Jillian In Italy

Whenever we get back from a trip people are always so curious as to what sort of souvenirs or items we bought while traveling around.  We don’t usually do a lot of shopping on our family vacations (because we all know how much kids LOVE to shop)  but we always try and bring back a few keepsakes for ourselves and gifts for friends and family (read here and here to find what we purchased in Japan).

And of course in Morocco we had to check out the world famous souks off the Jemaa El Fna Square in Marrakesh.  The kids loved getting lost in the winding narrow alleyways full of  interesting shops selling everything you could ever imagine.

I have to admit I’m not a big fan of bargaining and bartering about prices (although I am good at it!).  I’m always scared of offending the shop owner and /or getting colossally ripped off.  In any case, I’m pretty sure we we paid way too much for some of the things we purchased (you can always tell when they quickly agree to the first price you offer).

These babouche are by far my favorite purchase.  They are so bright, colourful and actually quite comfortable.  One shopkeeper told us that they are made out of camel leather and are hand-stitched   The kids each picked out a pair for themselves and some pairs to bring back for good friends.  We paid between 5€ and 7€ a pair ($6.50-$9).  Quite a bargain for something so unique and typically Moroccan.  Only downside is that they have a very pungent and distinctive smell.  One of my kids suggested it could be what the inside of a goat’s bowel would smell like.  Over the last months it has improved a bit but it’s still there (despite my constant spraying of Sandalwood perfume).

And of course we couldn’t come home without a tagine.  I would have loved to bring back one of the beautifully hand painted larger ones that are available for purchase everywhere but we just didn’t have space in our luggage.  So instead we picked out some of the smaller versions which are usually used for salt/pepper/cumin.  The kids bought some to bring back to their teachers and I brought some to use here at home.  We paid anywhere from 1€-3€ ($1.50-$4).

As soon as I saw a tiny shop which sold tassles of every kind I was like a kid in a candy shop.  They had every size and colour imaginable and were available in everything from cotton to velvet to leather.  I ended up buying three leather ones (€2/$2.50) which I’ll use for key chains or to hang on hand sewn purses and bags  and a whole bunch of tiny little cotton ones in the loveliest colours  (0.15€/20¢ each).  I wish I’d bought so many more.

The souks of Marrakesh are famous for their leather goods.  You can get beautiful purses of every style and colour (and quality).  I found several purses which I loved and didn’t end up buying due to the “smell factor” that we had with the babouche slippers.  The kids bought these sweet little 3-pocket leather wallets above (3€/$4 each) and a few leather bracelets (3 for €2/$2.50).  There are many many styles of wallets, bracelets, purses and belts to choose from.  Just be careful for quality and how the leather is dyed or painted.

You absolutely can’t go to Morocco and not buy their world famous Argan Oil.  These oil is made from the kernals of the Argan Tree which is endemic to Morocco.  It is used for both culinary and cosmetic purposes and is said to have many healing and medicinal purposes (aging, rheumatism, acne, scarring).  We stopped at a Women’s Co-op in the Atlas mountains and bought a few little bottles to give it a try.  I’ll let you know if it changes my life.  I paid about €7/$9 for a small 40ml bottle.

I also picked up this gorgeous rag rug while we were traveling in the Atlas Mountains.  I saw it hanging outside a tiny shop at the summit of one of the mountains we drove over on our travels and I knew it would be perfect in our home.  I was tempted to buy the large version but lack of suitcase space made it so that I left with the smaller version (€10/$13).  It looks perfect in my son’s lego corner of our livingroom.

All along the mountainous roads we came across men selling these crystallized rocks that they found in various mines and caves.  My kids fell in love with them and ended up using some of their travel money to purchase some for themselves and friends.  We were told they were all naturally coloured.  In any case it’s quite impressive to open the dull black stones and find these beautifully coloured crystal insides.  Everyone who comes to our house has to admire these stones before getting past the front hall.  They cost between €2 and €4 ($2.50-$5.50).We also bought some painting pigments in one of the many spice shops.  These vibrantly coloured powders just need to be mixed with lemon juice and are great for painting or dying cotton clothing (see here what the kids painted). These pigments are sold by the gram  and we paid about €3/$4 total for all of them.

Have you ever been to Morocco and purchased anything special?

Tags: jemaa el fna, marrakesh, morocco, photography, purchases, shopping, souks, souvenirs, travel