Ahhh… a return to one of our favorite small cities: Essaouira.
While we thrive on the discovery of new destinations, there is an inescapable reality that some places just keep drawing us back and every visit serves to build on the experience of prior visits.
We have this feeling with a handful of cities ~ Paris and Amsterdam in Europe, San Francisco in the U.S., Hoi An, and Ubud in Asia, Nicaragua and Buenos Aires in Latin America, and Essaouira in North Africa. It’s not about the number of visits, or the numbers of days, weeks or months clocked in residence. It is about a feeling akin to “ownership”, i.e. Essaouira is “our town” and always delivers a cornucopia of visual deliciousness.
It was in Essaouira that, after proposing (and being turned down) 12 times, Peta finally relented to the concept of getting married, but that’s a whole other story. Essaouira was thus a turning point in our relationship and came to symbolize the concept of a life together anchored around a lifetime of exotic travel. It has worked out pretty well so far.
We are back ~ this place, and this spot in particular holds some very special, personal memories for us..
Seagulls are omnipresent in Eassouira. You hear them, you see them, they are an integral part of the landscape.
The harbor area has not changed as much as one would expect in the last 15 years. It is still an authentic and vibrant fishing village.
The ramparts are a place where people stroll at dusk ~ the last of the days soft rays are still shining on the sandstone, creating a golden glow. The heat of the day has dissipated and there is often a crisp ocean wind that picks up here in the afternoons.
Of the six weeks we spent in Europe this summer, the only place we did not manage to score a home exchange was Essaouira (which has very few homes for exchanges) and as a result, we stayed in a very sweet and charming little Air BnB for our short stay, which we absolutely loved.
Up three flights of extremely narrow stairs at odd angles, to a patio, an arched doorway leading to the entrance of our rooftop room.
Our private rooftop patio, with views over the medina (ancient bazaar). Simple, yet oh so aesthetically pleasing to us.
The shower gets the prize for smallest shower and most odd location… right next to the bed. But, hey it works just fine!
and here comes our breakfast….
Moroccan crepes with honey and almond butter, a not so dietary must have.
The port area of Essaouira is as authentic as it gets. It’s busy, it’s pungent and it is where all the local action is. For years, we have been coming to Essaouira and the fishing boat repair activity has always fascinated us as massive wooden hulls are maintained and painted in bright colors, layer over layer.
A crimson red sea of nets: In the early morning hours before the boats arrive with the day’s catch, a fisherman repairs the nets.
The harbor in Essaouira is unusually shallow, deep enough for the big fishing boats but not for huge cruise ships ~ which is what has kept Essaouira from developing too rapidly to the point of changing Essaouira’s character.
An iconic shot of Essaouira where the blue row boats anchor at the base of the cashew colored fortress.
Early in the morning we have our favorite spot at the top of the ramparts to ourselves.
These brightly painted doors house storage areas for the fishermen and overlook the port area.
An old timer fisherman gives Ben an update on the changes that are happening in the port front as of late. The fact that Ben speaks French is definitely helpful in Morocco.
Small stalls where fishermen sell their haul retail each and every day, year in year out. Most of the catch from the large wooden fishing boats goes directly from boat to refrigerated trucks and onwards to the rest of the country’s supermarkets, fish markets and restaurants.
The town of Essaouira is a painter’s paradise. Every visit to Essaouira reboots a desire to grab a paint brush and sketch pad and capture the design elements and vibrant colors of the town. On our first visit here, two decades ago, we spent hours sketching in the harbor area. One could pick any one theme to capture the magic of this town ~ the markets, the colors, the people, the architecture…
Below, a collection of “doors of Essaouira” to provide a glimpse of the town’s almost infinite visual gems.
On our first morning we are up before the souk shops open… The blue doors, we know from past experiences, yield a treasure trove of goods (cushions, jewelry, argan oils, ceramics etc) behind them. The streets are almost deserted in the medina. It is a place that has a sleepy start to the day.
