Tom ordered the same dish he'd had at Le Jardin last time we visited, fearful he wouldn't like other options. Next time, he'll try a different dish. |
During the long walk, as we searched for Le Jardin we discovered this interesting door in the Jemaa el Fna souk, one of the more popular souks. |
Continuing on through the narrow roads, we looked for any familiar landmarks that would assist us in our search for Le Jardin. |
We thought we were close when a few weeks ago, we'd spotted these same two kittens playing at perhaps the same spot. |
Many of the homeless cats hang out in pairs. |
From time to time we'll see what appears to be a traditional home furnishings shop. |
Ever go to Las Vegas and not discuss a plan as to where to have the biggest and best buffets, maybe "comped" if one is a serious gambler, or to immediately return to a favorite haunt for a special dish? Its our nature.
If we go back to the caveman/cavewomen, most likely the first thing they thought about upon wakening, is where and how they'll get their next meal. In the animal world, we observed both on safari and in living in Marloth Park, that animals lives revolve around the constant hunt or forage for food.
What an interesting door! |
Here we are in Morocco, dealing with my major food restrictions (which I don't resent at all) and Tom's picky taste buds, in one of the "foodie" capitals in the world! Food is a major point of discussion in our lives perhaps in a slightly different manner than for most travelers.
A few decisions have been determined by my recent illness coupled with Tom's taste buds:
1. No more dining in Moroccan restaurants
2. All dining is to be in French, Italian or other suitable international restaurants
3. When dining in, Madame Zahra will make all meals without the traditional Moroccan spices which at this point, neither of us cares to eat.
Finally, we spotted the green sign at the top of this photo, assuring us at long last, that we were heading in the right direction. |
Ingrained in all of us, are the tastes most familiar in our lives and from our upbringing. Deviating for a period of time is acceptable but, not so much for the long term. When Madame Zahra made our meal on Thursday without spices other than salt and pepper, we both moaned in appreciation not only for her fine cooking but for the familiarity of the simple flavors.
With French spoken in Morocco by many of its citizens and the fair number of French restaurants, we'll have no difficulty finding French restaurants. The bigger problem is, "finding" those in the souks, many of which appear to be tucked away.
The fresh organic produce offered for sale at Le Jardin. |
The first time we'd dined at Le Jardin, we stumbled across it during one of our many walks through the maze-like souks. We thought searching and finding it on one of the many online map programs would make returning a breeze. We encountered a few problems.
They didn't appear in any of the map programs. The map on their website was confusing and when I tried to call them to email directions, there was no answer. When I tried sending an email to their posted address, it was returned. We were on our own.
Today, we'll return to the same general area to dine at this French restaurant we stumbled across when looking for Le Jardin. |
Needless to say, we wandered around the souks for 45 minutes until we found Le Jardin. We've discovered it makes no sense to ask shop workers for directions. Invariably, the salesperson drags us inside their shop or to another shop, hoping we'll make purchases. We've learned that we must figure it out on our own. I suppose the shop workers have grown tired of giving directions to confused tourists.
Yesterday, we had another excellent meal while enjoying the birds and turtles roaming freely in the courtyard. Hence, a few of today's photos.
Today, we'll venture out again to a French restaurant we found along the way yesterday. Again, the souks will be packed with tourists especially as Spring Break becomes relevant in many parts of the world. However, we've yet had to wait for a table at any dining establishment.
At Le Jardin we were given two larger maps that hopefully will assist us in the future. The hostess, speaking excellent English, explained that tourists have trouble finding their restaurant which is tucked away at an unexpected location.
In two days, on Monday, we'll go out on a day of sightseeing which we both anticipate with enthusiasm, ending the day at a new-to-us, upscale French restaurant. See... even sightseeing is laced with concerns about FOOD.
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