Essaouira - Mogador

A city that, according to our Morocco guide, is considered the gateway to “Morocco Light”.

It's a shame that it's so reduced here, because of course Essaouira offers everything we already know from Meknes or Chefchaouen, but I don't really understand this comment in the guide.

I really liked the city, it has a mild climate and ALWAYS WIND! Therefore, it is not clumsy to have a jacket with you when strolling through the beautiful streets early in the morning. The city is ideal for strolling because, in addition to the excellent fish market at the harbor, it also has a great souk. AND of course lots of shops where you can buy products from the region: argan oil and cosmetics with argan oil, carvings, inlays, baskets and everything made from wicker, clothing, blankets and of course the carpets.

We were on the hunt for the best souvenirs and found them straight away. Of course there were also things for ourselves, but one thing is clear, the further away from the fish market, the cheaper it gets. Once again, the providers with some of the exact same goods are right next to each other, but that doesn't bother you.

Mogador or Essaouira impresses with a mixture of Moroccan and European architecture, there is the inlay carving on the door, as well as the door frames made of stone and tiles, but that only half explains the charm. The city, together with the medina, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site , it is beautiful and always visited, but that only describes half of what this city is all about.

Where in Venice I often had the impression that the people in the shops were simply not welcoming, here I see the complete opposite. The people are friendly, they obviously want to sell something, but they are never rude about it.

I really liked the little café on the corner where Christian treated himself to an espresso; I wanted a fresh juice. Everything was so fresh, that would never happen in Europe. For me that's Morocco, it's authentic, polite and it doesn't bother me if I have to wait longer for a fresh product.

I was particularly moved by the mute baker from whom we bought two pancakes the day before. He made them extra warm for us and was happy that someone was buying something from him, because many people walked past him because he couldn't make himself understood.

The barber who gave Christian the best and most thoughtful haircut of his life was wonderful too! He worked with rose water and cut it really well, where my husband had a little bit of wild growth. At first he didn't want to give a price, it was really nice!

In the souk we stocked up on vegetables and spices and had a good lunch from one of the local restaurants. The fish was bought fresh and then prepared for us.

I also bought the first carpet of my life there, a Berber carpet that we continue to use at home; it is currently in the hallway at Palumbi. I've always resisted the clichés, the price wasn't low either, but the quality is good. We would definitely have gotten the carpet cheaper somewhere in the desert or in the Atlas Mountains, but that's not important to me because I didn't want to buy a Berber carpet at the time.

Shopping in Morocco is so surprisingly cheap in comparison, it almost tempts you to shop, but we can't overdo it because we just don't have much space!

I like Morocco a lot!