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Published: March 5th 2008
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Whilst I did my usual morning routine, rob got up and ate yoghurt for breakfast. Once we were ready to leave for the day Rob decided that he was in the mood for a Mcflurry, so off we went to McDonalds.
It was because the sun was shining that we decided to visit the panoramic view of Fes, however we didn't really think properly about it. We had left the hotel without sun cream and neither of us was prepared for the heat. The walk should only have been a short one but it took us quite a while with frequent stops in the shade. Whenever you do sit down for a quick break there is always something to watch so you end up sitting for much longer than you intended. We saw a large group of old men playing a very energetic game of cards, girls almost forcing Henna onto unsuspecting passersby and donkeys carrying so much that you couldn't actually see the donkey. Once we did reach the panorama we didn’t hang around long because there was no shade. The views of the city were impressive but the cemeteries were more of a sight because of the sheer
Borj Nord
Look Out Fort size of them. Also from our vantage point we could see the dark clouds of smoke coming from the potteries.
I had a few matters to sort out on the internet so we nipped to a café just at the entrance of the medina. I now have two university interviews arranged for when I get back to England.
We should know better by now, but we chose to sit in a café right opposite the main entrance to the medina and have sandwiches. There weren't any on the menu but he offered to make them up for us which are a normal occurrence when there isn't anything vegetarian on the menu. They were quite nice but still not what we would call cheese sandwiches. The bill was unbelievably high (for Morocco) and when we questioned it he quickly added that service was included etc. Cheeky blighter.
We nipped to the bus station and looked for buses to Chefchaouen. There were only buses leaving early in the morning or late at night, we opted for the morning one so we could have longer there. Seven thirty tomorrow morning, fun.
The bus station is situated at the side
of the medina so we used it as an opportunity to have another mooch around. We began by walking down one of the main streets and something caught my eye which I bought for my mum. Later on a cookie seller Caught Rob's eye and we bought a 1dh cookie off him. We have seen the same biscuits on sale throughout Morocco but they are always being sold by children and we have decided to refrain from buying from children so as not to give them reasons to skip school. Whilst we were eating the biscuit we wandered out of a gate and into the larger graveyard that had seen earlier from the panorama. We were surprised to find that it was a bit of a thoroughfare and as well as market stalls and shoe polishers, there were little tents set up where barbers were going about their business.
We quite liked the idea of visiting the potteries but it was getting late and we knew we should try and get put of the medina before it got dark. We set off through a few interesting narrow streets and inadvertently we stumbled across a fantastic view over the city
just as the sun was setting. It was in a very grotty area where children and sheep were playing amongst huge piles of rotting garbage. We quickly realised we should abandon our route and find a slightly better lit route. We did and stumbled across a very busy square where everyone was sitting around doing their own things. We sat for a while and watched a large group of old men playing a game of cards which involved some pretty serious slamming down of cards.
The walk back to new town took forever and wasn't particular interesting. We followed a main road until we spotted the hotel area looming above us and then we took a much smaller road to get there. At one point a van full of guys stopped and said something to us but we understood nothing. Paranoid as usual I took it to mean that it wasn’t a safe area for us, and spent the rest of the climb watching the fields around us for suspect characters.
After tagines for quite a few nights in a row, we decided to visit an Italian restaurant that was recommended by Lonely Planet. It was a lovely
place and the food was nice, but it arrived about five minutes after we had ordered. We spent about half an hour over the meal and left slightly unsure what to do with the evening.
Well we did what we always do when we have spare time and we sought out an internet café. You would think t his pretty easy but they all seemed to be on the Brink of closing. Eventually in about the third or fourth café Rob phoned his Mum briefly. As we were walking back from that café we happened upon one that was open till late and we stayed in there for the evening. My phone call home was more amusing than usual because my mum took it upon herself to commentate on the extra time of the Boro game. (Enough said)
Back at the hotel we packed up our things and had split the world’s smallest chocolate bar.
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Brian
non-member comment
Hi Stob Nice cheese sandwiches !!!!!