The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
MARRAKECH
WPAULA HARDY
The minute you hit the dusty streets of the Medina, you can tell that Marrakech is a city on the move. Mopeds and bikes career through ancient alleys, donkey carts stacked with oranges nudge their way through the crowds, their riders shouting “balek!” (“move it!”), and carpet sellers dash after prospective customers with their absolute last price. Really. Follow the local lead and leap to the sidelines to watch in awe as the city rushes past. But where is everyone going? As Africa’s first
Capital of Culture in 2020, the Pink City is on the road to a rosier future. The Medina (historic walled city) is just emerging from an extensive facelift, its 1,000-year-old walls wearing a glowing mud mask, its Jewish quarter (the Mellah) restored, while the shops, doors and alleys of the souks have been refitted, repaired and paved. The art scene, too, has exploded. Over the past decade, Marrakech has hosted Morocco’s first biennale, its first visual arts school and its first international art fair, 1-54, which returns on Feb 22 and 23. Satellite events will accompany it in groundbreaking new galleries
“On my 80th birthday next year I am going fly-fishing for a week, in Scotland. That is my aim. At the moment I have a shoulder that doesn’t work, so casting the rod is a little tricky, but my plan is to be sufficiently better to do this.” such as Macaal (Morocco’s first contemporary African art museum), Comptoir des Mines Galerie and Dada Marrakech. Foreigners have long been entranced by the city’s colours, light and creativity, and now the children of the Moroccan diaspora are returning home, starting a new renaissance.
Seek it out at Riad Yima, the teahouse of pop art artist Hassan Hajjaj, and fusion restaurant L’Mida; enjoy it in the playful modern ceramics of Bouchra Boudoua and the sustainable beauty products of The Moroccans;
concerts and exhibitions (see rijeka2020.eu and visitrijeka.eu).
The ace up Rijeka’s sleeve is the glamour of its coastal location – bang on the edge of Croatia’s dazzling blue Kvarner Gulf region, which will share in the 2020 celebrations. Its elegant 19th-century resort Opatija, a former hideaway for royalty and arty luminaries, is just 15 minutes from Rijeka. Opatija slipped into genteel obscurity as visitors defected to neighbouring Istria and Dalmatia. But now that Rijeka’s small airport is open for international flights, the Gulf is firmly back on the map. So, too, are its fairy-tale islands. Ravishing Rab, with its medieval walled town jutting into the Adriatic like the prow of a ship, is admire it in the hyper-creative couture collections of Artsi Ifrach and Amine Bendriouich. And expect much more to come, because Marrakech is just getting started.
How to go To get the most out of the cultural events in the city, book into an art-smart riad or hotel such as Riad Mena, L’Hotel or Jnane Tamsna.
Paula Hardy is a travel writer specialising in arts, craft and culture, and is the expert on Marrakech.
the undisputed jewel in a glittering crown. Or visit herb-drenched Losinj for laid-back “wellness” retreats.
How to go Ryanair flies from Stansted to Rijeka (June-September) from £80 return; Tui flies from Gatwick (MaySeptember) from £285 return. Otherwise, use Istria’s Pula airport
(95 min transfer) or Zagreb (1 hr 45 min transfer). For Rijeka or Kvarner Gulf packages, try Prestige Holidays (01425 480400; prestigeholidays.co.uk).
Travel writer Linda Cookson first went to Rijeka by rail more than 30 years ago, after sticking a pin in a map.