Marrakech - a street artist, a cooking lesson and the main square by day

When we arrived at our hotel in Marrakech I noticed what looked like wall art nearby, except it looked like a beanie and nothing else. In the bar later in the afternoon I spotted a scissor lift and an artist at work.

Yesterday morning the work had progressed further, and by the evening there was most of a face.

When asked about the face, our guide told us a story of a lost wallet and the artist acknowledging an honest man. In searching for the artist's name I saw nothing about that so I will just write what I did find.

The artist is a German named Hendrik Biekirch a.k.a ECB. He was working on an art project in Marrakech and noticed that the older trades were disappearing. His works pay homage to the disappearing tradesmen of Morocco.

The wall I am watching, which is opposite the train station, is of a Berber Moroccan named Aziz, a wall mason. The wall was originally done in 2015 but it was fading so Beikirch is re-painting Aziz

Today's special event was a cooking lesson at Riad Dar Rhizlane. This is a first class palace, restaurant and spa, a magnificent house in a beautiful garden setting and with a top quality kitchen for cooking classes.

We were each directed to a cooking bay where everything we needed was laid out for us. Screens allowed us a close up view of the chef 's actions as the hostess told us what to do.

We were to make a chicken tagine with lemon and olives.

The tagine on the gas hob and the spices needed.

The raw ingredients - chicken, garlic, parsley, preserved lemon and onion.

Next we prepared the salad of roasted pepper, onion, tomato, salt, cumin and oil. But first we had to make the tomato rosette for decoration.

Once it was cooked we moved to the garden restaurant to enjoy the fruits of our labour, and enjoy it we did!

After lunch the bus dropped some of us back at the hotel and collected some who had missed the cooking class.

We visited a huge shop where we spent some time shopping for gifts then we went to the main square to experience it by day. Jemaa el-Fnaa was just as busy, just as noisy, just as enticing. There were more market stalls at the souks and the snake charmers were present. As four o'clock approached the area became even busier as the evening food stall people moved in their mini restaurants.

Home in time for happy hour at the bar, then time to pack the cases again. Dinner by the pool.

Weather and health update: cool morning but warmed to about 24 degrees today.  COVID Positives 9, still clear 8! All doing pretty well, just pacing themselves with the activities.