Morocco: A bag full of spices back in Madrid

We are back in a homely apartment in Spain with its view of the Madrid city skyline after a rich and full on week in Morocco.

I don't know how considered a plan it was, but one of the evolving themes was to give us kind of humanist understanding of being a muslim. How that and Islamic architecture links in to the practice of prayer etc and  that people such as guides and drivers quietly fit it  into their work with the passengers.  I found a mob of little connections to the notions around mindfulness... ways of ensuring we are connected to the real world you live in, and so forth.

Not that every tourist in every tour group will take it much on board but certainly the people of Morocco that we met were keen to paint a diverse accepting notion of their cultures and society.

The links from the Romans and Phoenicians to the desert nomads and their journey to Spain, not to mention the Arabs from Syria and the pirates of the Barbary Coast - well we had signed up to the mini tour of the imperial cities so I guess that's what we should expect.   Marrakech with its date palms and desert and Africa connections kind of makes you think bigger and wider.

It would have been good to have spoken in depth with more women; most of the guides, our hosts and tour leader were men. Charming erudite and extraordinary patient in the main. I guess one could try to request a tour with a woman as tour leader (some are women and some are men) etc etc. I guess we're not far away from a dial your own tour system where you specify all the ingredients that you need.

Two of our fellow tour passengers,  Ian and Leonie, were deaf. Ian says he is thinking of exploring an Auslan tour for a bunch of people.  Another form of dial your own tour.

This in itself was another cultural experience for me. I ended up paying particular attention to the guides and tour instructions and making notes... sort of twitter length summaries of the most interesting or communicable or relevant things for  Ian and Leonie. And then we'd comment on them to each other. They are very skilled at reading scribbles. I've got a book full, not in any chronological order, but it would make a great aide de memoirs if I was to slot in some of Ian's photos.. (Mine being too full of chillies.) Anyway, that specific kind of engagement gave me a different ongoing perspective. And also, as they are lovely people, the real reward so that was a great experience to have.

Spanish starts at 6:00am Marrakech time tomorrow so all my thoughts about chillies, cuisine, new buildings,  cultural and economic change, will have to wait.