Marrakesh Express

Hello Everyone!

I've spent the last 3+ days (23-26 April 2026) off the ship on an "overland excursion" to Marrakesh, Morocco. For some reason, going to Marrakesh has always been a bucket list item for me. Not really sure why, but it just held some mystique in my mind. Maybe due to Crosby Stills and Nash (Marrakesh Express). In any case, I finally got there!

I couldn't do the blog while I was there because didn't bring my computer along, so I'll cover the whole trip in this one entry. Go get a cup of coffee...

We arrived in port at Agadir, Morocco at about 6:00pm on Thursday, 23 April 2026. The ship stayed there overnight, then proceeded to Casablanca for another overnight. In the meantime, our group of about 90-100 headed to Marrakesh. We caught up with the boat in Casablanca the afternoon of the 26th.

Upon docking in Agadir, we were supposed to depart immediately via bus for Marrakesh, about a 4-hour ride away. However, the immigration authorities took their sweet time coming aboard and getting all our passports processed, and we also had another medical evacuation upon arrival that slowed things down considerably too. We didn't get underway until after 9:00pm, so it was 1:00am before we arrived at the hotel. Of course, the check-in process there took forever too, as they scanned each of our passports, then looked through a random pile of envelopes to find our already-prepared keycards. Oh well, at least the hotel (Savoy Le grand Hotel) was nice! 

The ride to the hotel was entirely after dark, so I can't comment on the scenery along the way. I can say however that Agadir looked to be a very modern and well-developed city. The roads and infrastructure were in great shape. I can say the same about Marrakesh.

Day 1 - Marrakesh Tours

We got up and enjoyed a leisurely and extravagant buffet breakfast at the hotel before getting underway about 9:30am the next day. Our guide, Hanyn, was a Moroccan native and did a fabulous job of keeping us entertained and informed. He loved to answer our questions and he regaled us, not just with history and information, but also with stories about his culture, his outlook on life, and his educational background. He was humble about it, but it was clear he was well-educated, thoughtful, and reflective.

Our Guide, Hanyn

Our first stop was an olive tree grove. Because it's springtime here, the trees were flowering and the pollen levels were high. I had no problems, but anyone with allergies would have been in bad shape, I think! Some of these trees were hundreds of years old. It wasn't uncommon to see bifurcated or trifurcated trunks, where the older, central part of the tree had died off but younger shoots formed new trunks around the old core.

Olive Trees

Blossoms on Olive Trees

I noticed another kind of "tree" in a nearby park. In an effort to make cell towers look more appealing (I guess...), I saw several with these artificial fronds on them. The towers/trunks had some sort of artificial façade on them to make them look like palm tree trunks. Our guide said they were maintenance nightmares because the winds constantly broke off the fronds. And of course, they didn't look much like any of the native trees!

Cell Tower

Marrakesh (and Morocco in general) depends heavily on tourist trade, so "entrepreneurs" were everywhere. Here we see some dromedaries (not camels!) all set to give rides. By the way, according to our guide, if the animal has one hump, it's a dromedary. If it has two, it's a camel. If it has three, it's a pregnant camel...😁

Dromedary Transport Systems

We went from there to the "medina", or old walled city, to walk around and explore. Along the way, we visited a mosque. If you look carefully at the top of the tower, you'll see what looks like a gantry that could be used for execution by hanging. Turns out that the real purpose is much more mundane. During prayer time, before amplifiers and PA systems, the Mullah would go to the top of the tower at prayer time and call out a chant to summon the faithful. Without amplification, his voice could only carry so far, and if you were upwind, you might not hear it him at all. So, they would traditionally fly a flag from the gantry to signify prayer time. Nearly every mosque we saw here had one, even if it was a new, modern structure.

Tower with Gantry at Mosque

We spent a considerable amount of time walking through the narrow and crowded streets of the old city. There were myriad vendors (some 12,000 in total, according to our guide) selling just about everything you can imagine. 

Market in the Medina

Marrakesh is known as the Ochre City (red city) because the local red clay is a traditional building material. You can see that color featured prominently in these pictures. Casablanca (literally "white house") is known as the White City because of the whitewashed buildings that are common. There is also a "Blue City" in northern Morocco called Chefchaouen that has most of its buildings painted in light blue hues.

Narrow Street in the Medina

Antique Coin Vendor

A number of vendors had hand-woven carpet and throws for sale. There were much coarser and more rustic than the intricate silk carpets I've see for sale in other places in the middle east, like Turkey.

