Traveling through so many cities without any guides is not an easy task. This is especially true in Morocco with the maze-like streets of the medinas- where even a decent map provides little accuracy or reference. Thank goodness my husband is a pretty good navigator! He has the sense of direction which I lack. However, I like to think my good company and positive attitude (most of the time) makes up for that. Hence the title of this post. I think John and I may be great contestants for the,”Amazing race” show. I have gotten pretty good at walking fast through crowded streets, even with my big pack on. I have learned to go more for comfort then for fashion. My Toms and Nikes may not be so cute with certain outfits, but I can out walk anyone in them.
Many had said they loved Fes, so we were excited! As we boarded the crowded train we realized people were in our seats. We tried to explain to them and show them our tickets but nobody was moving. We had our heavy packs on and were sweating by this point. We asked a man who worked on the train to help us but he wasn’t much help. A young guy who spoke English, French and Arabic helped us. He explained that the woman, who was in one of our seats, was from Tunisia and on the wrong train. She spoke French and he told her she was in our seat and on the wrong train. She just smiled at us and pretended as if she didn’t know. She didn’t get up. Another guy realized ( or admitted) he was in the wrong car and moved. Finally we could sit, although not in the seats we paid for. Tunisia lady got off an hour later with her 3 huge suitcases. Good riddance lady! We were not fooled by your smile and faking like you didn’t know you were in our seat!
The rest of the train ride we slept, played dice games, and enjoyed the scenery. There is such a strong French presence all through Morocco. Even on the trains they mostly announce in French.
Arriving in Fes we grabbed a taxi to our riad which was located in the middle of the medina. We had been warned that the Fes medina was very, very confusing and maze- like with thousands of winding streets so narrow that cars can’t get down.
Fes is made up of 3 completely different sections: the medina , or old city dating back 1500 years, the new city 150 years, and the modern city 100 years old. The old city in the medina functions like a city did a thousand years ago in all aspects, except they have television, electricity and cell phones. Other than that, everything is transported by donkeys down the narrow streets. There are craftsman who make copper, tanneries for leather, small bakeries, shops and seamstresses. You do feel as though you are transported back in time.
Once outside of the medina walls the new town still has a different and traditional feel but not as “old”. The modern area of Fes has bigger buildings, cars, bars, movie theaters- resembling most modern cities.
Our riad in Fes , Riad Le Calife, was another gorgeous place! We got the “blue” room!
The French owner greeted us with mint tea and cookies. He told us how he met his Moroccan wife a decade ago in Paris. He saw her dancing on a table at a bar and knew she was the one, haha. He explained that his father- in -law also owned hotels and businesses in Fes, so it was convenient for them to live there. He was very passionate about his love for the city and gave us some tips and suggestions. Fatima, the concierge also greeted us and gave us many ideas of what to see and do. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at the riad that night, talking with another couple from the US. We were served a huge assortment of “salads” first to include- pumpkin, peppers, carrots, lentils, cabbage and raisins- all so delicious! That could have been enough for me , but next came the main course of chicken with a very thin type of egg noodle. The dessert was the best- a pastry thing with ice cream in between.
We burned off our dinner walking 12 miles the following day all throughout Fes- new and old. We started by dropping off some laundry at the corner place by our riad (recommended). We both had our dirty bags filled and were out of clean underwear. Our doorman walked with us and translated to us the prices. It would be $65 USD to for all our laundry. Whoa! Seriously? In China and Cambodia we did our laundry for $5. Relatively speaking, compared to other costs in Morocco, this seemed pretty high. For example, huge 1.5 liters of bottled water are 40 cents in Morocco. I got 2 long sleeve shirts in a souk for $3, so $65 for laundry was alot. Oh well. We needed clean clothes.
The medina was definitely no joke! It was a crazy maze with color signs that are supposed to help you figure out where you are. There were so many hagglers in Fes! We couldn’t walk anywhere without someone asking us if we wanted a guide or ,“where are you going”, or “madam, sir, wrong way”. It got a bit annoying. We tried to ignore them. The young boys would follow us. John did a pretty good job navigating, considering the circumstances. You see John is color blind. He thought he was on the “red” route but it was really “blue” or “brown”. I tried to help him out but it wasn’t easy.
