Thursday 4 October - First proper day exploring Fez

Off again into the alleys after breakfast. The first step was to change one of the earrings as they turned out to not be a perfect matching pair. We were greeted with enthusiasm by the owner, no trouble at all to sort the earrings. There were 4 mismatched rather beautiful long plain silver earrings from which I'd tried desperately to create a pair, as they really were a lovely design. I couldn't do it, but the owner then gave us a silly price for all 4, which after bargaining we accepted, as I'm sure I will be able to do a bit of mechanical tinkering to make a good pair! It also showed just how much we'd overpaid for the others!

Some alleyway scenes

 

A little further up the alley we stopped off for a mint tea, specifically requested with minimal sugar, which perhaps it was... by Moroccan standards anyway. Very pleasant all the same. A little further on there was a lovely old building with a carpet man outside. When we showed some interest in the building he waved us in to look at what he said was one of the few remaining caravanserai, now used for making leatherware with a dozen tiny enterprises around the perimeters working away. Fascinating.

The fondouk with leather workers

Further on was a place specialising in brassware. The Moroccan brass is fabulous. Huge lamps made from perforated brass, sometimes with bright coloured glass as well. I was especially taken with a gorgeous chandelier of 13 individual brass and glass lamps. Rather too large and no doubt expensive to get back to NZ. We both have a love for the Moroccan designs - the brass, the carved plaster, wooden screens, the courtyards and the simply beautiful patterned tiles everywhere on the floors and up to waist level on the walls. There's a temptation to buy a container-load of stuff and have it shipped to New Zealand! We are not tempted to buy a house here, not at all. I've bought a book for my e-reader about a couple who fell in love with Fes and bought an old riad (courtyard house) to restore and live in. What a horrendous tale of difficulties with bureaucracy, impossible-to-find workmen, tricky neighbours and more. We can however quite see the lure of a finished and modernised riad.

The Mederssa Bouanania was very lovely. Right up to other Moorish decorations we have seen anywhere.

Outside the Blue Gate, we finally found somewhere to get an omelette for lunch, and good it was too. It was a good spot to spend a while watching the people and traffic sorting themselves out. There's a lot of tolerance and patience to be seen. Finally back to our room mid-afternoon for a couple of hours downtime.

The previous night we'd seen how lovely the city looked in the warm evening light, so we thought we'd find our way to the hill and ruined buildings outside and above the city walls. We navigated rather easily there, considering the maze of alleys, and enjoyed the vistas from above Fez medina. It's a huge area. It's all so dense that there are no discernable streets when viewed from above or outside.

A graveyard on our way up the hill, looking out at hills surrounding Fez

The previous night one of the restaurant touts had said he had a place with two terraces, but more important he had beer! Try as we might, we couldn't find it again. We were asked by a young guy what we were looking for, yes, no problem, he knew of a restaurant with beer and off he went with us in tow. A decent meal, tajines again of course, but no beer! Any number of people have offered to walk us somewhere, mosty we are sure with no intention of a kickback. The people are a highlight so far. We've had many French conversations, with universal astonishment that we come from New Zealand and even more, that we can speak French.

So a much better day, though we would desperately like a bit of fresh fish with some lightly cooked veges. I'm sure meals like that exist, but not in our price bracket, or perhaps not in the medina. We couldn't travel the amount we do if we weren't careful with costs.