traditional Moroccan house with multiple gardens and floors. It was very nice, since we didn’t have a traditional hotel room but a small apartment spread over two floors with a small living room, a bedroom, and a nice terrace.
The breakfast was delicious: a wonderful selection of fresh juice, coffee, traditional mint Tea, pancakes, and fresh yogurt prepared at the Riad. The breakfast area itself was stunning, as it is one of the Riad’s gardens, with a beautiful fountain at the center of this small square. All the staff were really kind and helpful, so it was a lovely place to stay in Marrakech, and I definitely recommend it to everyone!

On the streets of Marrakech

Walking the streets of Marrakech isn’t easy without a proper map, especially in the old Medina, where the market streets are like a labyrinth because the walls are high and you cannot see what’s around. Besides that, walking around is quite picturesque, with all the goods for sale and the different smells of spices from the sellers’ shops.

Palais de la Bahia

This is one of the places we’ve enjoyed the most during our stay in Marrakech. The palace comprises various rooms and small gardens that you can visit. I was amazed at the beautiful patterns of the decorative motifs in the Palais de la Bahia!