12. Marrakesh, Morocco

Jackie and Jon go on their most adventurous adventure yet as they journey into the ancient and stunningly beautiful Marrakesh, Morocco.  They forge ahead onto rooftop views of the Atlas Mountains.  They discuss the predilections of Heads of State.  They drink orange juice and look at cats.  Join them on their travels to Africa, all from the comfort of a cozy nook!

Jackie Reilly: Host
Jon Schaller: Host
Charles: Producer
Email: cozynookexplorers@gmail.com

Community Shoutout:
Project Soar Morocco

Mentioned in this episode:
Garden Menara
El Badi Palace
Bahia Palace
Katoubia Mosque

** 1 Disneyland = 500 acres ** 

Transcript

JACKIE: I’m Jackie 

JON: And I’m Jon 

JACKIE: And we are the cozy nook explorers!

JON: Welcome to our show where we explore the world from our cozy nook here in New Jersey using the power of the internet!

Jackie: Yes and it’s Wednesday which means it’s time for another exploration! This week we are going to Marrakesh in MOROCCO! 

Jon: It’s our first exploration on the continent of Africa!

Jackie: And it definitely won’t be our last! It’s going to be great!  I’m well aware that this is NOT going to Morocco, but Jon and I have both been to Epcot at Walt Disney World in Florida and they have a world showcase that includes Morocco! Morocco is actually my favorite country in the world showcase. Jon, what did you think of the world showcase?

Jon: So fun but I especially like the Mosaic Fountain. 

Jackie: Yes, that fountain is very beautiful! It was so wonderful to learn about Marrakech. I feel like I barely cracked the surface though.

Jon: Yes, everything was amazing to see and learn about, so it was hard to stop researching in order to get on with the show.

Jackie: Ugh I feel that way about most of our episodes, don’t you?

Jon: … sometimes.

Jackie: Also, we have the adventure jar with us again this week!

Jon: Incase you missed it, we have a jar that we put a quarter in whenever we mispronounce a word or have a stumble.  We usually end up needing to use it a lot when we leave the country, so we wanted to give you a little reminder.

Jackie: So, Jon- what’s keeping you cozy this week? 

WHAT’S KEEPING YOU COZY

Jon: The Smell Of Eucalyptus 

• Does the smell bring up a specific memory for you? 

Jackie: Decaf Coffee 

• Do you have a favorite time of day to drink decaf coffee?
• What do you put in your coffee?

Let’s Get into it

Jon:  Marrakesh, Morocco

Jackie:  This is the adventure of a lifetime! So, Marrakech is 56,832 acres which is about 114 Disneylands and it is the 4th largest city in the country of Morocco! 

Jon:  It seems like where you would go to train if you were wanting to be Indiana Jones.  I feel like when people say I want to explore a faraway culture and want an adventure with some of the most beautiful sights imaginable I would recommend this place.

Jackie: Everything about Marrakesh is epic, starting with the walls around the city!

Jon: There are 12 miles of walls that go around the medina portion of Marrakesh. The medina is may be more commonly known to you as the old town portion of the city. 

Jackie: The walls were built in the 12th century for protection and made of orange-red clay and chalk. 

Jon: Because of the color of the walls, Marrakesh is nicknamed ‘the red city.’  I also saw it referred to as the Red Pearl of Africa.

Jackie:  The Red Pearl of Africa- that’s a place I want to go to! One of the things that struck me was the feeling of how good this place smells in my mind.

Jon:  I love that we would have no reference to how this place smells but I kind of know what you mean.

Jackie:  The Markets seem like they were made specifically to smell good with all of the baked goods and spices and ORANGE JUICE.

Jon:  I did not believe that Marakech had Orange Juice because I think of it as an exclusively American drink.

Jackie:  And you were wrong and isn’t that great.  I saw many people say that Marakech’s Orange Juice is sweeter than American orange juice because they grow the Oranges within the country and allow them to ripen longer.  I’ll definitely be trying that one day when I explore the markets of Marrakesh in person!

Jon: The markets look to be divided into Alleyways.  Much in the same way Manhattan has the Diamond district and the Theatre district. So, much of their markets are divided into the furniture Alley or the shoe alley.  A bunch of different people all selling the same type of thing all bunched together.

Jackie:  It seems like you could get lost for hours and hours going through the winding markets!  What also impressed me was the number of languages spoken on a daily basis.

Jon:  Well to be fair the official language is Arabic

Jackie:  They also speak the Berber language which is called “Almond”

Jon:  Amazigh

Jackie:  Are you sure that is how you pronounce it

Jon:  No (Quarter) but the other language is French.

