Gardens and Ramparts

Today has been fun.

I did a tour called the "Gardens and Ramparts Tour." I'm not sure exactly what ramparts are, but I was attracted to it by the fact that they take you on a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city. It was fun! The ride was like 45 minutes and went around a park and through some old city streets. We saw the original city wall of Marrakech built in the 12th century and an olive tree orchard that is as old. Apparently olive trees live for centuries because when you cut them down, they grow right back to full size after seven years. Our guide said they've been chopping those same olive trees down every 150 years for centuries.

We walked around in the Marjorelle Gardens, a really pretty botanic park with some ponds and fountains and exotic plants. Well, some of them looked exotic. Others looked like the plants I had growing in my yard all my adolescence in Phoenix. I got some pretty pictures.

I found a cool restaurant for lunch - Restaurant Armada...errr, something like that. Great salad, complete with lettuce, tomato, tuna, avocado aaaaand heart of palm, which is a first for me. I had that, read my book, and walked around the Medina / Souks for a good amount of time. I'm better at bartering now. (I am giving myself credit when really, I'm just better at walking away and not showing much interest... Then they tell me a much cheaper price as I'm walking and if I really do want it, I'll take it. But mostly I'm a chicken and gravitate to the stands where they have fixed prices advertised. Budget traveler here :)...gotta be smart).

I asked the dude at my hostel if I could get breakfast at 7:30 this morning since I had to leave for my tour, and he said that was fine. This morning I got up and asked the lady for breakfast, and she seemed surprised (she doesn't speak Spanish so I had a hard time getting the message across). Then I realized when I got to the tour agency that I have been on London time, and Morocco is 1 hour behind! I had shown up for breakfast an hour early. Oops.

I'm having a good time. Staying away from cobras. Jack Flanders eat your heart out.