9/20/2026
Our sketching group has all arrived. We had a driver and local guide the whole time of our workshop. Our group got in a van and drove to Essaouira, where our workshop will be head. We went to a rest stop halfway there. I immediately headed to the bathrooms. There were a couple signs for women's rooms. An attendant pointed me to a specific door. My guess is that she pointed me to the bathroom with western style toilets. At some places, you have a choice of bathrooms - ones with a hole in the floor, or ones with toilets.
We are staying in a villa outside the Essaouira medina. None of us could figure out how to pronounce Essaouira. I'm still not sure if we can!
Our villa is very pleasant, with a pool and a large outdoor area for relaxing. We are the only ones staying here. We had breakfasts at the villa, but all other meals we ate at restaurants. The breakfasts foods were plentiful and delicious.
We headed to the medina in the evening. This medina has a much different feel than the medina in Marrakech. Essaouira is a coastal city. Newer parts of the medina have a Portuguese influence. I had a really runny nose by this time (oh no!). I couldn't find an open pharmacy in the Marrakech medina, but our guide & driver found a pharmacy open in the evenings near Essaouira. The pharmacist knew a little English, but I used ChatGPT to write out my symptoms in Arabic. He gave me Claritin.
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| Group photo before leaving Marrakech |
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| I woke up for sunrise and then went back to bed. |
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| Our villa in Essaouira |
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| We used the pool a lot to cool off. |
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| The Essaouira medina |
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| What's for dinner? Tagine! |
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| My room |
