Essaouira

When I first booked the stops for our Moroccan trip I had no idea what a medina was or a riad. Now I know the medina is the old city, which is usually surrounded by a wall and has many small narrow streets within it filled with shops. The khan el khalili in Cairo is one. A riad is a house/hotel with a garden in the centre.
Now that's been made clear... I managed to book us into a riad right smack in the middle of a medina in the port of Essaouira. Not the best made plan as we had to find parking for the car and pay someone to show us to our riad. Anyway once we got there we relaxed a little more, unpacked and ventured out into the alleyways of the medina. Over the 2 nights we were there we managed to find a rooftop bar, some goatskin artwork and a couple of prezzies for the kids when we see them (only small because we have to lug them around Portugal yet, Bruce and Margo). The riad we stayed in was beautiful, the medina was very old world, the port stunk of fish guts and the shops were wonderful. Being woken by seagulls and call to prayer early in the morning didn't dampen our stay at all. This place was well worth the visit.

The gulls are bigger than the NZ blackback seagulls.

Looking into the garden from our room

Our room

The safe wasn't bolted down

                                                                                               

The port was a hive of activity

Shops opened later due to Ramadan. These were on the way up
to the ramparts, which were lined with cannons used to protect the
old city. 

Tony and his friend on one of the many cannons.

I bought a beanie from this MAN who crocheted it - talent!

A herb shop - smelt wonderful.

The fish market.