What a morning stroll yields…
We hear the sounds of a harmonica in the as of now, deserted streets and then Ben surprises me as he has his harmonica in his back pocket.
Cats lounging everywhere. Many of the residents feed the street cats on a daily basis. The feeling is that of a big cat cafe where there is feline affection on demand ~ pretty good for cat lovers.
Cat and Cappuccino. This guy happily settled into Ben’s lap and made himself at home.
A Touareg (the original nomads) shows off his collection of Touareg jewelry.
Morocco feels Arabic/Middle Eastern, but we are of course in Africa. No surprise therefore that African crafts such as these geometric textiles from Morocco’s Southern neighbors, make their way to the souk here.
The making of Argan butter. The Argan nut is a Moroccan specialty and home to Argan oil which is valued globally as a high quality moisturizer and conditioner.
Let’s talk food….
You can eat at any level of pricing and sophistication in Essaouira. From street level vendors, to small restaurants with traditional dishes such as couscous, to higher end “fusion” gastronomy. Here are some favorites…
A section of the market is dedicated to olives and preserves. A Moroccan specialty used in many tajine (Moroccan stew) dishes.
The ubiquitous Moroccan round bread, used to sap up the sauce of tagines.
Another type of bread: something between a bread and a crepe, usually eaten in the morning, fresh off the grill, with butter and honey.
The aromatic smells which emanate from this tiny alleyway, lure us in for lunch. A narrow line of tables lines the wall on the left, and grills in tiny storefronts are feeding the workforce of the souk. We grab a table and within minutes grilled fresh sardines are in front of us.
It doesn’t get fresher or better than this!!! Yessss….. (Ben eyeing his sardines and urging me to take the photo already…)
We had an absolutely fabulous dining experience at an upscale restaurant which featured local ingredients in creative, modern interpretation of traditional Moroccan dishes.
One of our favorite little restaurants in a sunny courtyard ~ fresh grilled sardines with lemon, or Tajine? That is the question.
A sweet chicken tajine made with apricots and dates and stewed in its own juices inside a traditional pyramid shaped ceramic tajine vessel. You cannot get more traditional Moroccan food than a tagine. Be it lamb, chicken, fish or vegetable each cook has their own favorite recipe.
We will let the tagine have the final word on this post…
One of a series of paintings I did after our first visit to Morocco. (Oil on canvas.) Peta
Want more of Essaouira?: An earlier visit to Essaouira (2015)
Thanks for the tour. We were in Essaouira almost nine years ago.
Glad you enjoyed a “visit” back there with us.
Peta
I know that feeling you talk about so well. Paris and Amsterdam has it in spades for me, but I would love Essaouira to be on that list. Your post made me want to rush back, stroll the walls and pick up a paintbrush….
There are some places we are so sure we will return to, and often we do, and then others that somehow “drop off the radar” as other new options come our way. It’s always interesting for us to see which places organically continue to pull us back!
One of the paintings I did after our first visit to Essaouira hangs in my son’s apartment and another is with us to this day, here in Sri Lanka, and yet another in Ben’s moms house in California. Each time we see them, we are pulled right back in to the places we spent hours sketching.
Peta
Great post.
Joh, thanks for stopping by to read and us and for commenting. Welcome to our Greenglobaltrek.
Peta
Wow. Just wow. Want to leave work, go home and pack my bags for Morocco! Thank you for sharing, Peta and Ben!
Deb
Deb, that is the highest compliment you could give us. So glad you enjoyed one of our favorite places so much. Definitely worth quitting your job for!!
Peta
We had the pleasure of visiting Essaouira when we were in Morocco about 4 1/2 years ago. Such a beautiful seaside destination & one that has maintained its culture & not been too overtaken with tourism. Thank you for the reminder of the beautiful place!
Lynn, we completely agree with you and hope that Essaouira continues to maintain its culture and beauty even as it grows. It has definitely changed in the port area somewhat, but still has such an authenticity, because it is a working port. Each time we have been there we have a somewhat different experience depending on season and how much time we have, but it always delivers a visual punch for both of us!!
