From Desert Solitude to Marrakesh Madness

Marrakesh is full of Diversity

After weeks in the quiet emptiness of the desert, Marrakesh greeted us with pure chaos. The city felt alive in a way that no other place had so far: vibrant, loud, and endlessly fascinating. The traffic itself mirrors this diversity, where camels walk beside donkey carts, motorbikes weave between cars and trucks, and bicycles join the mix in a constant dance.

The Medina feels like a living Organism

Once you step into the medina, you are no longer sure whether you are walking down a street or wandering through a shop. The lines between public and private disappear completely.

Whole alleys are dedicated to single product categories. There is a street for carpets, another for leather goods, and one glowing with hundreds of colorful lamps.

Every corner, every archway, every bit of space is used. You can feel the history in the walls, yet the constant motion makes it feel endless.

How it All began

The medina’s layout was not planned this way. It evolved over time. Centuries ago, Marrakesh’s main square, La Place Jemaa el-Fna, was the center of trade. It was full of merchants, storytellers, and animals. The king, not pleased with the chaos in front of his palace, ordered the square to be cleaned overnight. The merchants, unwilling to give up their business, moved into the surrounding streets. Over time they widened windows, turned them into doors, and converted the ground floors into shops. That is why, even today, you will find no windows on the lower levels, only open shopfronts spilling into the small streets.

Experience for all Senses

The air is filled with shouts, smells, and the roar of small motorbikes zipping past within centimeters. The salesmen are persuasive, sometimes pushy, each trying to lure you into their world of treasures. “The others have all the same stuff,” one tells us. “We have the good things.”

Then there is La Place itself, alive from dawn until deep into the night. By day, it is a theater of street life: women offering henna tattoos, snake charmers performing for tourists, and small monkeys on leashes entertaining the crowd. It is strange, fascinating, and a bit unsettling at the same time, part amusement park, part ancient marketplace.

As evening falls, the square transforms again. Smoke rises from open fires as dozens of small food stalls appear. The air fills with the smell of grilled meat, spices, and mint tea. Vendors call out to you from every direction, promising that their food is better, fresher, more authentic. You eat surrounded by laughter, music, and smoke, watching the chaos continue under the soft glow of lanterns.

After days in Marrakesh, we realized how much we missed the silence. The solitude of the desert felt like a distant dream. The constant motion in the city, the sound, the energy, it is beautiful, and it is also exhausting.

What is next?

Now, it is time for a change of pace. We are heading to the coast, looking forward to salty air, open horizons, and a few quiet days by the sea before the road calls us again.

Explore. Dream. Discover.