Doing it easy in Essaouira – watch out, this place is magic!

Essaouira is a magical place! After many days in or near the desert we suddenly found ourselves again with the sights, sounds and smells of the Atlantic coast. We are staying at a lovely, modern hotel within the old medina and within steps of the port, where we found fishermen mending their nets or selling their day’s catch, and the old fort and the town wall, which stretches along the seafront and around the old town.

We threw our bags in the room and set off to explore, ending up for dinner at a delightful terrace restaurant overlooking the port – the Taros Restaurant. After a delicious dinner of goat’s cheese bruschetta, calamari and linguini with salmon, the in-house magician came to our table and performed some amazing tricks for us, using playing cards, small balls (both solid and of sponge) and cups. He left us for a moment and then returned to do a couple of more tricks, at which point the owner of the restaurant came to our table and asked if the magician, who quickly disappeared, was bothering us. We assured him that we thoroughly enjoyed the performance and he then offered Elizabeth a gift and placed a small ceramic bowl on the table in front of her. When Elizabeth lifted the lid she found her watch, which had somehow been removed from her arm by the magician. This was pure magic and we are still trying to figure out how he could do it without either of us noticing!

Today was a free day, so after a late, lazy breakfast on the terrace roof we continued exploring, wandering through the busy streets and alleys of the medina, finding an old man making small boxes and figurines from wood, stumbling across the old synagogue, climbing onto the ramparts for views of the ocean, and enjoying a delicious seafood lunch just outside the port gate, where you choose your seafood and it’s cooked while you wait. We had prawns, scampi, calamari, king prawns and sardines, with a fresh Moroccan salad and a Coke (all for about twelve dollars!) Then some more wandering, a gelato on the way back to our hotel and a rest before dinner. We feel energised and ready to take on Marrakech.

Tomorrow: Back on the road, leaving this beautiful town and heading for the chaos of Marrakech.