Fez:
4am-6pm: We drove from Sevilla,
Spain to Algeciras, Spain in order to get on a boat to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.
Then, we took a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar (so cool!!! – even though
an hour of our time spent on the ferry was spent waiting in a line to get our
passports stamped). Next, we got back on the bus (because our bus also took the
ferry!?) and traveled to Fez, Morocco… what a long day!
I spent most of my time on the bus
sleeping, but from what I did see of the trip from the ferry port to Fez was
beautiful… and a bit surprising! I guess I’m undereducated, but I thought
Africa was all dry with deserts. But I saw beautiful, green, rolling hills! It
was incredible… Anyways, we got to our hotel at about 6pm and had about an hour
until dinner, so Kelsey and I explored the city a little… we definitely stuck
out like two sore thumbs!
At 7, we came back for dinner at the hotel… my first
Moroccan meal! And it was buffet style, yum! Also with dinner, the directors
gave us our Moroccan money (dirhams) that we had bought beforehand (with
euros). I got to hold 800 dirhams… which is only 76 euros (around $100), but
holding 800 anything felt really cool! But with a full stomach, after a day of
traveling, and in preparation for a big day to follow, I went back to my room
and fell asleep right away!
On Tuesday, we woke up to a 5-minute
prayer spoken (sang?) over a loud speaker for the whole city. Two hours later,
when we were supposed to get up, we woke up to a traditional Moroccan breakfast
(or I’m guessing it’s traditional since I ate roughly the same breakfast the
whole time in morocco) consisting of different types of breads with jam and
butter. After breakfast, we headed to the Kings Palace. The King’s Palace was
beautiful. The architecture of the building along with the detail on every inch
of it made it a piece of art!
After a quick stop here, we headed to the Medina
of Fez, which took up the majority of our day. The Medina of Fez is like a city
within the city. It is the oldest part of Fez and is confined by walls on all
sides. Since cars are not allowed inside the walls, the medina is believed to
be the biggest car-free area in the world. Within the walls, besides the people
that live there, are local markets everywhere you look! Also, there is the
oldest university in the world (founded in 859), which is still used today.
The Medina of Fez was the coolest
place I have ever seen. It was a complete 180-degree difference from the part
of the city that our hotel was in. The people, the atmosphere, the buildings…
everything was different! We were led through the streets of the medina by a
Moroccan guide, who told us all about the city. I learned…
That between buildings, wooden
planks are put up in order to see if the buildings are shifting to make sure
they are safe. Also, that the wooden planks are made of cedar because that type
of wood is more weather resistant and because insects don’t eat it.
That many of
the doors have two parts: a smaller part for family, and a bigger part for
guests.
That low wooden planks are put up
on streets, or before the opening to a building, meaning no animals (mainly donkeys) allowed.
And speaking of donkeys… I saw them
everywhere! Which makes sense because they need a way to transport goods since
cars aren’t allowed. Along with donkeys, they use carts… which are almost as
wide as the narrow streets, so when one comes along, they yell “Balak”, meaning
“be careful”.
Most interestingly, I learned that
the outside of buildings all look the same, meaning plain, and that inside is where
the real beauty is. This is because the Moroccan people believe that they are
all the same on the outside and the difference... the beauty... comes from within. I love it.
Throughout our trip in the medina,
we stopped at various shops in order to buy souvenirs. We stopped at a cloth shop, a ceramics shop, a metal shop, a rug shop, a pharmacy (the oldest in Fez), and a leather shop.
In the leather shop, they took us too the roof so we
could see how they make the leather, but not before giving us a mint leaf to
“change the smell”. WOW! I was sure glad they thought of that because the smell
was the worst thing I have ever smelt in my whole life, no exaggeration!!! But
looking down on all of the work (and smell) that goes into making the leather
really makes you appreciate the price on a real leather coat!
Anyways, to say I went a little
overboard with my spending on goods in the medina is an understatement…
I loved the Medina of Fez (and
actually dreamed about it a few nights during my spring break), so I know
already that I will take a trip back to morocco in order to see Fez and many
other cities!
After the medina, we headed back to
the hotel for dinner and to relax for a couple of hours before heading to “a
typical Moroccan show”. The
typical Moroccan show was NOT what I was expecting… and I’m sure not what your
going to be expecting………. It was belly dancing?! Huh? For a country where the
majority of the women cover their whole body/face, how is belly dancing
“typical”? Either way, everything was great… the dancing, the music, the
clothes… everything! The belly dancers even got some of the boys in the group
up and dancing like them! I was laughing the whole night! And to top it off, we
got a typical Moroccan drink with the show: mint tea. Yum. I had a wonderful
night!
