Marrakech and Jebel Toubkal

Although spring was slowly arriving in Oslo, our bodies were still thriving for sun (I am getting the impression this is the most mentioned sentence since I am blogging from Oslo :)). Luckily two university colleagues came across this very convenient budget-airline direct flight between Oslo and Marrakech in Morocco, and could easily convince me to join them for a spontaneous short-trip to Morocco. Micha was not that easily convinced, but as soon as I agreed to swap the beach days for a climb of the highest peak of the Atlas mountains he was in as well. In retrospect - that was not such a smart move from me, as this peak is still covered in ice and snow in April, and although it had +30°C in Marrakech, it was -10°C on this peak. Aargh... .


After our arrival, our trip started off with an evening walk across famous "Jamaa al Fna" - the big central square in the medina that always offers a great show with people displaying dances, playing music, preparing food, selling delicious freshly squeezed orange juice, luring money out of tourists pockets by placing them their snakes around the neck, and monkeys on the shoulder. We found a good restaurant with a huge rooftop terrace overlooking the square where we could enjoy the spectacle in some distance and whilst eating our first Tajine.


Later on, the guy jobbing in our Riad (a very special old family house, often turned into fancy hotels) recommended us going to an event in the museum Dar Si Said. He would be there displaying some hiphop with the famous American rapper "2pac". Hä? Well, obviously there were some language problems, as 2pac died in 1996. Nevertheless, we went to the museum and were very surprised about the event. Instead of the expected hiphop concert, there were multiple artists with strange performances and displays. Quite funny, there was also a little tv standing on a small box, broadcasting 2pac and the guy from our hotel during an hiphop performance. The artist of this project, German Henrike Naumann, had the idea to illustrate a scenario in which famous 2pac is still alive and hiding somewhere in the streets of Marrakech.


After this unusual first evening, we were exited to plunge into the chaotic streets of Marrakech the next day and wander around the seemingly endless maze of markets in the old Medina. We passed by street sellers and shops, mosques and hammams, gardens and palaces, and enjoyed the delicious Moroccan cuisine at multiple cafes and restaurants.


Of course we also got totally lost in the souks, the huge open-air market filling half of Marrakech's medina. All alleys are packed with small stores and shops all selling the same shoes, the same tajine pots, the same bags, and books, and souvenirs. And all owned by the same kind of business-minded men.


Marrakech palaces offer a great contrast to the buzzing streets.
Very quiet, only filled with the melodic chorus of songbirds and the occasional rattle of tourist camera shutter, lined with orange trees and colorful flowers, tiled floors with creative pattern and beautifully decorated wooden ceilings.


Likewise relaxing were the visits of museums like the "Maison de la Photographie", displaying excellent photos from a Moroccan collection spanning the period from 1870-1950, or the "Maison Tiskiwin", which houses a collection of a Dutch anthropologist who traveled to Timbuktu and back grabbing artifacts en route.


And the plenty rooftop terraces we visited for either an avocado-milkshake, or an aubergine salad, or a cocktail or beer.... . Mmmhhh...!


After two days of heavy eating, drinking, shopping, photographing, and sight-seeing we divided our luggage in a 'Marrakech summer-backpack' containing t-shirts, flip-flops, and my big camera, and an 'Atlas expedition-backpack' with crampons, ice-axes, insulated winter cloths, and hiking boots. The summer-backpack we left in the riad, and the expedition pack we took with us to the Atlas mountains.
After a one-hour taxi ride from Marrakech southwards to the cute mountain town of Imlil, we started our hike in drenching rain. At the beginning the rain was a welcome contrast to the hot and dry days in Marrakech, and seemed to fit with the lush and green mountain valley scenery dotted with spring flowers. As we climbed higher and higher, however, the rain increased with the altitude and finally turned into a nasty snow storm. The wet clothes nearly froze on our skin and we were extremely happy when we reached the mountain refuge at last, after 5 hours hiking in rain and snow. A cozy fireplace helped to get us warm again, dry the wet clothes, and after yet another delicious tajine (with the entertaining company of famous Canadian actor Roy Dupuis) we were fully recovered and just hoping for the bad weather to ease overnight to make an approach of the peak the next day possible.


We were so lucky as in fact the weather was beautiful the next day! No wind, bright sunshine, sparkling fresh snow powdered on the peaks. We strapped on the crampons, got a solid grip on our ice axes, and reached the top of 4167 m Jebel Toubkal at midday. The view of the narrow mountain ridge around us, a handful of lower peaks that are framed by flat land and desert on both sides, was very unusual when compared to the view from top of a Swiss peak. Unusual was also the quick descent that brought us back to Marrakech in the evening of the very same day. 3700 m altitude difference, and a difference of 40°C within a couple of hours - that was a strange feeling.


We enjoyed the re-gained warmth and the chaotic streets of Marrakech for one more evening before our plane brought us back to the Scandinavian regularity and climate the next day.