After a long travel day which started from Casablanca we finally arrived in Essaouira by bus at 10PM. We contacted Hamouda (a local surfer who worked at one of the towns upscale riads) who we would be staying with and took a cab to his place.
Essaouira is a costal city of about 70,000 residents located half way down the country. It is an 18th century port town which has evolved through the years from fishing village to trade harbor to hippie hang out to travelers hot spot. The cities old fortifications, walled medina, maze of narrow streets and 18th century architecture have led the city to be named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While busy and touristy during the summer it was quiet and idyllic in early December when we were there.
For us Essaouira was all about Sea Gulls, fishermen, sea breezes, boat builders, whitewashed houses and grilled fish. We spent days strolling around the shops of the souq within the whitewashed fortified walls and ramparts of the medina. The souq was picturesque and the shops colorful and full of interesting handcrafts. The city is an artist’s haven and had the most interesting paintings and art that we found in all of our stay through Morocco. The beach was nice and the ocean was right there within reach. It was a nice place to decompress a bit and just hang out.
Essaouira is a costal city of about 70,000 residents located half way down the country. It is an 18th century port town which has evolved through the years from fishing village to trade harbor to hippie hang out to travelers hot spot. The cities old fortifications, walled medina, maze of narrow streets and 18th century architecture have led the city to be named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While busy and touristy during the summer it was quiet and idyllic in early December when we were there.
For us Essaouira was all about Sea Gulls, fishermen, sea breezes, boat builders, whitewashed houses and grilled fish. We spent days strolling around the shops of the souq within the whitewashed fortified walls and ramparts of the medina. The souq was picturesque and the shops colorful and full of interesting handcrafts. The city is an artist’s haven and had the most interesting paintings and art that we found in all of our stay through Morocco. The beach was nice and the ocean was right there within reach. It was a nice place to decompress a bit and just hang out.
Although clear during our stay it was cold there. We had come from the desert and warm weather and were ill prepared for the wintery conditions that we found in Essaouira. I had a bad head cold that I brought from Dubai and hacked & sneezed my way around during our stay.
On our last day in Essaouira, while Gaby window shopped and did errands I rented a mountain bike and biked 7km south to the Berber village of Diabat. Best known for being visited by Jimmy Hendrix in the early 70’s it was small and quiet and overlooked the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. From Diabat I biked down to the beach and from there continued biking south along the wide, sandy beach until the setting sun forced me to head back. I passed locals horseback riding and kids playing.
Unlike our experience in Egypt Essaouira wasn’t about visiting certain sites. It was about being in a really mellow, cool place. As such it was a nice introduction for us to Morocco.
Steve
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