Ait Ben Haddou

We woke up this morning ate breakfast and hit the road. For most of our trip we have been driving in the morning and walking around and exploring later in the day when its not quite as hot. We got into the vas and drove for an hour maybe an hour and a half before stopping at a herbalist. Basically, this co-op was all about using herbs and spices as natural remedies form many different things. We sat down and a very kind man showed us different spices and oils, explained them and then let us try. My favorite was a mix between black seeds and peppermint wrapped in a cheese cloth. When you held the cloth up to your nose and smelled it it kind of burned all through your head and then our sinuses were cleared.  There were lots of perfumes and soaps and everything like that. We stopped at a restraurant close by that had food other than couscous and tagine for a change. Addie and I shared a margarita pizza. Once we left, we drove another hour to a town called Ait Benhaddou. We dropped out bags off at the hotel and then immediately left to visit a rug co-op. Here women learn and work to make rugs to support their families. This co-op has thousands of handmade wool rugs. We got a short history lesson on the different styles and techniques of rug making. The city that we are staying in is the extension of an abandoned city on a hill close by. named Ait Benhaddou we learned earlier that the word ait means “the family of” in English and ben means son. We walked to the top of the hill and the city through housed made of adobe clay where we could see all of the town from the casbah. We took some pictures and then headed down in time for our cooking class. Here a women showed us the spices and the steps to make a traditional tagine. We followed her directions and then chose how much of each spice and which vegetables to add. They all turned out very well in the end. My favorite part of the day was when we were all eating dinner and the stray dogs on the street below us began howling with the call to prayer. There wasn’t a ton going on today so I think that’s all for tonight. Thanks -dagny