Jackie:  Can you imagine being Trilingual in order to talk to everyone in the city.

Jon: And this place has the wildest night life of any major city I have ever seen.

Jackie:  And we will discuss that night life after a quick word from our sponsor.

Jon:  Sounds good we will be right back!

AD 1- DECAF COFFEE 

Jackie: This podcast is brought to you by decaf coffee! Love the taste of coffee, but hate the jitters? Try decaf! It’s your favorite morning brew without the heartburn, anxiety, heart palpitations, and addiction! It doesn’t wake me up, but it doesn’t make me feel terrible.

Jon: So, what does it do?

Jackie: It does nothing! 

Jon: Then why do you drink it?

Jackie: Decaf coffee, because it does nothing! 

Let’s Get Into it #2

Jon:  So to get back to the thriving nightlife of Marrakech

Jackie:  I just want to say that my guess as to why they have so many nighttime activities is because it is so hot there that you really can only party at night.  But they have musicians, Dancers,-

Jon:  Snake Charmers

Jackie:  I was going to say Monkeys,  The most adorable Monkey’s you have ever seen.

Jon: and so many of the Food carts stay open well into the night.

Jackie:  You can find all of these things at Jemaa el-Fnaa which is located in the medina portion of the city. It is one of Africa’s most famous town squares!

Jon:  Oh and I forgot to mention all the Cats.  There are a crazy amount of cats roaming the streets

Jackie:  They are used by local shop owners to keep away mice and to be extra cute.

Jon:  New York City does the same thing.

Jackie: BODEGA CATS! Did you know that The Man Who knew Too Much was filmed in Marrakesh? And Winston Churchill used to hang out there.

Jon:  I would most certainly want to shoot a movie there if I had the chance.  Wait- you can’t just yell Bodega Cats and not explain yourself.

Jackie: A bodega is a magical place in New York city where you get your egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast. Everyone thinks that their local bodega has the best egg and cheese sandwich. Everyone is right. You can also buy some household items and packaged food there. Many bodegas have cats to help them with the rodents! Yay bodega cats!  Back to Winston Churchill~ he said that Marrakesh was the most lovely spot in the world.

Jon:  He actually did a Painting of the Tower of Katoubia Mosque

Jackie: Really? 

Jon:  Yes 

Jackie:  What is it called? 

Jon:  The Tower of Katoubia Mosque by Winston Churchill

Jackie:  Very Funny.  I read that Winston Churchill convinced FDR to go to Marrakech to see the Atlas mountains after their conference in Casablanca.

Jon:  Fun Fact:  The Tower of Katoubia Mosque by Winston Churchill was given as a gift to FDR.

Jackie:  I think you just like saying the Tower of Katoubia Mosque

Jon:  I do.  The tower is real and still standing at  230’ feet tall.  And the painting Churchill did of the tower was the only painting he completed during world war II. 

Jackie: The Katobia Mosque is also the largest mosque in Marrakesh.

Jon: Speaking of largest, did you see that Marrakesh has the largest traditional market in all of Morocco?

Jackie: I did see that. Epic!  The markets are called souk and there are 18 of them in Marrakesh. 

Jon:  I think we need to talk about the Atlas Mountains

Jackie: I think we need to talk about GARDENS OF MENARA. Wow- I mean, I would fly to Morocco just to spend a couple of hours there and then get back on a plane to go home if it was the only way I would have a chance to see it!

Jon: So, to the west of Marrakesh at the foot of the Atlas Mountains are the Gardens of Menara. They were created in the 12th century. 

Jackie: The Atlas Mountains stretch about 1,600 miles through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, but a portion of the mountain is right outside of Marrakesh and that’s where this garden is!

Jon: It is stunning. What’s amazing to me is that the garden involves a lot of negative space and is not over crowded. The natural landscape and the epic Atlas Mountain view are able to shine through.  There is something beautifully surreal about looking at snow covered mountains through palm trees.  I am told that if you want to see the sunset of sunsets to be in Marrakech on a rooftop and watch the sun go down behind the mountains. 

Jackie: That sounds amazing! But going back to the Gardens of Manera the gardens themselves look like they are very well maintained and the buildings are beautiful, but the simplicity was very striking to me as well.

Jon: How about those palaces and mansions too?

Jackie: Multiple Palaces and too many mansions to count! The city has a history of wealth and royalty, so there are many sites to go visit. Moroccan mansions are called RIADS and they are common in Marrakesh! Their design is reminiscent of a roman villa for a surprisingly practical reason.  There is a garden in the middle of the complex surrounded by high walls. The open area in the middle of the home allows for cooler temperatures inside the building. 

Jon: That is very practical.

