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| All the tables were decorated with real candles and rose petals. The chairs were low to the ground and very comfortable. Getting up was a little more difficult for Chuck. |
Per my earlier post when we first arrived in Morocco we met a gentleman by the name of Peter. He is from England and has lived here for 9 years. His story is very interesting. He visited Marrakech for a short holiday and ended up buying and renovating a Riad inside the Medina 9 years ago.
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| The inside of the restaurant was beautifully decorated and the doorways and arches made the scenery inviting. |
He loved it so much, he decided to stay a few months. He now rents out the 4 rooms in the Riad and has moved into an apartment. In Moroccan terms he is a rich man. If he moves back to England he will be making a living as we would. For now, he loves the culture and the people here and has found a connection to this country.
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| Beautiful artwork around the restaurant |
He took us to a wonderful Moroccan restaurant deep inside the Medina in a 16th century building. It was beautiful. The food was amazing, although the cost was our weeks supply of groceries! It was definitely worth every penny or should I say dirham. Our first course was a shareable appetizer of vegetables. Beets, potatoes, eggplant, carrots and a sweet fruit called quince. Quince looks and tastes like a pear. It is also grown locally.
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| Selection of Moroccan salads for sharing |
The vegetables were delicious although Chuck and I didn’t partake of the beets, Peter enjoyed them. Our main course was cooked tagine style. A tagine is a ceramic or unglazed clay cooking pot. In the true traditional moroccan tagine cooking, the tagine is cooked over hot coals for hours. Now, they may use a pressure cooker for faster service! I had a lemon chicken tagine that had a wonderful flavor and aroma.
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| My Chicken Tajine with lemon confit |
It was amazing and way too much to eat. Chuck had the beef. The waiter brought the clay pitcher and poured the beef onto his plate. (Our dish was inside a domed clay pot.) It looked like roast beef. Chuck said the beef was so tender. Peter explained that beef is rarely eaten by the lower class Moroccans due to the cost. He said most people here are healthy because they live mostly on vegetables.
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| Peter’s vegetarian dish |
He said the Friday holy day dinner may have a small piece of meat to provide flavor with the couscous and vegetables and the family will share the sliver of meat if any left over. Peter had a vegetable dish with assorted vegetables and a broth he added over his dish. To end the dinner I had a flavorful saffron creme brule. Very sweet and wonderful!
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| The waiter pouring the beef from a tagine pot onto Chucks plate |
We decided to pass on the Moroccan mint tea. It was a wonderful evening and we learned so much about Peter and his business. We hope to stay in touch and meet again someday!
When we left for the restaurant, Chucks knee was bothering him but by time we left for home, he could barely walk.
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| Chuck’s Shin of beef Tanjia Marrakchia |
The tables where we sat for dinner were very low to the ground and it only aggravated his situation further. Today he can barely move so I’ll wait on him just as he has done for me in the past! Thats what partnerships are about, right? He sure does a lot for me, its the least I can do. We have the phone number to contact a concierge doctor that can come here if he doesn’t improve overnight with rest, ice and anti inflammatory medication we brought along with us.
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| Enjoying our first Moroccan restaurant with new friend Peter. |
We leave for the airport on Friday morning. Tomorrow, he’ll need to make a decision. We can also purchase some crutches at the pharmacy to at least get him off his feet. What this will mean is that we’ll need to hire a porter to assist us with the bags and getting to the plane. We have a layover in Madrid.
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| Rose petals were scattered on all tables and there was a small water basin the middle of the floor that they drop them in after cleaning the table. |
The layover is two hours so that should give us enough time to make it to the other gate. I’m sure we’ll need to have help regardless of what we are doing and where we are.
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| Another restaurant inside the Medina. The walls and doorways almost looked new. All made from clay and wood. |
We will be on a cruise for 30 days and we really don’t want to see a ship doctor. The price is outrageous! With some rest and the meds and a lot of prayer, we hope it wont resort to that.
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| Love the old style. This was lamp lightening our way through the Medina |
For now, I’ll get the clothes washed so we can put them out to dry and try to get as much done without him having to help. As Chuck says, it’s just part of the adventure!
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| Saw these amazing pastries on the way to the Medina. 14.00 Dirham is about $1.40 USD. Mouth watering!! |
May God bless you always!
Chuck & Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 