Days 7 and 8 in Morocco – Fes

After a big breakfast at our Riad, Mohamed and Hakim, who Pete nicknamed “The Rock”, met us at our hotel. We then spent all morning walking and exploring the Medina of Fes, winding our way in and out of a variety of souks – from vegetable markets through the street of butchers, alleys of Harira soup cafes, weavers, carpenters and so much more. We also passed many bread ovens that continue to be so much a part of daily medina life.

We also visited two Universities, one of which started in the 9th century, which, according to Mohamed, is the oldest in the world. One University, the Medersa Bou Inania, was part seminary, part dormitory and is a splendid example of Moroccan architecture’s three core elements: intricate tile mosaics, carved plaster, and painted cedar. Speaking of Arab Universities and education, the Arabian culture brought so much to the west, including algebra, the concept of the numeral zero, and some believe that their influence in Spain helped kick-start the period we know of as The Renaissance. Morocco is also known for fine Berber rugs. So, at the end of the morning we visited the part of the Medina that sells rugs. Pete and I both ended up buying Berber Rugs woven by a tribe from the Rif Mountains.

At mid-day we enjoyed a private lunch at Dar Namir, a gem-like small riad renovated by a journalist occasionally living in Fes. A splendid chef, she prepared market-fresh cuisine with Moroccan wine pairings. It was the highlight of the day for me for several reasons. When she introduced herself, her name sounded vaguely familiar. As she served us delicious appetizers paired with very good Moroccan sparking wine, it came out that she was a freelance journalist focusing on food and spilts time between Fes and Barcelona, Spain. It also came out that she had written a recipe book on Moroccan Food with many of her food articles appearing in Conde Nest Traveller and the Wall Street Journal. And that is when it hit me. I had read some of Tara Stevens’ articles in the travel and food section of the Wall Street Journal! I was star struck.

We spent the next two hours talking about food, wine, travel, Morocco regionalism, Moroccan culture, including the changing role of women in Moroccan society, her family, and Wales, her original home. For example, she told us that conservative cities like Fes have a way to go, but the cities of Casablanca, Marrakech, and Rabat, the capital, are much more progressive and all even have women as mayors. As we talked more about food and her travels, it was evident that her “plant forward” Moroccan Food had some Spanish and Turkey influence. And it was excellent! We also sampled some Moroccan white and Rose wines with our meal. She also gave us a tour of her home, which she actually rents out as a full B&B for six months out of the year. So, if anyone ever visits Fes, you must try out this unique experience. Our travel agent hit a home run with this one!

After lunch we walked the souks of the Medina some more and ended up at the tannery souk where we got a tour with mint under our noses. Without the mint, the odor would have been overpowering. I bought Elizabeth a gift there. Afterwards, Pete and I retired to our hotel for a much needed rest before our dinner at Palais Faraj’s Amandier restaurant, where we would discuss Moroccan history and culture over dinner with a Moroccan academic.

A native of Fes, our dinner guest, Dr. Fatima discussed her city and life as an female academic in Morocco. With a PhD with a specialty in comparative cultures, she is currently focusing on female monarchs in history. While I enjoyed my Chicken and Vegetable Couscous and the pink sunset from the rooftop restaurant overlooking the Medina below, Pete and I got a history lesson on why Jewish and Muslim cultures are so intertwined in Morocco. But most interesting was how far women’s rights have been advanced in Morocco over the past 20 years due mostly to the current King, who succeeded his father in 1999. A very progressive monarch, he has championed women’s rights to the point where women have the same rights in marriage as men with a few exceptions. One exception is that when a patriarch dies, the sons still inherit twice as much as the daughters. But our professor friend says that may also change soon. As she said, change does not happen overnight, and this monarch and parliament has done a good job of implementing reforms gradually.

Because of all the progressive changes that had been started in Morocco, the upheaval of the Arab Spring, a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010’s, and which started in Tunisia as a response to corruption and stagnation, did not spread to Morocco. I came away from our dinner conversation convinced that Morocco is going to be ok.

On Day 8 we had another wonderful breakfast. We decided to not meet our guides, Mohamed and Hakim, until 10:30 because we wanted to make sure we got everything squared away regarding our COVID tests. You see, even though citizens from most countries can visit Portugal with only proof of vaccination, and this includes citizens of Morocco, U.S. citizens also have to produce proof of a negative COVID test taken within 24 hours. So, we dutifully took our tests, which turned out negative.

So, before leaving foe the airport, we quickly visited the royal palace, but the highlight was visiting a mosaic and pottery production center and watching how tiles and pottery are still being made by hand. With all of the mosaics I had seen in Morocco, it was fascinating to finally see how they were made.

Afterwards, we headed to the airport to catch our Ryan Air flight to a new city, a new country, and a new continent. Ryan Air is not a luxury airline, but it is efficient and reliable. Our flight from Fes to Lisbon, Portugal even landed 15 minutes early. So, I will close my post about my experience in Morocco with a quote from my good friend Pete. “Morocco will surprise you, challenge your settled views and leave you eager to return with friends and family.” I hope my posts have done likewise. Now, it’s time to move on to explore Lisbon and to do some cycling in southern Portugal with Backroads.