Marrakech is one of those places I’ve wanted to visit for almost as long as I can remember, and yet I’ve waited until my 5th decade to do so. It was the Graham Nash song, Marrakech Express, that first ignited my interest. True it has one of those irritating jangly rhythms that get under your skin. True, the song was described by Iggy Pop in the early 1970s as one of the worst songs ever written. But in spite of all of that, I have always wanted to go, attracted by the hippy vibe, and as the song goes, to blow the cobwebs from my mind. More recently I was reading an article about the Jardin Majorelles, the house formerly owned by the designer, Yves St Laurent, and I thought,”Right, that’s it, let’s go.” Two weeks later, I was on an Easy Jet flight.

Accommodation

Choosing accommodation was relatively easy. I knew that I wanted to stay in a traditional Riad in order to fully savour the Moroccan experience, and eventually landed on the Riad Calista, at the bottom end of the Kasbah. Basic, clean, friendly, it had all that I needed and was reasonably cheap. The Manageress was incredibly helpful and went out of her way to ensure that I was comfortable and enjoying myself in Marrakech.

The Market

On my first day I had decided to walk to the Jardin Majorelles, which was perhaps a mistake for two reasons, firstly because it was hot, and secondly because my route took me through the souks and Medina. I managed to avoid eye contact with sellers and traders only for a few minutes, and then fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. “Hi, English? Can you help me translate something?” And at that, I was in his shop, his very impressive shop packed full of things that I did not want to buy. I admired his fabulous carpets, but in the end managed to end up buying a pair of Ali Baba pointed slippers, and an elaborate handbag, before escaping into the perfume market. I emerged from there stinking of amber, and jasmine, and God only knows what else, but fortunately with wallet still intact, and into the hands of the silk dyers. I had no chance here, as they showed me the colour of the dyes, and their fabulous scarves or pashminas. I thought that they would make good presents to take home, so I bought four.

Tip : When going to Marrakech, go with an empty suitcase: it won’t be empty on the return journey

Jardin Majorelles

I finally managed to get to the Gardens. There was a small queue outside, but I paid my 180 dirhams and entered. As you enter, you immediately encounter a small fountain in a courtyard, and one is hit by the stillness. Paths lined with exotic plants and bamboos quietly lead you to a house in the most striking and extraordinary shade of cobalt blue

I had read that blue is considered to be a calming colour in the psychology of colours, and I have to say that, in spite of the electric colour here striking you between the eyes, the overall effect of the house and gardens is one of great calm. One can easily see understand why Yves St Laurent found that this was a perfect place in which to find the inspiration for his designs.

Outside the house are lamp posts with pink banners and a quote from YSL,

“When I discovered Marrakech, it came as an enormous shock. Especially its colours. The city opened my eyes to colour”

And it is colour that really strikes you about this house and garden.

The House contains a museum dedicated to the Berber way of life. Having come from the market, it was noticeable how little had changed in Berber art and style over several hundred of years. What was in the Museum could equally well have been found in the souks. And why change what is already perfect?

This is the first of a small series of posts about my time in Marrakech.

Should you want details of the trips I can organise for you through my ABTA regulated travel agency

Anthony Kingsley@ Not Just Travel, please email me at anthony.kingsley@notjusttravel.com