The good sleep we had hoped for last night didn’t quite happen. The combination of going to bed at 4:00 pm New York time (which is where our body clock was!), loud calls to prayer over the loudspeaker from a very close-by mosque (late at night and very early in the morning), and a noisy rooster not too far away, all conspired to cause a very interrupted sleep. Nonetheless, we were up by around 8:00 am to get ourselves organised for the day.

We went upstairs to the restaurant for a very nice breakfast.

Breakfast.
Breakfast.

Over breakfast, we chatted to another couple from Australia who were just finishing up a ten-week trip around Morocco.

We were looking forward to exploring Fes today. Fes has been called the “Mecca of the West” and the “Athens of Africa”, and is also considered the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco.

Mohamed and Dawad met us at the hotel at 10:00 am, and we headed for a day of exploring. Our first stop was Dar al-Makhzen (the Royal Palace), which dates back to the 13th century. Entry into the palace is not permitted so we could only admire it from the outside, which we did from the Place des Alaouites entrance.

Mohamed and Andrea at Dar al-Makhzen.
Mohamed and Andrea at Dar al-Makhzen.
Mohamed and Andrea at Dar al-Makhzen.
Mohamed and Andrea at Dar al-Makhzen.
Andrea outside the wall of Dar al-Makhzen.
Andrea outside the wall of Dar al-Makhzen.

From the palace we walked to the mellah, the Jewish quarter of the town. The buildings in this area had a distinctive architecture, different from the other areas we’ve seen so far.

In the Jewish quarter of Fes.
In the Jewish quarter of Fes.
Andrea in the Jewish quarter of Fes.
Andrea in the Jewish quarter of Fes.

We then hopped back into the car for a drive up to a fort on a high vantage point to get a great view of the city of Fes.

View of Fes.
View of Fes.

Our next stop was a tour of a workshop making traditional pottery and mosaics. We found this to be really interesting. The techniques in use have not changed in centuries and the amount of work (and patience) required to create some of the pieces was incredible.

A worker painting a plate.
A worker painting a plate.
A worker making mosaic tiles.
A worker making mosaic tiles.
Workers making various pottery items.
Workers making various pottery items.
A beautiful ceramic piece.
A beautiful ceramic piece.

Our next stop was the medina. The word “medina” comes from the Arabic word for “town” or “city”, and is generally considered to refer to the old or historic part of the town. The medina in Fes has two old quarters: Fes el-Bali and Fes Jdid. The medina of Fes is listed as a World Heritage Site and is thought to be one of the world’s largest urban pedestrian zones (although there are horses and a lot of motorbikes in it!). It is reported that there are more than 9,000 streets and alleys in the medina, although no one knows for sure.

To walk through the medina is to experience a total assault on the senses. From the bustle of people, horses, and motorbikes moving through the twisty and narrow alleys, to the sounds, the smells (not all good!), the sights, and the tastes, it is an amazing experience.

On the oustskirts of the medina, there were a lot of fresh fruit and vegetable vendors (although it’s questionable how fresh it can be after hours in the hot sun!).

Strawberry vendors.
Strawberry vendors.
Andrea in the medina.
Andrea in the medina.
Fruit vendor.
Fruit vendor.
Selling beans.
Selling beans.
Selling more beans.
Selling more beans.
Vegetable vendor.
Vegetable vendor.
Walking through the medina.
Walking through the medina.
Andrea in the medina, with Mohamed in the background.
Andrea in the medina, with Mohamed in the background.

The further we went in, the narrower the alleys became. There is no street system at all; it is a labyrinth that seems impossible to navigate once you are inside it but there were tens of thousands of people moving through it with purpose, many of them just young children.

A woman buying fish.
A woman buying fish.
In the medina.
In the medina.
A yarn shop.
A yarn shop.
A pickled vegetable vendor.
A pickled vegetable vendor.
Looking out of a narrow alley.
Looking out of a narrow alley.
Fabrics for sale.
Fabrics for sale.
Mohamed and Andrea walking down an alley.
Mohamed and Andrea walking down an alley.

