Don and Veronica's Post Card From Holland: A Moroccan Adventure Part 2

The Medina of Fez

If Marrakech is the tourist capital of the South, then Fez is the tourist capital of the North. Since we had a week to spend in Morocco, we decided to take a couple days for an excursion to Fez. We caught the express train out of Marrakech, but unlike the train that Crosby, Stills & Nash sang about, this one takes 7 hours to make the 291 mile journey to Fez (averaging a blistering 41.5 miles per hour), and stopping along the way a number of times. We slowly chugged through the dusty high plains around Marrakech making our way down to the Atlantic coast. Along the way, we passed a diorama of small villages and random flocks of sheep with loitering shepherds. We did not have to stop for any sheep on the tracks, but did stop a few times for unexplained reasons. The closer we got to the coast, the greener the landscape got. Three hours later, we were approaching Casablanca on the coast.

A flock grazes on the hillside above Fez

Casablanca and Rabat lie fairly close together on the Atlantic coast and are the two biggest cities in Morocco. Together, they make up a highly industrialized and highly populated region. Rabat, as the capital, got all the improvements and modernizations. Casablanca, which is a bit of a brutish port town, got all the slums. What is worse, there is no museum dedicated to Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, no plaque memorializing where “Rick’s American Café” stood, and no restaurants playing “As Time Goes By.” So when the train stopped in Casablanca, we stayed on, and just mumbled to ourselves, “Here’s looking at you, Casablanca.”

The train continued on along the Coast to Rabat, with the sparkling blue Atlantic visible in the distance, before it turned away and started inland once again, climbing up to Fez. We steadily picked up altitude for a couple hours before arriving. Unlike Marrakech, however, the landscape stayed lush and green. By the time the train finally pulled into the Gare de Fez, we were exhausted, and ready for another harrowing taxi ride to our riad.

Entrance to the Royal Palace

Our riad in Fez, the Riad Verus, proved to be a real treat. As is typical for the old town riads, it was located down a narrow otherwise uninviting non-descript cobble stone street in a plain looking building. However, unlike other riads, the way was well marked and easy to find. Stepping through the door from the street into the Riad Verus was like stepping into another world. We were greeted by the sound of the bubbling fountain in the interior courtyard, the chirping song of the house canary, and contemporary american music on the stereo. The Riad Verus is run by a young energetic couple, but in a laid-back, relaxed style. He (Noor) is Brazilian and she (Leonora) is from England. Noor greeted us at the front door, and brought us glasses of traditional hot strong Moroccan Mint tea while we relaxed and took in the ambiance. Everything about the Riad Verus testified to their attention to detail.

The interior was tastefully and imaginatively decorated in classic Moroccan style. Our room was well lighted and comfortable. It had both heat and air conditioning (many old town riads do not have heat, and in the winter months the cement buildings can get quite chilly). Our room had a large flat screen TV on the wall, and internet in our room and throughout the building, not just in the lobby. Our private bath had a spacious Arabic style tiled tub and shower combination. Our room included a hot breakfast with eggs, baguettes, yogurt, fruits and Moroccan delicacies. All the staff were friendly and attentive. And at about $70 a night, it was very reasonably priced. What a find. We were anxious to start exploring Fez after a good night’s sleep.

Fresh Chicken in the Market Place

The Medina (market place) of Fez (Fès el-Bali) is world famous. It goes back over a thousand years and is the world’s largest contiguous car-free urban area. It is an extensive array of covered alleys lined with booths and stalls that goes on seemingly endlessly, and has been described as the “maze to end all mazes.” According to our guide book, “It is quite easy to get lost in the Medina, and in fact part of the fun and adventure of visiting the Medina is getting lost and trying to find your way out.” Sorry, I DON'T THINK SO- not OUR idea of fun. We were not about to get lost and have to bargain away our last durham for a sleeping bag because we had to spend the night lost in an Arabic bazaar.

The centuries old Chaouwara Tanneries

The Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University

So Noor hooked us up with a good guide, who spent the day showing us around- well worth the investment. He took us to all the notable spots in the Medina AND brought us out alive. Of course, we did have to listen to thinly veiled sales pitches at his favorite merchants (from whom I am sure he got a kickback) but it was well worth it. We saw a traditional tannery (the Chaouwara Tanneries) that didn’t look like they had changed much since the middle ages, hand-made Moroccan rugs that you could pick up for a mere $70,000 (or walk on for free, which is what I did), silversmiths that still do everything by hand, spice merchants, homeopathic medicine men, you name it. He also took us over to the Al-Qarawiyyin, which functions both as a university and a mosque. It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest continuously operating university in the world, founded in 859. It is now one of the leading spiritual/educational centers of the Muslim world. Normally, non-Muslims (westerners) are not allowed in a mosque, and you even get dirty looks if you try to peep in when the door is open. But as soon the door attendant saw our guide, he held the door open and beckoned us over to look in. He even volunteered to take my camera inside and take pictures for us. We would never had gotten that kind of treatment on our own.

Afterwards, he drove us up to a high hill overlooking the city, Borj Nord, for an incredible panoramic view, and then back down to a local restaurant near our riad, where we had a delicious Moroccan meal. It was the perfect end to a wonderful and tiring day. We were ready to head back to the Riad Verus and kick back.