Moroccan Carpets

Dried herbs and Flowers for Tea

Nut Vendor's Stall

The streets were crowded and busy. People rode motorcycles and scooters right in the midst of the pedestrians, and didn't really seem to be going very slowly or carefully. They pretty much demanded right of way. Occasionally we'd see a three-wheeled "truck" come through, forcing the pedestrians to line up one-deep along the walls of the buildings to let them pass.

Busy Street in the Medina

Some of the architecture in the medina was gorgeously intricate. As is common in Muslim countries, you never saw human or even animal figures depicted, but the six-pointed Star of David was a common theme, as shown in this wall. Interestingly, as you look closer, you see the star pattern repeated in ever-smaller details.

And although animals aren't explicitly depicted, it's common to see patterns that evoke impressions of animals. I the picture below, the images of owls' faces are recognizable in the lower section.

Beautiful mosaics were also abundant. 

Mosaic Artwork

Even the ceilings and archways had intricate mosaic motifs.

We continued our walk through the markets and buildings before heading to a local Moroccan restaurant called Dar Es Salaam for lunch. It was quite the feast and included three courses, wine, and entertainment. We spent close to two hours there.

Group Luncheon in a Moroccan Restaurant

We started out with a salad and bread course. The bread was rustic, nearly flat, and coated with corn meal. The crumb was yellow, like cornbread, but it tasted like regular bread. We had a variety of vegetable, olive, and chickpea based spreads to accompany it.

The main course was chicken tagine, slow-cooked in these cone-shaped clay dishes, also called tagines.

Tagine

Chicken tagine is a slow-cooked stew prepared with combinations of preserved lemons and olives, apricots, almonds, or prunes, and spices such as saffron, ginger, turmeric, and cumin. It was delicious.

Chicken Tagine

They served a sauce with the chicken that our waiter warned us was spicy, but I found it rather mild. It added a nice complexity to the meat.

Spicy Sauce

We also had couscous with beef and vegetables. This was another slow-cooked and savory dish with chunks of beef chuck, carrots, zucchini, and cabbage served over a bed of couscous.

Couscous with Beef and Vegetables

While we were eating, a duo consisting of a bongo drummer and a man playing some sort of guitar-like stringed instrument provided typical Moroccan background music. It was based on a pentatonic scale, as if you were playing only on the black keys of a piano. The rhythms were complex and compelling - it was hard not to tap your foot or drum with your hands. 

As we got near the end of the meal, three different dancers entertained us. The first was this woman who performed some very gyrating dance moves with a platter of candles balanced on her head. 

I didn't get any good pictures of the other two dancers, but the next one had a flowing, gauze-like dress on that was illuminated with various colored LED lights. It sounds tacky, but was entrancingly beautiful and graceful. They dimmed the lights in the room for the show, and she was silhouetted by the lights and the dress. The third dancer was a more traditional "belly dancer" who wore a long, flowing "I Dream of Genie" outfit. All three dancers encouraged audience participation, and many of our group (male and female) joined them at various times. It was all great fun.

We resumed our walk around the city and headed for the Ben Youssef Madrasa (Koranic school) that our guide wanted to show us. Along the way, I caught these two guys hard at work!

City Employees?😉

Colorful Vendor Stall

As the day went on, more and more vendors came and set up their stalls. The open area in the middle of the square began to fill up.

Busy Market Area

The market seemed to be divided into "departments". Many vendors, all selling the same items, seemed to cluster together. Made me wonder how they could each survive - it seemed like they each had tons of inventory. This picture shows three tagine vendors right next to each other. There were no discernable differences between their wares.

Tagines for Sale

We reached the madrasa and spent about an hour there looking all around. The madrasa operated as an Islamic college for centuries, training students in religion and law. It was closed as a school in 1960, and after restoration, it reopened as a historical site/museum in 1982. It underwent another major renovation (2018–2022) and is now open to the public again as a cultural attraction.

Ben Youssef Madrasa once housed around 800 students, making it one of the largest madrasas in North Africa. Its architectural highlights include intricate zellij tilework (geometric mosaics), carved cedar wood and stucco plaster with Arabic calligraphy. There is a central courtyard with a reflecting pool, surrounded by small student rooms. Students spent their time memorizing and studying religious texts, especially the Qur’an.

