We headed back to the Riad with full bellies and excited to have caught a bit of live music. We have been going pretty hard since we arrived in Morocco, so it was no surprise we both slept in the next morning....we didn't even hear the 5:00am call to prayer and there are lots of mosques here, so the call is loud.
We enjoyed our breakfast, worked out some details for the day and headed by petit taxi to the CMT bus station to buy our ticket for tomorrow. This was a bit of an experience as we tried to navigate to the Blue Gate to find a taxi. First we ended up exiting at a different gate...we weren't sure how we did that...and then several taxi drivers tried to charge us too much money, but we stood our ground until we found someone. In the end we got our bus tickets and made it back to the medina by noon, ready to explore this massive labarynth.
Before arriving in Fes we heard about how confusing all the little streets and alleyways were and had decided to hire a guide for half a day. After looking at the map and chatting with the owner of the Riad, we decided to tackle things ourselves...well what an eperience that was! First we tried to figure out how to get from the Bab Bourjlourd...Blue Gate...to the main Street where our Riad was located...there are 15 entrances to the medina!
We walked around passing a section full of little restaurants, the fresh food market...the dates here are amazing!!...and then started to notice some signs overhead that appeared to be directing you to various locations.
With Lisa's Lonely Planet guide and my map, we gradually started to figure things out.
Eventually we found our way to the Kairaouine Mosque & University...just seemed to appear in front of us! Since we are not Muslin we could not enter the mosque, but we were allowed to take pictures. The mosaics in Fes and all the intricate plaster work is remarkable...I could look at it all day.
We passed through a tunnel where we came across the door to a Medersa, or college, and then made our way through the maze of streets to an open area called Place Seffarine that turned out to be the brassmaker's souk. Here there were several men hammering away as they bent and smoothed out the copper to make everything from bowls to lamps. It was very interesting to watch them work at their craft...and loud!
As we turned around we noticed a huge door slightly opened that let us see a tiny glimpse inside the library of the first university established in 1359...and by a woman no less!
At this point we had not been approached by many people trying to provide us with directions to places...not always places we wanted to go....but with our map out and pointing to the various signs, we were fresh targets. At one point we actually had to ask someone to just let us be...I think we scared him by saying that actually.
We finally headed on our way in search of the tannery, but this time in the wrong direction. We were told it closed at 3:00pm so we were determined to find our way before it closed.
We finally found it and were quickly approached by a shop owner who took us to his store terrace to look at the tannery from above. This was one of the best times to have no sense of smell...in fact the odour is so putrid they give you fresh mint to smell while in the vicinity. Quite a process as they wash the hides using pigeon droppings and cow urine!!
From the tannery the skins are then dyed and prepared for use in making beautiful bags and shoes....lovely leather here.
After tolerating as much of the smell as we could, we were off to find our way back to our Riad...easier said then done. As we gradually made our way, we saw everything from colourful babouches, donkeys and people pushing carts through the streets, to the more than 60 public fountainsin the medina...seqqaya.
To be honest at every turn there was something impressive and more intriguing to look at...getting lost can be the best part of the journey sometimes!
We also happened to walk through the carpenter's souk where we witnessed some of the most stunning woodworking...the men were more than willing to explain the process to us.
We decided to find a place to relax and have a coffee...what we thought was a cafe turned out to be a Riad. They ended up serving us coffee on their terrace, which made it seem like we had our own little private Cafe. We enjoyed the solitude of the terrace that overlooked the medina...it also had a view of the rooves of the university....such a beautiful and hot day.
After recharging we headed out again, this time we came across the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts with the most impressive doorway, and then not too far from there we found the Zaouia Moulay Idriss II mausoleum...extremely ornate...I could have taken pictures here for hours.
Slowly we made our way back to the area by our Riad and decided to enjoy some live gnaoua music and a local beer...Flag Special....awesome break!
Since we found our way back, we decided to do a little bit of shopping in the area...purchasing some dates and nougat for our road trip tomorrow, and looking at some camel hair rugs and musical instruments, coming across fresh orange juice stands, and watched as an artisan used recycled rubber to make jewlery and accessories...yes I bought something!
It was getting late so we found a restaurant where I enjoyed a Fes specialty, pastilla...a rich, savoury, sweet chicken pie made with fine pastry, cinnamon and almonds, then topped with powdered sugar and Morocan soup...Harira...made with chickpeas, tomatoes and lentils. Delicious and a great way to finish off our night in Fes.
When we returned to the Riad we had a nice chat with the owner...who provided us with breakfast to go in our little lunch box...hilarious, but a great idea...
and we then spent the next hour chatting with the caretaker, Haddou about life in Morocco...a special evening for sure.
It has been another full day of exploring in Morocco...there is so much to see! It is a shame we do not have more time to spend in Fes as we barely scratched the surface of this great city.
It will be an early morning tomorrow as we take the bus to Chefchaouen up north in the Riff mountains.
Until then...
L & L
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