As I arrived in Marrakech late in the evening, tired and hungry after a very long day I’ve spent in a train, Marrakech was too much for me. It is a hectic city, walking in the Medina goes very slowly between the crowds, and murky figures you shouldn’t trust appear at every corner. The following day – I was well rested – my own feeling changed quickly. Despite the crowds, Marrakech was so vibrant and exciting! I stopped every few steps to take a closer look, to take pictures and to chat with the locals. My human intuition led me to the honest people, and a few basic words in Arabic made it easy to chase away the others. With my new confidence, I enjoyed the crazy spectacle, roamed through the souks to find new photo motifs and watched the vivid hustle. Especially the interaction between light and shadow seemed so unique and fascinating (therefore I chose the bnw photos). Though I had relaxed stops as well, in the silent madrasa, the impressing museums, the calm gardens and at the quiet rooftop terraces. And once again I found a place like home in one of the best hostels on earth, whose lovely hosts simply gave me the name “Hakima”. In the end I felt so uncanny inspired and a deeply sad feeling came over me as I finally had to say goodbye to the gripping oriental dream called ❤️ Marrakech ❤️

Essaouira is just a 3 hrs bus ride from Marrakech and it was a big recommendation of the locals I’ve met so far. So even I don’t have so much time, I went there to hang out at the beach, feel the ocean breeze and listen to the seagulls at least once. It’s another cozy city of Morocco, next to the Atlantic, with lots of galleries, small squares and pretty things to discover.

As I always wanted to publish a post showing the various doors of a certain place, Chefchaouen was my chance. It’s photographers (and smokers) heaven! The blue walls and doors of the lovely houses in the Medina create such a cozy atmosphere, it’s a wonderful pleasure to get lost in Morocco’s blue city.

It was a clear morning when I arrived at Fès, one of the four royal cities of Morocco. I was very tired and happy to go into the city easily by bus and taxi. I had a first walk through the crazy scenery of the historical center, which are called “Medina” in Morocco. Luckily I found my Riad by myself through narrow winding lanes. My host gave me a warm welcome and served my first Moroccan tea.
I guess at this moment this country already got me. I was addicted to the mint tea from the first drop, walking through the lanes feels like a fascinating movie, every view is something exciting. My mind was overloaded all the time and I recognized how badly I missed this vibrant spirit of being in a new environment.
Now I’ve already spent three days in magnificent Fès and I hope my pictures give an appropriate impression. Actually it took a while until I was familiar with my behavior as a solo female traveller in a country where gender equality and the role of women is a disputed issue. But now I found my way between ignoring stupid chats and getting into very interesting conversations with respectful, polite and hospitable locals, both men and women.

Today begins my last trip in 2017, a two weeks trip to Morocco.
I was never traveling in country of the Arab region by myself, so I’m a bit worried if I can handle it to be a solo female traveller, do whatever I want without feeling restricted, and enjoy the journey without any harassments. But I know how to behave and the fact that I never had serious problems make me confident.
I’m super excited to experience the oriental atmosphere and even I have some ideas where to go, now I know traveling without any plans is the best. So I’ve only booked a return flight to Fès and I will see what’s coming up next. Morocco, here we go!