Magic Windows, Marrakesh and Elsewhere

All photos taken Feb and March 2013

Windows, like doors, always hold a hint of mystery...

a moment of transition between inner and outer.

This window is in the Artisans' Ensemble in Marrakesh

as is this one. How Moroccans love colored glass as I did when we lived there.

Decorated window and door frames abound.

Here at Sherazade, the little old hotel we love in the medina right near Djemma ElFna, the windows have safety grilles. How many patterns can you see?

More windows at Sherazade --here facing the courtyard.

As above.

A nice austere window at the Bahia Palace.

Last two windows in hotels in Tiznet

and Essouira.

Blue in Essouira/Feb

Unlike Marrakesh the pink city, Essouira is mostly blue and white.

Here an old house awaiting renovation

and an internal door at the hotel  Riad al Madina.

Doors and shutters heading to new homes.

Stairs to somewhere.....

Even blue phone booths....

but the door to the mosque is brown.

Currently I'm posting more Morocco photos here

The Beach at Essouira

Late afternoon light.

Looking back towards town

The remains of a strange fish.

On the sands

 Reflections.

The water was surprisingly warm.....

Blue Doors/Essouira

Moulay Bouzerktoun is a small village about 25km north of Essouira.

Unlike in Marrakesh where the walls are pinkish, on the coast here the houses

are mostly white and the doors are blue. 

 In Essouira itself.

More of the same......

and even more....

The Beach at Diabat

Dunes and the Atlantic Ocean just south of Essouira.

A good place for surfing and a camel ride on the sand.

A good place for sandcastles and pondering mortality.

Jimi Hendrix supposedly wrote "Castles in the Sand" here.

Our little castle is swirled away by the tide.....

Summer at the Beach

We are no longer in Marrakesh.




The beach at Essouira where I wish I was right now.

The Beach at Night

These are really poor quality pictures but rather fun nonetheless.
They were taken from the Sea Chalet fish restaurant right overlooking the beach at Essouira.
In the distance are the lights of the harbor itself
Something magical about the water at night.........when the sand itself is deserted.


.......with the lights from the dock reflected in the water.
Lights too from fishing boats in the water.



The wind drops at night giving a wonderful calm leaving rippled water, rippled sand and a lovely tranquil feeling.

Anna Carson's Project Black

Quite a challenge Anna Carson has set us!
I had to delve deep into the archives to look for something black in Morocco.
Other than some tile floors and some women's robes there really isn't much.
Morocco is all about color.
However, I did find these charming pictures from the beach at Essouira.............



.........where water was draining out to sea through dark sand or particles of some sort of sea life.
The resulting designs were almost like trees.



A dark-clad figure walks up derb Dabachi.



This one -- a door on derb Essnane off Mouassine -- is a bit of a cheat, because it's gray -- which is black with a little bit of white in it.........



This floor is just off the square in Essouira.
Actually, quite a lot of new restaurants and newly done up riads and so on feature black and white and neutral colors.
Morocco is a visual feast and sometimes one gets surfeited and needs a little rest.

Docks, Essaouira, Morocco/Shadow Shot Sunday

Docks, Essaouira, Morocco, originally uploaded by Claudia Schmid.

This is more like silhouette Sunday. See Hey Harriet's super blog.
I'm still cheating. Claudia took this shot of the sun setting behind the fishing boats in Essouira - our favorite seaside/fishing town.
The town faces towards the West and everyone gathers near the sea wall to watch the sun sinking into the Atlantic.
It's always rather lovely, and for some reason the wind seems to drop when the sun goes down.
I wonder if there is some clever explanation of this?

Shadow Shot Sunday

These pictures are for Shadow Shot Sunday hosted by Hey Harriet in Australia.
That's the glory of the web - we can getin touch with people from all over the world.
Anyway, this week I'm utterly cheating. The pictures are all by our daughter Claudia Schmid who is a much better photographer than I am.
The first picture is looking up from the courtyard to the sky in the little house on derb Djedid.



No need for a clothes dryer in Morocco. You just hang stuff on the roof and it's dry in about ten minutes.



A rather cool little building by the beach in Essouira.

Dawn on the Battlements

Looking east at 6 am.
We are on the coast in Essouira. This is taken from the Portuguese fortifications.



A very ancient door.............



...........and an intrepid cat.................



Walking back into town..............


We wanted to go to the beach but the weather was overcast. We ended up going anyway..........see tomorrow's entry.

Pigeons and Sparrows

A pigeon enjoying some sort of berries in the Majorelle Gardens.

Free pickings for sparrows in Essouira.
No need to go foraging for yourself when the shop keeper has kindly opened his sacks for you.

IMG_0206.JPG, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Birds enjoy eating seeds on our roof .
We have to be rather careful that the cats aren't hanging around at the same time.
This can have disastrous results.
Mimi is an excellent huntress.