Fes - exploring the maze of the medina

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8 Sep - we explore Meknes in the morning including a panoramic view of the old town, Thursday's Gate, Bab Agnou (the main entrance to the medina), lake, Meknes Palace and the mausoleum of Moulay Idriss II (the son of the Iraqi who brought Islam to Morocco in the 7th century AD). We wander round the souk which has numerous stalls selling dates, sweet sugary pastries, fruit & veg, dead animals (butchers as you've never seen before - blood and flies everywhere and disgusting smells) and herbs & spices. We also visit an old granary which was considered an advanced concept many centuries ago.

We drive passed the village of Moulay Idris to Volubilis, an ancient Roman site. There are many mosaics still visible as well as the remains of houses, a triumphal arch and the forum. The surrounding scenery of the anti-Atlas mountains is quite barren and includes cacti with prickly pears (top tip - eating a few prickly pears, including the seeds, is the Moroccan answer to Immodium!! Water mixed with a teaspoon of cumin also helps).

Next we drive to Fes. First stop is to look round a ceramic factory which is belching out thick, thick black smoke from the furnace. We learn about the different stages of making tagine cooking pots. I buy a small bowl and tiny tagine decoration...wish I could have bought a full size tagine though and set of dinner plates...

Later that night, we go to a Moroccan cultural evening. It's in an excellent setting of a typical Moroccan riad with amazing food of salade Marocaine (salad mezze), pastilla, veg and chicken couscous, fruit salad, mint tea and coconut pastry washed down with a half bottle of quaffable local red wine. The 'entertainment' is cheesy and includes singing and instruments from different regions around Morocco, belly dancing, a magician and demonstrating the carrying of a bride in a carriage on several people's shoulders during a wedding ceremony.

9 Sep - we explore Fes, the imperial city including a panoramic view, Palace of Fes and Medersa Bou Inania (a Koranic school set within a picturesque courtyard for ablutions with impressive cedar wood doors). We then meander through the maze of narrow alleyways of the medina, making sure we step aside quickly for numerous donkeys which come clip clopping passed carrying heavy loads. Visit a bronze workshop making very intricate brass plates and teapots (for all that mint tea). Pass the Nejjarine Fountain, a social meeting place for the locals, before we visit a djellaba and kaftan co-op to learn about the different types of robes worn by Muslim men and women. This is also a photo opportunity and of course a chance to flog something to the tourists / retail therapy. I try on a rather nifty burgundy and gold one piece of baggy pants and kaftan but it's just not practical for Canonmills 😊 However, I do end up buying / haggling for a gorgeous lilac and yellow silk scarf and a stripey blue, green, yellow and lilac baggy tunic - it will be multi-purpose for travelling me thinks as it can be used as a nightshirt, beachwear, cover up or in the evening!

We continue exploring the medina and visit the tanneries. This is a very smelly area as they use pigeon poo when making the leather so we are given a sprig of fresh mint to try to disguise the smell! It is extremely manual, hard labour for minimal dirhams. It's fascinating to see the huge vats of dyes but... surprisingly...I don't fancy any of the leather handbags or babouche (Morocan slippers) within the shop.
Have a very tasty lamb tagine for lunch - yum!
Then pass a butchers stall with a severed camel head hanging up - yuck!
Free afternoon to chillout. Like the Fes vibe and shopping opportunities...which turns out to be not as frenetic as Marrakech and more enjoyable with less hassle.

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