Postcard from Essaouira
One of the world’s great romantic cities
As I sat watching the sun go down in Essaouira this week I was hard pushed to think of a better place to spend V Day. The whole city glows with a golden light especially if you see it from one of the many rooftop bars.
Actually Essaouira, which is on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, is all about colour. Mainly the intense cobalt blue with which so many doors and window frames are painted, a contrast to the striking white of the walls but the multicoloured stalls selling shoes, rugs and spices and the vivid mountains of oranges on every street cart add to the kaleidoscope.
I’d actually come not for the scenery or the sun but the soup which might sound a bit random. Twenty-odd years ago when I visited Morocco with my late husband we had the most amazing fish soup in a street in Tangier and on hearing it came from Essaouira I’d always had it in mind to track it down to the source.
Once I got there it seemed a bit of a waste of time to go round eating soup so I abandoned the quest after a particularly disappointing experience the first night and concentrated on soaking up the sun instead. Essaouira saps you of the will do do anything but wander around aimlessly appreciating its loveliness.
I did find a great little restaurant though thanks to the owner of the second hotel we stayed in where we later saw her having lunch herself.
