Met Alecia at our riad and headed to a contemporary art gallery in the new town. As lovely and historic are the medinas, palais', kasbahs, and souks . . . it is wonderful to get a flavor of that part of Morocco that is embracing the 21st century. For me, the intersection of past and future, expressed in the NOW is exciting — especially old cultures, unlike the United States, that have millenniums of history and cultural influences to draw from.
In regards to the exhibition we saw, the work was refreshingly modern . . . this contemporary artist did not confine himself with the traditional Islamic worldview that art should be expressed only through geometric designs and koranic scripture. Here on paper and canvas were emotional gestures of paint and pencil combining words and everyday images of life, landscape and people. Interestingly, those present for the opening . . . we were on the early side of the opening . . . were much more European-influenced in their dress and mannerisms.
Next up . . . dinner. Alecia had made reservations at an Italian restaurant — Restaurant La Mer — to give us a break from tagines and pastilla. Instead, we ordered a number of dishes including some of the best octopus and calamari I've ever eaten. Afterwards, on the drive back to La Maison Arabe, Tehar gave us a nighttime tour of Marrakech . . . we drove up wide boulevards with beautifully landscaped medians, past palatial residences and casinos, and past the La Mamounia, where we plan to go for drinks before we leave Marrakech.
Last night we saw another side of Morocco, which gave me a new perspective on Marrakech. Because I am so smitten with the medina of Fes, I prematurely judged Marrakech on the fact that I did not find their medina as interesting or "authentic." What I discovered was that for me . . . Marrakech's magic has more to do with what it is and is becoming — its new town and how it is evolving.
In regards to the exhibition we saw, the work was refreshingly modern . . . this contemporary artist did not confine himself with the traditional Islamic worldview that art should be expressed only through geometric designs and koranic scripture. Here on paper and canvas were emotional gestures of paint and pencil combining words and everyday images of life, landscape and people. Interestingly, those present for the opening . . . we were on the early side of the opening . . . were much more European-influenced in their dress and mannerisms.
Next up . . . dinner. Alecia had made reservations at an Italian restaurant — Restaurant La Mer — to give us a break from tagines and pastilla. Instead, we ordered a number of dishes including some of the best octopus and calamari I've ever eaten. Afterwards, on the drive back to La Maison Arabe, Tehar gave us a nighttime tour of Marrakech . . . we drove up wide boulevards with beautifully landscaped medians, past palatial residences and casinos, and past the La Mamounia, where we plan to go for drinks before we leave Marrakech.
Last night we saw another side of Morocco, which gave me a new perspective on Marrakech. Because I am so smitten with the medina of Fes, I prematurely judged Marrakech on the fact that I did not find their medina as interesting or "authentic." What I discovered was that for me . . . Marrakech's magic has more to do with what it is and is becoming — its new town and how it is evolving.