We have now begun our epic journey, which will take us from Morocco to Scotland over the next three weeks. Early this morning, the M.S. Caledonian Star berthed in the Moroccan port city of Safi, which we used as a staging point for a choice of two excursions. Although a few people opted to visit the attractive resort coastal town of Essaouira to the south, most of us went inland to the exotic, colorful desert oasis city of Marrakech, situated at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco, having been made the capital of the Saadian Dynasty in 1524 (today, the capital is Rabat).

This dynasty originated in Arabia and came to power shortly after the last of the Moors were expelled from Spanish Andalusia in 1492. Much of the stunning architecture in Marrakech demonstrates that Andalusian connection, and it is a real pleasure to walk among the formal palatial courtyards, narrow alleys, and covered souks around the bustling center of town. The Saadian style has recently become popular again with the restoration of many of their monuments, palaces, and tombs, and this has resulted in a new wave of artisans who produce the same type of painstaking and intricate designs for some of the public buildings and homes of upper class Moroccans today. The photograph shows the incredibly ornate design of carved plaster facades typical of many of the magnificent buildings of old Marrakech.