My dream Marrakech at 50

For as long as I can remember I have dreamt of visiting Marrakech, it conjoured up a mystical magical atmosphere, somehow out of reach. My special birthday arrived all too quickly, I was in a strange place, happy but sad, how time flies. My wonderful husband surprised me with a trip to Marrakech, I burst into tears, he didnt know why, but it was with joy not sadness. We arrived at the airport to be met by a driver and quickly were driven to the Medina. A member of staff met us on foot at the gateway to the Medina and helped carry our bags and guide us to the Riad. We were grateful he was there, it wasnt a journey to take alone, unguided in an unfamiliar maze of alleyways. We eventually wound our way throught the alleys and arrived at a darker alley below.

We stopped at the door and recognised the name on the brass plate which was highly polished in the dismal surroundings. I was thinking about where we were and what were we doing in this shady alley, what was behind the door? It was all booked over the internet, how trusting, but I think we all are in this evershrinking world of the web.
The door was opened and we were greeted by Fatima in her Jellabah looking so elegant and I breathed a sigh of relief as I started to take in our surroundings, it was breathtaking. Just as I always imagined a Riad to be.
We sat in the courtyard and drank mint tea, ate maccaroons with almonds and read trendy guides on Hip Marrakech. Music played in the background and rose petals adorned every surface.
The fabrics were gorgeous, yards and yards draped, flowing and wispy.
There were two courtyards with balconies around and rooms off the balcony through carved doorways. Steps in our suite led up to a tiled bathroom and sunken bath.
The bedroom was curtained and quite magical. Beautiful woven rugs on the floors and walls.
Our son had a second room within all to himself and there was a sitting area with a chess board, bowls of exotic nuts and dried fruit and fresh oranges daily. It was truly unlike anywhere I had ever visited before. Softly in the background we could hear the call to prayer. This was a magical way to celebrate.

More pics to follow, some textile related.