Today we ventured into the old city of Fes (Fes el Bali), home of 360 mosques, 80 000 shops (yes! 80 000!), 940 streets, and surrounded by 15km of walls…. 400 000 people live here but actually estimates of true population are over one million. The smells and the atmosphere was amazing, people, donkeys, carts with oranges or water, children, women wearing djellabas (hooded robes). It is a labyrinth of immense proportions. I would never venture in here alone, it would be impossible to find my way out again. The alleyways are narrow and crowded, with the shouts of ‘balak balak!’ meaning get out of the way, usually fully loaded donkeys going by, you have to squish up against the wall or get run over. The ever-present threat of pickpockets makes you clutch your bag to your chest be very wary. We visited leather tannery, also selling shoes and handbags. Watching those labourers, knee deep in vats of dye, dyeing wool in the hot sun makes you appreciate an office job! There are stray cats and kittens everywhere, but they look fed. Unfortunately there are also live pigeons and chickens crammed in tiny cages, camel heads hanging in the butcher stalls along with slabs of meat, I prefer to think of the origins of the meat I eat as being on styrofoam trays wrapped in cling-wrap! We saw beef jerky being made, fish and live snails in baskets. Yes I am thinking about trying snails, but definitely of the cooked variety. We visited a government co-op carpet seller and a couple of the girls bought beautiful rugs to be shipped home. As well as food, there were shoe stalls, clothing stalls, dodgy DVD stalls, plus tailors, barbers, and all kinds of artisans. What an amazing day. Earlier we also stopped by a pottery making factory and watched the clay on a potters wheel being made into all kinds of tajines, plates, mugs, and tiles. All were fired in beautiful stone ovens with burning wood and olive pits. The clay tiles are also dried out in the sun, dyed, and painstakingly made into mosaic tiles for fountains, table tops and other wares. Finished off the day with beers and a swim, and dinner out in the rooftop terrace we went to last night, having salad, and roast chicken. Lunch was bread and lentils, chicken pastilles and green mint tea and fresh oranges, strawberries and bananas dusted with cinnamon. Capping off a wonderful day, I was taking a picture of a great looking wall when 3 young giggling boys surrounded me, asking me to take their picture, I was a bit suss as I expected them to ask for money, but they just wanted to see their picture on my camera….fantastic.
