Beautifully Blue Essaouira
For many years now I have been visiting Morocco. Marrakesh is an amazing place which I will write about another time. I wanted to start with Essaouira. I have a particular fondness for this place for many reasons. It is an ancient North African town with all the colour and hustle and bustle of the souks in the Medina but at a slower pace than Marrakesh and by the sea. That also means there is usually a breeze even when its hot. It is also the last place I visited with my brother before he died a few years ago so holds special memories for me.
Another marked difference from Marrakesh is the colour. Those who have been to Marrakesh will know that the over riding colour there is salmon pink which most buildings are painted with the large part of woodwork being a turquoise green. In Essaouira however all the buildings are white and the woodwork is blue, even the taxis are the same blue. The colour seems to help with the calming effect of the place and echos the gloriously blue sky’s and ocean. There is an old harbor full of blue boats and elderly fisherman mending their nets in the heat of the sun. Incidentally the nets are a deep orangey red which, if you know anything about the colour wheel, is the complimentary colour to blue. If you enjoy colour, the sea, good food and the gentle coming and going of a market town this place is for you.