Shukran Fes

This is another "'Grab a cup of tea' blog people. We crammed in a heck of a lot in Fes so its a good read. Hope you enjoy.

We are writing this from a train to Bern in Switzerland. Luckily a lot was already written but mostly a giant brain dump of thoughts with very little structure, there is so much going on in Morocco that your brain goes a million miles an hour and structure and logic seem not to apply – a little like this blog was looking before the train. 

Fes and the surrounding region has lots to see so we got busy and got out there.

Some of the Roman ruins at Volubilis

Train to Fes

After only just making our train we collapse in our seats and take a few moments to gather ourselves. There are two other men in our compartment who begin chatting to us, asking where we’re from, what we’re seeing in Morocco and general small talk. One of them left Morocco to work as a chef in Sweden and Norway and was home to visit his family, the other had been on a 5 day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech and was returning home. By the end of the eight hour train we are invited to Meknes to have a meal cooked by the Moroccan\Swedish chef, have a guided tour of the Fes Medina organised for the next day and am meeting the other Moroccan for drinks the next night. It all comes so naturally and they’re so generous, buying us drinks and lunch on the train. We are genuinely excited about making some local friends.

Looking out the window of the train we pass through some of the drier countryside. There are a particular kind of cactus growing, the round green ones with long spikes and on them are red dots. The men on the train told us that these cactus fruit are delicious and refreshing as they are always cool when you peel them open, even on a forty degree day. 

We say farewell to our new friends, the chef gets off in Meknes 30 minutes out of Fes and we meet our guide for the next day when we exit the train in Fes, he says to us that he cannot meet us at the riad and we must meet him up the road, otherwise he must pay the riad a commission. We think this sounds unfair so we agree and we’ll meet up with our other train friend at the same place. On the way out they say “we must go out the other exit, your driver knows me and if he sees us together he will tell the riad owner who will then treat you different for not using his inhouse services.” Again we think this is a bit strange but sure enough when we meet our driver he says “did anyone on the train speak to you?” we stick to the story “No, no one spoke to us”. He goes on to tell us that they have a large problem of tourists being targeted on the train to Fes by conmen and ‘false guides’. In Fes you must be a licensed guide, trained by the government and accredited, to show tourists around. Non licensed ‘false’ guides can face jail time if caught by the tourist police. We are also told that some will invite you to come to dinner with their family, and then get scammed another way. 

Needless to say we’re immediately thrown, were our ‘friends’ from the train legitimate or just out to scam us? We spend an hour at the riad googling “morocco scams”. Totally conflicted about the situation we decide to protect ourselves even at the risk of forfeiting some genuine experiences. This doesn’t come easy and we feel pretty ordinary about standing up these people who for all we know were completely genuine and the riads were just out for our cash. Have we just missed out on a truly wonderful cultural experience? We’ll never know. 

Around the Riad.

The weather has turned and on arrival in Fes it’s raining hard which continues the next day. Amy is sick with a bad cold and we decide to spend the day in being lazy, watching shows and having a ‘Sunday’. We duck out for lunch and the riad owner recommends his cousins restaurant. We’re too new to the area to wander off on our own, the prices are reasonable so we agree and get a cab to the big gate to get something to eat. The food is decent, a steaming hot tagine and a crunchy pastille. The pastille was a new experience, its crunchy pastry filled with almost a dry meat curry, it’s then topped with icing sugar and nutmeg. It is delicious but you can’t figure out whether you’re eating savoury or sweet. We pick up some snack food to get us through the evening and return to the riad to stay warm and get well. It is here that we get our first sight of the ‘big blue gate’. All the medinas have entries via beautiful gates, and this one is something. 

Day Trip Volubilis and Meknes

We had arranged a private day trip with a driver to take us out to Volubilis and Meknes with the riad. I am sure we could have gotten a much cheaper deal shopping around but we’re on ‘holiday’ in Morocco and the budgetary restrictions are a little looser here, and everything is cheaper.

We first stop at a hill overlooking a large manmade reservoir. The view over the green rolling hills, clear sky and the fresh air is superb. We stop next one of the innumerable side of the road stalls selling olives, fruit and vegetables

We never imagined Morocco as having green areas, but from Fez to Meknes and beyond there are green rolling hills with olive and fruit trees reaching to the horizon. It is very fertile land and they grow some of the best olives in the world we are told. On the side of the road are fruit and olive sellers, their wares laid out in the sun and freshly picked. The prices our driver says, are the best you will find straight from the growers, as we drive past olive presses he tells us the olive oil is sensational and to always buy direct from the farmer. We don’t like olives though and a pomegranate on the road is a difficult snack so we do not stop. Although we do appreciate the fact that a kg of pomegranates or grenades as they are called is only a $1, we have paid $6 for a single one in Aus. 

