Another relaxing day in Essaouira.
We were a little surprised when we arrived that we had to move our watches forward and hour even though we are further west than the UK. It means that it is still light at 8.30pm however it does mean the Muslims, who are supposed to attend the mosque before sunrise, have a bit of a lie in as it does not get light until 8am.
The call to prayer which is broadcast from loudspeakers next to our apartment does not happen until 6.30am. Our Imam has quite a tuneful voice so it is not too bad although I do go back to sleep after he has finished after of course praying that he will shut up soon.
We are staying in a traditional Riad, a courtyard house. The courtyard has a glass roof which is handy as the wind at this time of year is very strong (but warm) and off the courtyard we have a kitchen, bathroom two bedrooms and a nice sitting area (see picture below). Apart from the call to prayer it is very quiet despite being in the centre of the old town. Like all souks it is a maze of slightly smelly alleyways and dark corners, not somewhere for anyone who worries about such things, it’s great!
Today we had a walk along the beach for a mile or two watching the kite surfers. The wind was supposedly 50mph today, we were hoping to hire bikes tomorrow but the forecast is for 70mph winds so we might have to give that a miss. It is a warm wind but you need to make sure it is behind you otherwise your eyes get sand blasted.
Last night we ate in a highly recommended restaurant down an equally scruffy alleyway, it was wonderful. They take the unusual approach of insisting you order your food when you book rather than when you arrive. As many Moroccan dishes are slow cooked this makes a lot of sense, the chef looks at the orders at 9am and puts the right number of joints of lamb, beef or chicken in the oven ready for the guests in the evening.
The cooks then spend the day creating the starters and puds to order. The result is a fantastic meal, well prepared and from the restaurants point of view little wastage and no hassle and you the customer get dishes you like. Why more restaurants don’t do this I don’t know. It is much nicer than the "taster menus" which have become fashionable at home where you get a taste of something you don't like.
Although Morocco is a Muslim country they do produce some nice wine and beer. The local beer costs about £2.50 a bottle in the restaurants and is 5.2% so quite strong. You can’t buy it in the street cafes so I presume you have to be hidden away inside to be able to drink. The waiter last night was very pleasant but I suspect does not drink. The G&T’s came with plastic bottles of tonic (Schweppes) but no ice. Despite being a top class restaurant they only had two varieties of red wine (the one we had was local and very good) but he struggled when I asked for a whisky. First he wanted to bring me a coke with it, then he presented ice. No thanks. It was Laphroaig, a perfectly good malt, not something I would want to spoil with ice and certainly not coke.
The bill was £82, a bargain considering the quality, we have booked to go back for our last evening.