We didn’t stop at many stores but we came across two boys selling fresh bread, so we stopped and bought some from them. It was still hot and very nice.

Young boys selling bread.
Young boys selling bread.

We weaved our way through the alleys to the Chaouwara Tanneries, a co-operative of leather workshops that process leather in a series of outdoor vats in the traditional way. It was quite fascinating. These tanneries are amongst the oldest in the world, dating back to the 11th century.

View over the Chaouwara Tanneries.
View over the Chaouwara Tanneries.
The Chaouwara Tanneries.
The Chaouwara Tanneries.
The Chaouwara Tanneries.
The Chaouwara Tanneries.
Keith at the Chaouwara Tanneries.
Keith at the Chaouwara Tanneries.
Keith and Andrea at the Chaouwara Tanneries.
Keith and Andrea at the Chaouwara Tanneries.
Colorful pouffes for sale in a leather store.
Colorful pouffes for sale in a leather store.
Andrea haggling in a leather store at the Chaouwara Tanneries.
Andrea haggling in a leather store at the Chaouwara Tanneries.

We also got some great views of the medina from one of the leather vendor’s store.

View over the medina.
View over the medina.
View over the medina (highlighting the popularity of satellite dishes!)
View over the medina (highlighting the popularity of satellite dishes!)

We left the tanneries and headed for the University of Al-Qarawiyyin. The university, founded in 857 and considered by some to be the oldest continuously functioning institute of higher education in the world, focuses on Islamic religious and legal studies with an emphasis on classical Arabic grammar and linguistics.

Andrea at University of Al-Qarawiyyin.
Andrea at University of Al-Qarawiyyin.
Inside the University of Al-Qarawiyyin.
Inside the University of Al-Qarawiyyin.

From Al-Qarawiyyin we worked our way further through the alleys, and found a collection of nougat vendors. We sampled some beautiful nougat and ended up buying some to take with us.

Nougat vendors.
Nougat vendors.
Fresh nougat.
Fresh nougat.

Our next stop was a magnificent store that sold hand-made Berber and Arabic rugs. We learned about the history of the rugs and the tribes that made them, before engaging in a long negotiating exercise to buy a rug!

Inside a rug vendor's shop (which was much more impressive than every other shop we saw).
Inside a rug vendor's shop (which was much more impressive than every other shop we saw).
Keith in the rug vendor's shop.
Keith in the rug vendor's shop.

We left the rug shop and headed towards an exit where we were meeting our driver, Dawad. We hoped that Mohamed knew where he was going because we were lost within minutes of entering the medina and, by this time, we’d been in there for hours. Mohamed managed to navigate us out (with only one wrong turn on the way out!).

A beautiful door in the medina.
A beautiful door in the medina.

We met Dawad, hopped into the car, and drove back to the hotel. We relaxed briefly in our room before heading upstairs to the hotel’s restaurant, L’Amandier, where we had a lovely dinner.

Table setting in the Palais Faraj's restaurant, L'Amandier.
Table setting in the Palais Faraj's restaurant, L'Amandier.
Freshly baked bread.
Freshly baked bread.
Briouats (traditional Moroccan puff pastries, filled with sweet and savoury fillings.
Briouats (traditional Moroccan puff pastries, filled with sweet and savoury fillings.
Dinner served in tajines.
Dinner served in tajines.
Tajine of vegetables.
Tajine of vegetables.
Tajine of beef.
Tajine of beef.

After dinner, we went for a walk in the hotel. We would have liked some time to sit and relax in the library but that wasn’t going to happen.

The Palais Faraj's library.
The Palais Faraj's library.

We headed back upstairs to get organised for bed. We need to be up reasonably early in the morning. We have to re-pack our suitcases (made slightly more difficult as a result of some purchases today!) before we check out and set off tomorrow morning on a 200 km drive west to Rabat, on the Atlantic coast.