Hidden gems between dunes and waves

A heady aroma of spices, frankincense, amber and musk, the noisy throng of street vendors, medicine men, snake charmers and scary storytellers along narrow lanes where tourists and locals alike try not to get run over by mopeds, donkeys, bikes, cars and carts - Marrakesh’ souks are a mix of trash and treasures at Europe’s doorstep.

Although overwhelming and challenging, at times unpleasant, Morocco holds amazing hidden gems. During a tiring, bumpy bus ride towards the coastal city of Essaouira, we cross small villages nested in the desert facing the ocean, where berbers in their traditional clothings live side by side with tall blond Scandinavian surfers and hippies communities.

After the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh, Essaouira is a breath of fresh air. The pretty narrow lanes of the white medina, with its small art galleries and quirky cafes in the heart of the windy city, lead us to its exotic port, where mariners have been sailing for the past 3000 years and continue to plow its fertile waters still today.

Relentless wind, air laden with saltiness, flocks of hungry seagulls flying over a multitude of blue wooden little boats, mangy cats venturing into the lanes of an open-air fish market, boxes of orange crabs, weather-beaten young men unloading their heavy ocean booty from their vessels, an old man patiently knitting fishing nets under the burning sun.

“My dad used to sail the sea before the sunrise and never got back home before sunset,” my grandfather explained. He used to take me onto his laps and talk me through the hard work of the old fishermen depicted in the black and white picture he was holding, the great grandfather I had never met. In the eyes of the old wrinkled men knitting fishing nets at the port of Essaouira, I could see the same acceptance of an inherited faith of hard work and the beauty of the slow pace life that my grandfather used to depict. So far, so close. Essaouira brought me back to a time that I had only lived through my grandfather’s tales, a world that I thought was lost in time.

I allowed the memories to carry me away, until my friend brought me back to reality "let's go and get our lunch at the fish market, I can smell the roasted sardines from here". I said goodbye to the port of Essaouira, grateful for making me travel in time, sure that I will be back to that port again.