First Stop: Fes

Welcome to Morocco.

Once the taxi got us from the Fes airport to the edge of the old city, the "Medina," we were soon met by a young man sent to escort us, through the labyrinth, to our Riad (hotel). Mohammed was friendly and resourceful. He studied tourism, had lived his whole life in Fes, and aspired to one day work in a large European hotel. The trip was about 1/4th of a mile, but it didn't feel like it.

We could barely walk through some parts of the ancient maze...

There were smells of dirt, curried fish, mint leaves, cured leather, musk, cooking fires, petrol combustion, cinnamon, saffron, bodily odors from various species...
olfactory overload!

On some less congested streets, we found humbler vendors. Without stores or tables, some people find small spaces to lay out blankets with whatever they can scrounge...partial battery packages, scant packets of cigarettes or gum, random pairs of shoes, unused socks, used pay-as-you-go phones...anything with any marginal value at all. The second your gaze lingers on anything, the more aggressive vendors immediately run to your side to close the sale. People sell anything. Fruits of every kind, camel heads, jewelry and gems, precious metals, leatherwork...there were counters filled with non-refrigerated meats; there were bins filled dozens of spices...just about every simple commodity...

It was primitive, but socially sophisticated.

Our Riad was run by a real impresario.

Rashid reminded us of a Moroccan George Foreman. Ever unctuous, he saw us to our room (there were just a few in the corners of the 14th century home), invited us to the roof for some mint tea, and later offered us rice-noodle cinnamon pastries (for which he later charged us). It was surreal sitting there, as sleep-deprived as we were, in the full midday African sun...the percussive ringing of metal-hammering (Fes being the crafts capital of Morocco) only broken by one, then another, then an indistinguishable number of Calls to Prayer from over 100 different mosques in the chokingly populated valley...the deep tenor of over a hundred Imams, Islamic priests, filling the air...

Morocco, especially Fes, is known for its leather products. As soon as you walk into the tanneries, they hand you a sprig of fresh mint because the smells are so strong. They use natural materials to dye the leather (saffron for yellow, indigo for blue, etc...). Aside from dyes, they have vats filled with pigeon poop and milks of lime, "secret" natural ingredients used to remove the hair and prepare the hides for coloring.

The tanneries are also famous for having great views of the city. The older, heart of the city is on the left, and the newer satellite-bejeweled hillside on the right.

The rug co-ops are also famous. Upon entering, you are greeted with fresh mint tea and a well-rehearsed spiel on how every rug is a hand-woven steal and can be yours for the best possible price. Truthfully, the rugs were incredible. Perhaps one day we'll return with a larger budget, but this was not that trip. The man at one co-op was literally on his hands and knees begging us to purchase something, saying, "make me an offer! Anything! You can shock me...just don't give me a heart attack!" It was funny for a while, but it proved difficult to dissuade him.

Our experience at a second Co-op outside the Medina was much better. We were charmed by Amid, a Berber merchant, and fantastic prices. A boy, who, protest as we did, decided he would be our guide (and hence cheerfully accompanied us everywhere), brought us to his uncle's shop: the shop from which the shops in the Medina buy their merchandise. Everything was a third of yesterday's price. Andrea got three scarves and a gorgeous bedspread in autumn colors.

We saw many different kinds of shops. Even a store that manufactures shiny, plastic-covered thrones you can rent for your wedding.

Here is a traditional Moroccan Pharmacy stocked with all kinds of natural remedies, spices, and even stuffed critters.

and some other shops, as well...

Being in an Islamic country, we saw beautifully intricate Mosques (at least from the doorway, as only Muslims are allowed to enter). The religious aspects of Moroccan culture were some of the most pervasive features of our experience. We were woken every day, pre-dawn, by loudspeakered Arabic intonation. These were the Calls to Prayer. To our ears, it was an incomprehensible, droning rant...appealingly fascinating...

We heard that most people did not practice strict adherence to the call to prayer any more, but prayed in succession at the end of the day instead. In the Medina itself, there are over 100 different Mosques. This was a museum of one.

After spending the day in the maze, we taxied up to the overlook for sunset.

Ancient Roman ruins caught last light...

We were even reminded of Gethsemane...

At the recommendation of Rashid, the Riad owner,

we treated ourselves the first night to a traditional Moroccan dinner. It was freezing inside that vast winter space, but it was still a treat. There were live musicians, good food and relative privacy...at least until 40 Italian tourists showed up as we were finishing!

Very overstimulated, we finally retired to our Riad to get a quick five hours sleep. We had a long trip to the desert in the morning...