Amazing start to Morocco

We left England spot on time ..unlike my sister who was supposed to be home in Australia by now and is still snowed in in Edinburgh. Actually I would rather be here than in Australia as our hometown is recording a lot of days over 40deg. Anyway back to Morocco. We landed in Marrakesh to pouring rain but had prebooked a riad (accomodation in a home or small hotel with only a few rooms) so the owners came and met us at the airport with a sign that said PAPA NICK. That was hilarious as those that know us well know the significance of that. We were dropped about a 10 min run away from our home in the pouring rain. Consequently our bags and our clothes were very wet. The square or plaza Djemaa el-Fna is very near to our riad so made for easy access in the labryinth that the medina is. Up for a lazy breakfast of crepes and moroccan bread, delicious freshly squeezed juice and cafe au lait, to blue skies. I have been studying up on my arabic to find out that Marocs speak french predominately. It is amazing how much french I know from I don't know where. The owners are french so I could practice my manners over breakfast. As we stepped out into the alley from our huge wooden door wondering what we would find in daylight we found we were in a very narrow walkway to motorbikes and donkeys and carts all vying for right of way. It was mostly local people walking down the alley where we could see for ages. The walls either side were that ochre colur that you would imagine and just like you see in the movies etc. It was breathtaking those first few mins. Then we hit the plaza. Oh my god the noise, the cacophony of sound was incredible. People going about their daily jobs, shops were opening but only a few tourists around.That was about to change though. Cobras dancing to the tunes played by the musicians, monkeys doing tricks, story tellers, all sorts of buskers it was an eyeful to say the least (I did not like the monkeys). We had our trusty guidebook with us but never got it out. We managed to meander all over the place and later after looking up what we had missed in the good book we had missed nothing but instead enjoyed meandering and taking in the scenes. At one stage we had gone outside the walls that surrounded the city and found the real life of the Marocs. They are hard working and as all countries when you get away from the tourist areas they are doing what they have to do to eke out a living. Noone bothered us and we only had a few curious stares. The walls themselves are huge. They are high, thick and impregnable and "pink"..that is the colour of Marrakesh. It was a fantastic introduction to the next few weeks and we are wondering if 4 weeks will be too long and what will top this day. We finished the day with a crazy night in the plaza eating dinner with hundreds of strangers from all over the world. The food is plentiful ,cheap and fresh. It is the weekend so people fly in from all over Europe for a few days... tourists everywhere. Imagine living within a few hours of so many different cultures. Those kids we saw travelling with their parents are so fortunate to see the things they were seeing today. I wish we could give our grandkids the same chance. You are born where you are born. Off to sleep and dream of those wonderful scenes we experienced today..actually Nick is asleep... wait for me