We agreed to let a guide take us through a tannery- a one much larger than the one we toured in Marrakech. It was quite an operation! They use sheep, horse, camel, and goat hides. They had different sections for each color dye! They didn’t give us mint this time, and the smell was definitely not pleasant (see previous post in Marrakech- they use pigeon poop- you can think of me when you put on your leather coat or use your leather purse tomorrow) .. 🙂
These guys work really hard in very yucky conditions!!
At the top of the tannery was an amazing view of Fes, where we could see the ancient tombs and overlook the whole city.
After our tour, our guide took us to his “brother’s store” , of course. We politely went in and politely went out. John tipped our guide, who had been so nice, but now demanded more money. Come on, really? We walked to the Royal Palace, through the Jewish Quarter, and even saw the world’s oldest university, which is now a mosque.
Royal Palace
Jewish Quarter
When we couldn’t walk any further- 12 miles later, we caught a petit taxi back to our riad. Petit taxis are quite common in Moroccan cities. They are shared taxis. The concept is pretty clever and works in everyone’s favor. There was already someone in the front seat and we dropped her off on the way to our destination. She paid her fare, which then was subtracted from the total and our fare was lowered.
Since taxis can’t go into the medina, we were dropped off as close to our riad as possible. As we got out a man bombarded us, “ where are you going? Where do you want go? I’ll take you”. John had decided earlier to completely ignore these types of people. I politely said , “no thank you”. He very rudely said to us, “ you are just like the Jewish people! I don’t know how or why they let you in Morocco at the airport”. Ew – jerk! What did that even mean? We were really annoyed with his attitude and comments. (Side note- we have many Jewish friends- so being called Jewish is definitely not an insult- it was the context in which the man meant it).
We went to a terrace near our riad to watch the sunset and have a glass of wine and John a beer.
Back at our riad, Fatima asked how our day was. We vented to her about the hagglers/ hasslers and the rude man. We explained we enjoyed Fes, other that that. She apologized and offered to book us a reservation for dinner but we politely declined saying we would walk around and find something. We didn’t need another fancy multiple course dinner and wanted to try some local street food.
Up in our room as were resting before dinner, Fatima sent up some champagne which was nice.
John found a small street place on trip advisor with good reviews. “Thams”, it was called. We found it and Tham , the owner greeted us. His picture was posted around his establishment. “This is me, “ he said, “I am famous”. He was a funny guy. As we ate dinner (which was just ok), we watched as everyone who walked down the street seemed to know Tham.
We also saw some shady hand exchanges – if you know what I mean. We read there was a lot of hasish in Fes. It is illegal and the fine is 10 years imprisonment but we definitely smelled it a lot.
After dinner we went to a really cool, posh lounge outside the medina for a cocktail. They played really cool music and we just relaxed. Back at our lovely riad we relaxed and slept well in the beautiful cozy room. Since arriving to Morocco, I have been awakened each morning at 5:45am when the Muslim prayer calls are chanted. I am able to fall back asleep though for a bit.
The next morning we explored Fes some more, getting in a good 5 mile walk before noon. We went to see a 14th century school and water clock which was neat. We also enjoyed the winding medina shops- avoiding the hasslers. Some of the mean tried greeting me in multiple languages at once, unsure of what I spoke- “bonjour señorita”, they would say. John enjoyed watching the young local boys play soccer or “futbol” as they call it. These kids are really good! They even play well in sandals!
14th century water clock
local kids playing soccer
medina
confusing signs
so many variations of olives!
In the early afternoon we checked out of of Riad Le Calife and headed to our train for Tangier- our final destination in Morocco, where we will spend a couple nights before heading to Spain!