Peta
What a sweet place! It clearly has a special little spot in your hearts too. Thanks for sharing☺️.
Johnny, so nice to hear from you again. Hope things are improving in Puerto Rico! Yes, Essaouira is about as sweet a place as can be. You would love it. You could do tons of sky and sea paintings non stop, and of course the cats….
love to you
xoxo
Peta
What a totally exquisite tour of Essaouira you have given us. I can see why you are drawn there.
I don’t know what makes me most excited…the gorgeous Air B&B, the lovely doors or those yummy sardines.
12 proposals? Really? Now that sounds like another interesting story.
Haha Caroline, well, we have both been married before and I definitely prefer being a girlfriend than a wife. In fact, Ben still calls me his girlfriend and very rarely uses the w word.
Ben’s strategy was to get me used to the concept of getting married ~ the 12 proposals were pretty fun along the way, in multiple countries and captured meaningful moments. I didn’t so much “blatantly turn him down” as I simply didn’t act upon the invitation.
Peta
I love that Ben still calls you his girlfriend. It just sounds spicier than wife. Great story. Thanks for sharing.
Haha Caroline, we rarely, if ever call each other husband and wife. Been there, done that… Totally agree that girlfriend is spicier and I DO prefer being a girlfriend to being a wife. For sure! And Ben adds that I am a much better girlfriend than wife… (whatever that means….)
Peta
We are planning s trip to Morocco. Looks like this town needs to get on the list. Thanks for sharing.
Enjoy! You are welcome.
Peta
I couldn’t get past the 12 times turned down proposal. Ha! Ha! Ha! That’s the story I want to read!
Ha ha Patti, that is a GOOD story!
Having been married once before (to the father of my 3 sons).. I was in NO rush to get remarried. I just could not really see a reason to go and have a piece of paper that somehow indicated “significant relationship” as deemed by the courts. The whole marriage concept I think is a bit outdated and ceased to have any significant meaning for me. Until I needed health insurance.. haha, now in my mind THAT was a reason to get married. And so we went off to court eventually and paid our $ and kept it private ~ even from our mothers! Until I got diagnosed with breast cancer JUST three months later.
Then the call to family was… good news, we got married. Bad news… I have breast cancer.
To this day Ben refers to me as his girlfriend and not his wife!! Whew. Lucky.
Peta
That is a good story, Peta, thanks for sharing. Hopefully, the breast cancer is a thing of the past and well into remission.
Thanks Patti, glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I had breast cancer in 2005 and have been very fortunate to have a full recovery. Thanks for asking…
Peta
It was lovely walk through Essaouira with you. It’s a town I’ve longed to visit. I fell in love with Morocco when I was there nearly 40 years ago. I’d love to go back, and this time get to Essaouira.
Alison am quite sure you would love Essaouira. The first time we were in Morocco was almost twenty years ago and at that time we travelled around to Marrakesh and Fez and so on…. Second time we had a home exchange in Marrakesh and of course returned to Essaouira. And this time, well, we just went straight for our “jackpot” of Morocco.
Peta
12 times? Oh Peta! Still, you picked a lovely place to finally say yes.
Anabel, a dozen romantic proposals… What could be wrong with that? haha. He was pretty persistent though and it paid off.
Peta
I think my favorite part of the Essaouira presented here would have to be the many walls and other structural features decorated with the stylish Peta! 🙂
What a charming place, and really the two of you charmers fit right in; I find it totally apropos that this is where you made your partnership official!
Lex thanks for your lovely complimentary comments. We DO fit in well there… it is a very laidback place, quite the opposite of Marrakech.
YES, you GET IT!!! After that, it was hard to think of having any kind of a “real” wedding, as in our minds we had already said what we wanted to say and somehow doing it again with an audience just did not appeal to us at all…. (But hey, each to his own right?)
Peta
What a perfect place to say “yes” to creating a lifetime together of exotic travel—and so much more! 🙂
That patio is fabulous! I’ve always felt drawn to Morocco—I love the colors, the textiles, and the food. Tagines are one of my favorite dishes to make, especially in fall and winter.
