Coaching for Pizza: Exploring the Badii Palace and More Time Wandering in the Souks of Marrakech

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

This was to be our last full day in Marrakech, a city that we have come to love due to its friendly people, architectural splendor, rich history, cuisine, aromas, and frenetic pace of life.

Let today's chapter of our

Marrakech Express Adventure

BEGIN!

Laurie led the way past
these random rug merchants

Herbalist displays were plentiful

Our first stop was the Badii Palace

It took 25 years to build the Badii Palace. When it was completed in 1603, it was said to be among the most beautiful and luxurious palaces in the world with walls and ceilings encrusted in gold.

It also had a pool with an island flanked by four sunken gardens.

This palace's glory years lasted for only a century as another conquering sultan stripped it of its riches over a 12 year stretch that saw him use them to build his new capital in Meknès.

All that survives today are these mud-brick ruins.

The visitors entry

Those are holes made to support

scaffolding over 400 years ago

We explored

The remnants of those

four sunken gardens

How did this fountain get

left behind by the conquerors?

This building still looks good

Foundations of what was known

as the Crystal Pavilion

I don't think that you want

to go for a dip in this pool found in

front of the Crystal Pavilion foundations

More Crystal Pavilion foundation,

a fountain's base perhaps

The Crystal Palace was where the

original sultans did their work

Part of the water supply system

A honey of a peach among the oranges

Fragments of broken pipes

found on the premises

It is still a beautiful sight

despite the pillaging

A column's capital

Part of a fountain we were told

Muslim artists love the color blue

Old and intricate

I agree with each and every word

on this ancient tablet . . .

. . . but not so much with this one

The process of restoration

is ever ongoing

That's a good thing.

Storks are now the rulers of the

Badii Palace from their nests high above

We took a chance and . . .

. . . discovered this nice

courtyard . . .

. . . with lots of the tile work still intact

It was a good visit but we really needed to get started with another mini-mission before hitting the Souks again for even more exotic treasures to bring home.

Some Moroccans are

strong, silent types

A porter and a riderless motor scooter

Another one of those stoic Moroccans

What the . . .

Now, as to our quite simple mini-mission.

At least we thought it would be simple.

In my travels, I like to send old school postcards to the families of our sons, Laurie and our long-time friend Debi Murphy.

This school year, I have also been sending postcards to France to the 6 year old daughter of our former Bron-Villeurbanne Falcons QB Mathieu Parades. Her English language teacher has asked the students get people to send the class postcards written in English to share with each other.

Anything for an old comrade but it would get convoluted.

Buying the four Marrakech themed post cards was easy.

Finding time to write on them was a little more hectic given our time in the Souks.

Then there was the matter of buying the appropriate amount of postage stamps.

We were told by more than one reliable source that only the Post Office sells stamps.

Excellent, as we had noted that there was a Post Office across from the Bahia Palace that we visited yesterday and it was right on the way to the Souks.

Upon entering, the Postman informed me that I was misinformed, they did not sell stamps. I would have to go to Marrakech's Main Post Office near Jemma el Fna square.

"Waters? There are no waters in Casablanca Monsieur Rick, you have been misinformed."

No problem as we were headed that way already.

The Marrakech Main Post Office

"No sir, we do not sell postage stamps here."

So where can I buy the stamps necessary to conduct my business?

"Over there, sir . . ."

". . . at that merchant's stand about 50

meters from this Post Office's front door"

Stamp's finally purchased and affixed to the postcards, all I needed to do was drop them off in the appropriate International mailbox in front of the Marrakech Main Post Office.

Good times, INDEED!

Now on Jemma el Fna, we saw this

brightly colored water seller

Brass cups for Muslim believers, white metal cups for infidels.

Darn it all, I left my registered infidel ID card back in Gijón.

Does he know about the germ theory of spreading disease, I wonder?

It didn't take long in the Souks

for Laurie to reach her stride

No shoes for us today

Golden Glow . . .

. . . and its silver counterpart

Some high quality leather balls

Moroccans LOVE tassels almost . . .

. . . as much as their rich, deep colors

I just liked this entryway

I love a good dome as much

as the next Moroccan

The Ben Youssef Library

The Museum of Marrakech

The Museum's Welcoming Committee

We did not enter but instead re-entered the Souks.

The food looked good but

we kept moving

More leather sports balls

Nice Golden Glow

INTENSE Golden Glow!

Drying strands of freshly dyed wool

Look sharp, BE SHARP!

Laurie wanted the bathtub,

I wanted to commandeer that lion

for our front porch

Will the Souks ever end?

Yet another well dressed

entrepreneur in the Souks

Is that good old Chuck de Gaulle?

This was once French Morocco after all.

Back at the Café de France

for a quick cappuccino and

some people watching

Coffee to go once as we strolled

a bit farther back into the Souks

Cool street sign

Good looking lattice works

that provided much needed shade

How old is that sewing machine?

Moroccan dream girl

Us, stop?

No way. We had indeed gone to our hotel & spa for a couple of hours to recharge our batteries but we were now raring to go again as hunger spurred us along.