Central Courtyard Area

Intricate Tilework

Carved Wooden Door

Hallway Leading to Student Rooms

We walked back into the main square and had some free time to roam around and shop or just see the sights. It was late afternoon and the square was really beginning to fill up. Our guide told us that there are basically two "shifts" of vendors. From mid-morning to mid/late afternoon, the vendors are mainly focused on tourists, and sell goods which appeal to them. At night from about 6pm until midnight, the locals come out and the place quite literally takes on a different flavor. The locals come out for the street food, to hear storytellers, and listen to music and dance. All the touristy stuff disappears until morning.

We saw the night vendors getting set up. They had elaborate pole and tarp structures that they trussed together with miles of packing tape, then stretched tarps over to create temporary restaurants and venues. Some were fresh vegetable and meat markets, and others served prepared food. All of these stalls are set up and torn down daily.

Setting Up the Evening Market Stalls

This vendor specialized in herbal tea products.

Herbal Teas and Fresh Mint

Coated Nuts and Snacks

Here's what one of the impromptu restaurants looked like after setup.

Pop Up Restaurant

We headed back to the hotel and passed this McDonald's along the way. Different architecture - there didn't seem to be any standardization of building types for any of the American fast food restaurants. Other brands I saw here included Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Chili's.

The Ubiquitous McDonald's

The group headed back to the hotel and I got changed for dinner with some friends. We went to a very nice, upscale Moroccan restaurant just around the corner from the hotel called Leopard Bar and Grill. Our meal and the service were both excellent. I had some seafood risotto which was rich with various seafood (lobster, shrimp, squid, mussels, etc.) and had a delightful lobster bisque-like sauce. 

After dinner we walked back to the hotel and passed this automated water fountain. It was in the middle of a choreographed show synchronized to music. The lighting and the paths the water took were constantly changing. Although nowhere near as big as the famed fountain at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, it reminded all of us of that amazing sight. We started calling this one the "Bellagiette".

Fountain Display near Hotel

Then it was back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. I walked over 18,000 steps and covered 7.7 miles today!

Day 2 - Essaouira

The next morning (25 April) I got up and had another great breakfast at the hotel's buffet. They had white anchovies on the buffet, one of my favorite things! They're not at all like the brown, salty filets that come in a can. These are white, tender, and marinated in olive oil and vinegar. Very tasty, and a nice surprise.

We picked up box lunches that the hotel prepared for us, then loaded up into our bus for the three-hour drive to the coastal city of Essaouira. 

We stopped at rest area along the way, and there was a small wildlife park in a garden behind the gas station. They had a variety of birds there, including geese, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and peacocks. I was surprised to see white peacocks, both male and female! I didn't know there was such a thing.

An Unusual White Peacock

There were also a couple of tom turkeys strutting their stuff for the ladies. I'm not sure that the chickens took much notice, however...

Tom Turkeys

Our next stop was at a winery, where we had some light snacks and sampled a couple of wines. Strangest wine tasting I've ever been to though! There were no descriptions of the wines, written or verbal, and the only choice was "red or white". No one tried to sell us wine by the bottle or case either!

The finger food was good though, and there was a nice variety. 

After a nice stop at the winery, we continued to Essaouira.

Essaouira felt like Marrakesh with the volume turned down. It's still touristy, but more laid-back. Everything moves a little slower than in Marrakesh. It’s a favorite vacation spot for both Moroccans and European visitors. 

There are old stone ramparts facing crashing ocean waves, a constant sea breeze, and a medina that’s actually easy to navigate. The vibe is a mix of salty fishing town and artsy hideout. There are blue boats packed into the harbor, seagulls everywhere, and small shops selling woodwork, textiles, and paintings.

Essaouira

Main Square in Essaouira

The streets in the medina market area were narrow and somewhat crowded, but the chaos of Marrakesh was behind us. No more scooters and powered trikes, and people seemed to move at a slower pace. Most of the goods for sale echoed Marrakesh.

Because this was a coastal town there was an old Portuguese fort overlooking the harbor. It's been restored and well maintained, and offered some nice ocean vistas.

Cannon at the Fort

Portuguese Fort in Essaouira

Coastal View from Fort

After the fort, we went into the Jewish Quarter and visited the Bayt Dakira (House of Memory), a museum dedicated to the shared history of Muslims and Jews in Essaouira. Inside, there were religious artifacts (Torahs, synagogue objects, manuscripts), old photos, documents, and personal stories from the Jewish community. It was all to highlight coexistence and everyday life between Muslims and Jews.

Bayt Dakira Museum

Bayt Dakira Museum

After the museum we had some free time to wander around the square and explore the shops. Our guide identified a meeting point and told us to be back there by 4:00pm so we could continue to our last stop for the day.

I Was "That Guy"!