I appreciate how artistically you approach life, in every way. Truly lovely.
Laurel, so nice to read your positive enthusiasm.
I can see where tagine would be great in Fall and Winter, as it is definitely a comfort food. Interestingly while Europe was having a heat wave, while we were in Essaouira (end of July) the nights were pretty chilly!!
As individuals who are both creative and “artistic”, we are both very visual people. Thanks for noticing.
Peta
Deb from the Badass Widow said it for me. I WANT TO GO TOO!!! It’s simply lovely!
Whenever I see photos of you Peta, I get the impression that you have energy that’s just being barely contained 💕
Thanks Joanne. It was such a treat to go back there for a few days.
haha that’s funny… I’m not one for sitting still in a chair, and that has always been the case. And I definitely get energized being in places that resonate well with me.
Peta
Your breakfast look so delicious. I’d be happy to be greeted with that every morning!
We did eat it every morning. Still trying to get the pounds of NOW!! But totally worth it.
Peta
I can see why you keep going back to Essaouira! I don’t think my camera or sketch pad would be far from my side. I loved the picture of the blue and green door with the beautiful cat in the corner. And, those sardines! Holy cow… the only sardines I’ve ever seen are the ones that are 2 – 3 inches long (the ones I pick out of my Caesar salads and off my pizzas 🙂 ). Thank you for sharing your special place with us.
Janis, in the past we have travelled to other parts of Morocco as well as Essaouira, but this time we just bee lined straight to our favorite! I think you might be thinking of anchovies which are used in Caesar salads and pizza and are smaller. But you are correct in noting that these sardines are much larger than usual! Tastiest ever!
Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
Peta
I don’t think I’ve heard of Essaouira before this post. Another one of those hidden gems, scattered across the planet that maybe we’ll get to some year.
Dave, so happy we could introduce you to Essaouira by way of our post. Hope you do get there as it is such a unique spot.
Peta
An authentic Moroccan city, for sure; traditions, architecture, souks, local foods, and especially colors included! What a wonderful repeat visit, you guys! And, I need to read (or better, hear) that proposal story one day…
Like you guys, we prefer visiting new places on our travels, but the feeling of “home” or “familiarity” that comes from revisiting favorites is quite special as well, giving me a fuzzy, warm feeling inside. 🙂 That being said, even though we really like San Francisco as a city, we will give it a pass on our drive south along the California coast. We’ve come to prefer quieter areas as we travel and live in Zesty, and it’s hard enough to come by those in this state!
Come on over for some Sri Lankan curry and you can hear the proposal story first hand haha! Ya I know it’s a little far for Zesty to drive to!
Liesbet it is definitely a balancing act for us between going back to favorite places and then adding some totally new ones for new discoveries. Makes sense that you can relate to this balance.
Enjoy the Californian coast, it is such a great region!
Peta
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed this visit with you and Ben to Essaouira, Peta. The narrative is engaging and relaxing, and the photos give a full and rich visual of this beautiful place in the world. It is easy to see why you two keep coming back here. The influence of the sea, the warm colors and way of life…so very special. Thanks for this delightful visit to Morocco today, my friend.
Thanks so much Jet for your lovely and enthusiastic response to this post. So glad that you enjoyed a virtual visit to Essaouira with us… One of these places that definitely leaves a lasting visual impression.
Peta
I too would be impatient to get started on that plate of sardines. What a lovely painting Peta! Your series on the colorful doorways, the intricate tiles, and the companionable feel of Essaouira brings the town to life.
Haha, we are still dreaming of those huge fresh sardines.
Thanks for the compliment on the painting. It is interesting how paintings can take one back in a way different to photographs because of the process of staying on a particular visual during the creative process, it becomes embedded in the mind.
Thanks for stopping by to read us and to comment.
Peta
You two seem right at home in this environment. The textures and colors are striking and it is easy to see why it draws you back. Lovely post.