Tangier, another beautiful coastal city has a very international crowd, due to it’s location at the very North of Morocco. Many people take day trips from Spain to Tangier. When we arrived we hailed a taxi, or I should say- he hailed us. Many of the taxi drivers in Tangier get out of their cars to recruit passengers. Our driver was definitely the worst driver I have ever seen. I had white knuckles the entire ride. He almost hit probably 10 or more pedestrians, including a baby carriage, as well as multiple cats, dogs and other cars. Our riad was in the medina, so he drove us up 1 way, very narrowed roads. He went up the wrong road, so to get back down he backed up at a really fast speed about a mile. So scary! He let us out about a mile away from our riad, but I was just relieved to be out of his car.! As we were walking down the dark street I noticed a man following behind and he said something to me “psst, psst” as he got closer. “John!” I yelled and he turned around and yelled at the guy, “no!”. Oh gosh- where were we?
I was so relieved when we arrived at the riad- another owned by a French man and his wife. Dominick spoke very little English so his greeting was short. The doorman led us to our beautiful room and recommended a place for dinner. El Morocco club was an awesome place with posh couches, a DJ and lights. We both had really delicious risotto and wine.
We set out early again the next morning to explore and make the most of our time in Tangier! What a beautiful city!
We hired a driver to take us to the famous “Hercules cave”. This incredible place dates back to both Greek and Roman mythology. According to legend, Hercules used his incredible strength to create the “Strait of Gibraltar”. Pictures inside the cave were hard to get– but the place was really cool!
We also went to Cape Spartel- the most northern spot in Africa, where the Mediterranean sea meets the Atlantic ocean. Really pretty!
Next, we went on to see the American legation- the only American landmark abroad!
Tangier was a famous city in the 1960’s and 1970’s for artists all around the world. They would travel here for inspiration. Jack Kerouac, a renowned literally icon, wrote a lot in Tangier. Ironically, when John and I first started dating he recommended I read a book by Kerouac, “On the Road”. Paul Bowles is another who spent a great deal of time in Tangier.
We spent the afternoon walking along the gorgeous beach-
After such a fabulous day in Morocco, we were tired and ready to enjoy our last dinner. Michelle (french pronounced Me-shell), the wife of Dominick (our riad owner), referred us to a place. John looked at trip advisor and it had great reviews, so we gave it a go!
When we arrived we realized it was a house. We literally walked into a family’s living room. Two daughters were on the couch playing on their computers. The mother came from the kitchen, “welcome, welcome, please sit on any floor”. Huh? She showed us the limited menu and said she only took cash. While John went to find an ATM I awkwardly sat on the woman’s couch. Now, I would have been more weirded out if this was a few years ago. Since traveling to different countries we have encountered similar situations. Last year in Vietnam, a family welcomed us onto their porch where they peeled shrimp and basically put it in our mouths for us.
When John returned we ordered and sat quietly in her living room waiting.
Her son brought us the fish and paella we ordered. It was very delicious. We also ordered delicious empanadas and tea. All good! The woman was a very good cook! We could not figure out if she was Spanish, or Moroccan or Italian. All we know is- she was kind, her food was good, and we left happy.
That night we reflected on the amazing time we had in Morocco. What a beautiful, chaotic, and fascinating country! We learned so much about the Muslim religion. Prior to this trip, I found that even my own feelings towards Muslims had been jaded with the recent terror attacks. I found myself feeling slightly nervous when I saw people covered , only showing their eyes, getting on public transportation with me. The media jades us- it makes us judge an entire group of people over just a select few extremists. After just a few days in Morocco, surrounded by Muslims, I got over this irrational judgement. I learned what an amazing and dedicated group of people they are. Their religion and beliefs are very interesting, and the majority have deep values for family and life. I loved learning all about Morocco’s history! Another true testimony- that you learn so much more traveling to places than from a textbook! The architecture, the food, the people– ahh memories for an eternity!
We will miss you Morocco, and perhaps will return one day! But for now our amazing race continues, as we travel on to Spain!!
رجوك إعتن بنفسك حتى ذلك اليوم الذي نلتقي فيه مجدداً (Until we meet again),
Kinz
Keeping up with Kinz 