It’s hard to believe, but our trip is almost over. Our final stop is Fes, Morocco home of one of the largest medinas (old walled city) in the world and we were staying right next door. Walking through the gates of this city within a city was like walking into the past. No motor vehicles are allowed (perhaps because their streets more resemble alleys) which means mules are truly the beast of burden of choice. There are thousands of streets, which makes a guide essential if you want to emerge sometime this year.
Small shops line the streets with sections of the souq dedicated to textiles, food markets (if you love olives, this is your place), jewelry, pottery, practically anything you would ever want. Hidden behind doors are courtyard houses of up to 4000 square feet where extended families continue the tradition of sharing housing.
This is a country that values craftsmanship (no blue light specials here) which shows everywhere you look. The tile mosaics, hand tooled plaster and intricately carved doors decorate every square foot of the buildings. Silk threads (made from the agave plant not worms) were spun right on the streets. Inside, we watched these same threads woven into colorful cloth that could be made into anything you desired.
We visited a tannery where centuries old methods (and some dyes that are made from less than appetizing natural sources) turn fresh animal hides into beautiful leather items such as coats, belts, purses and shoes. This place smells so strong that you are issued a sprig of mint at the door to sniff while watching the dyers dip the hides in huge circular vats of color. I bought a white leather coat which was dyed using the excrement from, well, let’s just say I may have an urge to perch around parks waiting for crumbs of bread.
If you can judge a society by the wellness of their pets, Morocco is very healthy indeed. The streets are filled with plump, well groomed kitties. Scraps of food are offered to them by the local butchers. Dogs are relegated to the country.
Our final evening concluded with a cocktail party followed by a dinner featuring Moroccan delicacies. I love their use of spices and the stews made from lamb, chicken and beef. This is one place I definitely will return. The evening’s entertainment was geared to the guys – a comely belly dancer that happily enticed members of our group onto the dance floor for a little hip shaking. I’m sure all the women will return home and take up this new pastime if we’re all promised to look like our dancer did!
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