 

We along with the rest of the tourists arrive at Voloubilis, 2000 year old roman ruins in relatively good condition. These ruins are spread across 42 hectares of land, but the best bits can be seen relatively close together. There are guides for hire, but we decide to do it ourselves, we are happy to ponder and take photos, we have seen a lot of ruins. Also we eavesdrop on the other guides. We loved the way that this place is so open, you can come and walk on it, touch it, whereas other places would have this far more preserved. We did get carried away and climb up a wall for a better view, we were quickly whistled at by a police officer who was perched on a hill, we speedily got down. We weren’t the only ones whistled at while we were there so we felt a little less like naughty school kids. These beautiful ruins are situated right in the fertile land, and have stunning sweeping views across the rolling hills and fruitful valleys. 

We arrive at Meknes and enjoy a lavish feast for lunch at a recommended restaurant, along with a bottle of the local red. We heard Moroccan wine was not to be missed. Waddling out, we explored the small city of Meknes. Meknes is often overlooked by tourists in favour of Fes, but it is a lot quieter and there is a lot less annoying attention from the vendors, the streets are wider and cleaner. We see a really big and beautiful gate (bab) to the medina and think that’s big, only later do we realise this is the biggest bab in Morocco and the second biggest in Africa. We stumble upon wonderful pieces of architecture. 

Not the biggest gate, just an entry to a beautiful spot

 

As a side note, there is something beautiful about roaming the streets and seeing men work their crafts. We were told by some UK architecture students that this is the last generation doing some of these trades or crafts as the new generation has no interest. We watched in awe of man doing plaster sculpting, this can be seen in every home or building in morocco decorative plaster lines the walls. We watched him chisel with the precision that only a lifetime brings, not minding at all while we peeked over his shoulder. At our time in Meknes we watched in on a man creating art out of iron castings, and hammering silver thread in decorative patterns. He told us he can only do 2 hours at a time because of the amount of concentration and strain it causes on his eyes (because of the fine thread) and his ears (because of the pounding on iron). 

 

Fes Medina and Surrounds

Today we exit the Riad differently and soon realise we are at a dead end, on the journey we have picked up a new friend 10 year old Kahlim, he introduces himself proudly to me and we have a little chat with him of course speaking French, Arabic and a little English. He helps us find our way back, although we didn’t need his assistance. I tip him 1 Euro and Simon tells me I am a sucker for a cute boy, I say he looked proud as punch wearing a grin from ear to ear, and it was worth it to bless his day. As he walks as back he proudly shows his 1 Euro to the adults in the street, very chuffed indeed.

We are told to use the petite taxis in Fes which use meters. The taxi drivers in Fes are much more agreeable and use the meter regularly, we didn’t see this once in Marrakech. An average trip for us from our riad to the main gate is less than a dollars fare. We always pay 10 dirhams though, who can complain about a $1.50 lift somewhere? 

Today we brave it, and enter the Fes medina, in here there are 9000 streets and even the lifetime locals get lost. We had a plan to see certain things, and today was not about veering off path, so no matter how inviting a little alleyway looked we didn’t dare deviate. The souks are even bigger than Marrakech and we ask ourselves how anyone can make a living all selling nearly the same things.

You look at the narrow streets never knowing what you will see, perhaps a man beating a cow skin holding it by the tail. Boys kick a box in the street playing soccer, it flies in the air and nearly hits me in the head, I smile and laugh as they run over saying “sorry madam, sorry madam” – it’s all fun, I nearly kicked it back to them but didn’t know the protocol on women involving themselves in the box soccer game. 

Inside every beautiful building there are many different patterns in tile work, in gorgeous colours. We have said before that all the craftsmanship is amazing and the detail is mind blowing on some of the plasterwork such as the Medersa Bou Inania – This 14^th century college constructed by the Merenids is the finest example of Fes’s theological colleges. The sellij (tiling), muqarnas (plasterwork) and woodwork is astonishing.

A mosaic of mosaics from around Fes.

 The Fes tanneries are renowned the world over, and we knew we wanted to see them on high from someone’s shop. We made our way down and soon two men were contending for our business to come to their shop. One was downstairs one was upstairs, and thank God there was no swords around or we would have seen a dual. We choose a winner, and as we enter his store he offers us a Moroccan gas mask, a bunch of torn mint is handed our way. On the top floor we see skins draped everywhere, off buildings and houses, and below are huge drums of dye and men working harder in a day than most work in a month. The skins spend one week in natural ammonia, 4 days in colour and 2 days drying. They change the colour each week, we were there for dark colours, and they drain it down the river… We know the pitch is coming for his shop, not intending to buy we offer him a tip for his time, he tells us it’s not enough, we give him more, it’s worth it but its just another lesson to be clear on terms at the outset. Please note goat leather is very soft and is the way to go on your next purchase. 

 We continue wandering the streets of the medina, funnily enough today we don’t seem to be hassled so much. We think it’s because we are walking with purpose our heads are high, back straight and avoiding eye contact. We can’t help but look like tourists, but looking like an easy target is another thing. We walk around a corner and a donkey is in our face forcing us to move as he carries a load of heavy skins on his back headed for the tannery. Only donkeys (little taxis) and mules (big taxis) are allowed in the medina making it the worlds largest car and vehicle free urban area.