Jackie: Like I mentioned before there are also PALACES! Two of the main palaces visited today are El Badi Palace and Bahia Palace.

Jon: El Badi Palace was commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty.  I think this guy wins for having the best taste of anyone in the world.  In fact the name El Badi translates into the incomparable.  They began construction in 1578.  After the sultan’s death the palace was mostly abandoned, so it is a ruin that you can visit.

Jackie: The Bahia Palace is NOT a ruin and it’s GORGEOUS! They began building it in 1859, so it’s not quite as old as El Badi Palace. The intricate decoration of the palace is why most people visit. It’s very hard to choose a favorite piece of decoration, but the very colorful stained glass windows are stellar.  There’s one window in particular that is diamond shapes and the glass is bright blue, orange, red, and green. I saw a photo of light shining through the window and the pattern reflects on the walls inside the room!

Jon: The ceilings stood out to me the most. Imagine the most intricate floral painting you could ever think of. That’s EVERY ceiling of The Bahia Palace. 

Jackie: Berber farmers have lived in Marrakesh since Neolithic times. I’m going to be honest. I needed to look up when Neolithic times are and I learned that it’s about 12,000 years ago and considered ‘the new stone age’ mainly because there were some developments in regards to farming!

Jon:  The city itself is not that old but is still Ancient by any American standard.  It is 958 years old.

Jackie:  The City was founded in 10-62 Great year!!!!

Jon:  And in that time this city has developed more culture than we could hope to mention on this show.

Jackie:  So much culture that just under 1730 acres of land inside Marrakech are a World Heritage site.  That is over 3 and half Disneylands that are considered too precious to the world to destroy or change.

Jon:  We could not find an unconflicted report on how Marrakech got its name.

Jackie:  Someone had said it comes from the berber phase murr akush which translates loosely to “land of the Gods”

Jon:  We found other sources that say it comes from Arabic

murra kish in arabic means to pass by quickly as if to say don’t stay in one place too long because uncozy things will happen to you.

Jackie: Yes, but you are definitely paraphrasing. I did not see the word un-cozy anywhere in my personal research. Is uncozy even a word?

Jon: It is today.

Jackie: Well that is all I have do you have anything else? 

Jon:  There is a marathon every year in January there is a massive Stadium that seats over 40,000 people.  And this is strange- The sister city of Marrakech is Scottsdale Arizona.

Jackie: That’s so interesting! Not something I would have expected. We will need to visit Scottsdale and find all the commonalities!

Jon: Sounds good! Let’s go to the community shoutout after a quick break from our sponsor. 

Ad Break #2

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Jon:  Mom can I some purple stuff

Jackie:  No Darling because today we will be eating delicious and nutritious Eucalyptus

Jon: Mom we have that everyday!!

Jackie:  Darling we are eating delicious and nutritious Eucalyptus because I love you. How much does Mom love you?

Jon:  Mom

Jackie:  How much?

Jon:  Enough to attack those who get in between you and me

Jackie:  That is right (Tag Line)  Eucalyptus Defend your children with good nutrition.

Warning: Eucalyptus should not be eaten whole by humans. Signs of eucalyptus poisoning include stomach pain and burning, dizziness, muscle weakness, small eye pupils, feelings of suffocation, and some others. Please contact poison control immediately.  Unless you are a Koala then it is ok.

COMMUNITY SHOUTOUT/OUTRO

Jon: Every episode we like the research and highlight something special in the community that we are exploring!

Jackie: Today’s community shoutout is Project Soar Morocco!  This non-profit organization was founded in 2013. According to their website ‘Project Soar works to empower adolescent girls, providing programs that help girls understand their value, voice, body, rights and path.’

Jon: Their main program, ‘Project Soar In A Box’ works with local facilitators by teaching them how to lead the girls who join Project Soar through 35 different workshops throughout the school year.  There are currently 53 Project Soar sites throughout the world! 

Jackie: There are even two olympians who are currently teaching project soar girls! That’s pretty epic!

Jon: Yes, that’s awesome. 

Jackie: You can donate to Project Soar through their website. We will include the details in the show notes. 

Jon: That’s all for this week. Thank you so much to our producer Charles. 

Jackie: And thank you so much to all of our wonderful and thoughtful listeners! It means the world to us that you take the time to listen to our cozy little show! 

Jon: If you’ve been enjoying this podcast we would appreciate it if you took the time to rate us and write a review.

Jackie: We would also love to hear from you! Feel free to send us an email at cozynookexplorers@gmail.com!

Jon: We will be back Wednesday with our next exploration.

Jackie: Yes, on Wednesdays we explore!

Jon: Stay cozy, and we’ll see you soon.