Market in the Medina

A friend and I paired up and took a leisurely stroll through the medina. We stopped for coffee at a sidewalk cafe, where we sat next to some other Viking guests who we recognized. During the conversation, they mentioned needing to be at the meeting point at 4:15pm. That didn't quite match my memory, but assuming they were in the same group as us, we accepted it. We took our time with the coffee, as we were only a 2-minute walk from the meeting point. 

At about 4:05, our guide walked up and asked us what time we were supposed to meet. He was laughing and smiling, but told us that everyone else was already on the bus waiting for us. It was then I realized that the folks I'd been talking to were in another group. I was mortally embarrassed because throughout the trip I've scorned other guests who poked along and held up the group by not being prompt, and here I was, being "That Guy". Yikes...

Thankfully the rest of the folks on the bus were kind and we took the ribbing good naturedly. Everyone wanted to know if the coffee was indeed worth it, and that soon became a running joke.

Argan Collective

Our last stop before returning to the hotel was at a co-op that sold products made from Argan oil. Argan oil is a golden oil made from the kernels of the Argan tree, which grows almost exclusively in Morocco. Traditionally hand-pressed (often by women’s cooperatives), it comes in two types: culinary (toasted, nutty flavor) and cosmetic (milder, used for skin and hair). It’s rich in vitamin E, fatty acids, and antioxidants, which is why it’s prized both in cooking and in beauty products. In the kitchen, people drizzle it over bread, couscous, or salads. On the body and in hair, it’s used as a lightweight moisturizer that absorbs quickly without feeling greasy.

The fruit of the tree looks a lot like an olive. There's a pit in the middle, and the kernels inside the pit are crushed to extract the oil.

Argan Fruits

500+ Year-Old Argan Tree

Ripe Argan Fruit

Argan Oil Extraction Demonstration

Argan Seed Kernels

After a tour of the co-op we had some free time and the opportunity to buy some of the oil and other products made from it, like soaps and hand lotions. As at other stops, our guide gave us a time to be back aboard the bus.

I passed our guide as I was going back to the bus (a good 10 minutes early this time!) and as a joke, I told him that I'd hoped to get some coffee here, but couldn't find any. We both laughed, and I proceeded back to the bus. About five minutes later, he walked back to my seat and handed me an espresso. Everyone got a good laugh out of that. But the ribbing wasn't over...

Back to the Hotel

Because it was a long bus ride back to the hotel, we didn't arrive until about 8:00pm. Some of the members of our group wanted to go get a bite to eat, but I wasn't hungry so I opted for a shower and an early bedtime.

Day Three - Casablanca and Back to the Ship

After another nice buffet breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and hopped aboard the bus for a three-hour ride to Casablanca, where we were to meet the ship. The coffee jokes weren't over...

About 10 minutes after we got underway, the bus suddenly slowed to a stop behind a street vendor who was selling coffee. Our guide had spotted him and asked the driver to stop. The guide got out, purchased an espresso, and brought it to me in my seat! Of course, everyone had a good laugh. And hey, the coffee was good!

We didn't get much more than a windshield tour of Casablanca, but that didn't bother me too much. I don't think there ere as many things to see there as in Marrakesh, which was why I opted for the overland tour in the first place.

We made a brief stop at "pigeon square", so named because of all the squab that flock there. 

Pigeon Square

Despite signs in French and Arabic prohibiting feeding the pigeons, there were numerous people doing so. There were even some free-lancers selling small bags of bird seed!

Please Don't Feed the Pigeons

Denizens of Pigeon Square

Touristy Selfie - Yes, I was in Casablanca!

There's a large mosque in Casablanca and we got to see the outside of it. It is fairly new, having been completed in 1981. I spoke to some other guests who booked a tour of the inside, and they said it was nice but nothing special.

Norovirus Update

We're free! While I was in Marrakesh, the captain and medical team determined that our infection rate was down to normal. When our group got back to the ship, the extreme cleaning and serving protocols had been discontinued, or significantly dialed back. We could serve our own food and pick up our own plates un the buffet, and salt/pepper shakers were back on the tables. They're still actively encouraging handwashing when entering the food venues, but that should be a normal thing anyway.

What's Next

We're headed to Cadiz, Spain next (27 April) and will spend a day there before continuing to Lisbon for an overnight stop 28/29 April. I'm falling behind on blog posts, as we only have one sea day left (2 May) before disembarking in London on the 6th. My posts for these subsequent stops will probably be several days behind, but I'll definitely keep you informed about them!

Until Next Time,
Jim