A small sample of the many leather products

Snail soup is sold on the street by vendors with boiling pots of broth with bread on the side. The smell is unique, unlike anything we’ve smelt before. It’s not offensive or bad just really different. It’s super cheap too at less than 10 dirham a serve. We like to try new things but snail street soup is probably outside the limits for us.

Lining the laneways of the medina there are butchers mixed with ‘restaurants’. In the windows the cooked chicken sits in with the raw chicken without divide or effort to keep separate. The owners wave and call to us, “come in, you want something to eat?” We keep walking, salmonella seems to be on the menu today and we’re not buying.

We lose track of time in here and hunger is kept at bay by various smells wafting through the air. It’s hard to build up a hunger when you are looking at open air butchers with chickens in cages, no points for guessing where they’re going (dinner table!). The smell in the medina of butchers, tanners and assorted rotting decay is at times nausea inducing. Hunger has left us alone since arriving in Morocco even though the food is delicious the smell is just… off putting. This place is some people’s summer paradise, but we can’t help but think what it must smell like on a 40 or above summer day. 

We find ourselves at Seffarine square – This small square is the copperwork centre of the medina. All day you can hear and see coppersmiths banging, smoothing, and polishing their finest wares. Everything from small teapots to massive pots and tubs. Some of the products are outstanding and the prices are some of the best you’ll find anywhere for copper products.

Not the square - just another little bit of Morocco

Just around the corner is Kairaouine Mosque and University. The second largest mosque in the world capable of holding twenty thousand worshippers along with one of the oldest teaching institutions in the world. The spiritual heart of Morocco and the centre of the medina this building is off limits to non-Muslims (like all mosques) but we managed some peeks through gates, gaps and open doors. Stunning inside and out.

Nearby is Medersa El-Attarine it is similar to the Medersa Bou Inania with beautiful tile, plaster and woodwork this Medersa was built as an annexe to the adjacent mosque and university.

Eventually hunger is upon us, and we head to the renowned hippie and tourist hangout Café Clock. This laid back café has a rooftop terrace which overlooks the medina and serves fusion Moroccan and western food, it was the perfect place to relax. For something different Simon enjoys a camel burger which can only be described as sweet lamb and washes it down with a date milkshake.

We return to Café Clock for their Sunday Live Moroccan Music, and walk into a packed venue with locals and tourists. Moroccan music fills the three stories, breathing joy into the place and dancing and clapping erupts and everyone can’t help but move to the exotic rhythms, even in their seats. 

 

Outside the medina citrus trees line the streets and parks of Fes and surrounding cities. The oranges on them prominently hanging decorating the sidewalks, parks and public areas. We had asked our driver the previous day if you can just help yourself he says “you would not want to, they need the sugar”. Once again everything in Morocco is sweetened, even the public oranges.

Chefchaouen

Rising early in the morning and taking the taxi to the bus station the driver doesn’t run the meter but he assures us 7 dirham for the ride ($1) we agree given that’s about the standard fare. On arriving at the station I hand him a 50 dirham note and he hands me 25 change. I signal for the rest, where is my change, you said 7! He speaks back in French something, we have no idea what. We frown and ask again but he shrugs and again says something in French. We both stare daggers at the driver and get out. We will not trust a taxis word again.

Chefchaouen is a small town that is famous for being blue. The local people literally paint the town blue which gives the place a Mediterranean feel and vibe. It’s only a short bus ride, four hours, from Fes. Of course I’m kidding, 8 hours on a bus for a day trip is full on but given we’re accustomed to such craziness we’re on the bus before the sun is up and on our way.

Heading out of the old town there is lots of housing construction and development, many apartments, units and terrace homes are being built and skeletal buildings run for blocks and blocks on the outskirts of town. Morocco is modernising and with that the ultra-dense living arrangements of yesteryear are giving way to more space and privacy. 

Sure enough, the pictures did not lie, and Chefchaouen was a true highlight of Morocco. The town is the most gorgeous shades of blue varying from place to place. We happily spent the afternoon exploring the medina, photographing doors and climbing to the top of the town and surveying the valley we were in. We also explored the local Kasbah, a former fortress that is now a museum and garden. A beautifully serene place to look out over the town and get away from the restaurant hawkers.

You see so many gorgeous doors, because they don’t do the whole house blue usually just about halfway up, it’s cheaper that way we guess. Chefchaouen is known as the hippy village, and many travellers find their way here usually for its famous and seemingly unregulated weed, which is offered on every corner. Apparently if you go far enough into the hills, you will stumble on the plantations. 

 Leaving Fes

Before we departed on another 8 hour journey we headed to Jardin Jnan Sbil, a beautiful garden not far from the medina. You walk in and feel a sense of tranquillity, fountains are everywhere accompanied by manicured sculpted gardens. It is also home to a clowder of cats that hang out in the sun and hide amongst the trees like small tigers. A small pond at the end of the garden with palm trees makes a great place to sit and take in the sun on a bright day.

 

We left for the train station and finally made a stress free connection.

Simon and Amy  xoxo