Marrakech

We managed to get a riad located in a perfect spot -- right in the tangle of the old medina, at the end of a dead-end alley and so far from the buzz of scooters. The women who work here are so taken with Ria they grab her and kiss her several times a day. The first day, Ria asked them to show her how to wrap her head with a scarf the way Moroccan women do, which sent them into peals of giggles. Flowers fall from the vines in the courtyard -- Ria collects and distributes them around the courtyard, and they sweep them up, in a sort of coordinated arrangement among them. It's all so lovely, and I am happy to see Ria so loved. The shopkeepers and waiters are also very taken with her, and tease and play with her, petting her hair, kissing her, wrapping her head in scarves, and giving her an endless series of gifts. It helps us bargain, I think. Pictures soon ... we're off for an afternoon mint tea.