Marrakech, Morocco, November 2017

As I’ve had lots of adventures before I started my blog, I thought it would be fun every now and then to share some of my old adventures on here. So here’s the first one – starting with a visit to a lovely garden in one of our favourite countries – Morocco!

A Little History of the Jardin Majorelle

The Jardin Majorelle was the work of the French painter Jacques Majorelle, who moved to Morocco in 1917. He spent forty years creating and developing this beautiful garden. It was opened to the public in 1947.

In 1980 the garden was bought by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge to save it from being turned it a hotel complex. I’m so glad they did as its a wonderful place and not surprisingly is now one of the most visited sites in the whole of Morocco!

The garden is full of interesting cacti, palm trees and exotic plants, and also has lovely water features, all set off by the back drop of the Majorelle blue buildings, pots and walls.

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It’s a fun place for a bear to explore, and make new friends!

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A bear gets hungry after lots of exploring so it was time for lunch. They have a lovely open air cafe at the Jardin serving yummy Moroccan food and fresh juices. Lunch was followed by Moroccan Mint tea, and delicious pastries! We think Moroccan pastries and biskwits are especially good – combining the best of the Middle East and French.

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The Mint tea has to be poured in a special way and the waiter at the cafe was very good at demonstrating how it should be done. It’s poured from a height to get a foam on the top, and the first cup is often poured out then put back into the pot.

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After lunch we visited the Berber Museum which is situated in what used to be Jacques Majorelle’s painting studio. No photography was allowed but there was a very interesting display of Berber jewellery, costumes and art from the different tribes.

After the Museum we spent a little more time relaxing and enjoying the glorious gardens and colours before heading back to the hotel for a well deserved siesta.

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