Thanks Suzanne. We definitely feel very at home in Essaouira. A test of a place for us, is what the answer to the question “could you live here?” is, and in this case, we give it a resounding yes. Not forever, but for some time…. Who knows? Maybe we will one day.
Peta
Aw Essaouira, what a magical place. I can still hear the sounds of those seagulls and the winter waves crashing against the ramparts. It is a magical place but unlike you I’ve only been once. i need to return.
It is nice having places to go back to. We’ve reached the point in our travels where we are going back to places again, and it can be really eye-opening to see them again. Certain places evoke memories from the past trips and since you are already familiar with the city some of the stress is taken away.
12 times? I think we need to hear more on this.
Interesting how the in some places the sounds and/or the smells remain so imprinted on our memories. The sounds in Essaouira definitely fit into that category.
Totally agree that certain places “evoke memories from the past trips” and so you can add a layer to what you already have in your memory bank. Much like a rich tapestry or painting with many layers of different colors. For sure there is less of the surprise element, but there is something very comforting about arriving and instinctively knowing your way around a place.
Hhaha. Let’s just say that I was adamant about remaining in the “girlfriend” status rather than the “wife” one. I definitely prefer being a girlfriend. And now, we have been married many years, but Ben still refers to me as his girlfriend, I don’t think I have ever heard him say “my wife” other than for example when we lived in Viet Nam and we knew that culturally that would be more appropriate 🙂
Peta
So atmospheric in every sense possible. How absolutely beautiful about your succession of proposals and the eventual acceptance in this special place. A place of true romance. No wonder you keep going back.
J.D. that is such a great way of describing Essaouira “atmospheric”. Very spot on! Essaouira is naturally romantic, but having a personal history there, adds to the depths of it, for us.
Peta
12 times! You have proven that 13 is a charm Ben … I am glad that you didn’t give up.
Morocco is on my list of dream destinations and Essaouira is calling me from your magnificent captures and gorgeous B&B (although many of the harbor images are also making me long for Fort Galle!) I would love to photograph those red nets and blue boats! And the opportunities for street photography seem endless here. If I had walls I would want to hang Peta’s painting from her Morocco series on one!
And speaking of your handful of cities, I still hope you find your way to Penang someday (soon) as I am certain you will add it to your list of adopted homes.
Lisa too funny…
You would love Essaouira, it really is a photographer/artists dream, with striking visuals and colors around almost every corner. A very special place to be sure. Thanks for the compliment on the painting… that one hangs on the wall in my youngest son’s apartment in Chicago.
Look forward to Penang one day!!
Nice to read you again,
Peta
I’ve never heard of Essaouira so I thank you for the introduction. I was thinking as I scrolled through this post if you were painting any of these gorgeous sites – and there at the end, one of Peta’s lovely paintings! What an incredible place this is. From the tiles to the boats to the doorways to the streets, this city is a visual gallery. The photographs are beautiful – every one a unique view. The video of the woman making argan butter is fascinating. I’ve been putting argan oil on my hair for years. Now I see that the nuts look a bit like pumpkin seeds.
The restaurant menu is in English – is it the common language?
So happy to introduce you to Essaouira. It is a painter’s paradise, that is for sure. Since our first visit to Morocco, I have been using argan oil for my hair and also as a face moisturiser. People speak Arabic, French and some English. Most of the restaurants have menus in English.
Thanks for reading us and for your comments, thoughtful as always…
Peta
Peta,
I have enjoyed your posts so much! Thank you for sharing your world with us.
My wife, Josselyn, and I will begin our expat life in the Azores in three weeks but hope to see much more of the world and places you visit and write about.
I have some specific questions about your travels and wonder if we might communicate via email with you?
Brad
Hi Brad,
Thanks for your note and so glad that you have been enjoying our posts so much.
Absolutely, feel free to drop me a note and I will do my best to answer your questions. My email is:
petakaplan@hotmail.com
Good luck with your upcoming move and new chapter in your life. How exciting!
Peta