semifreelife: fes morocco

Monday, March 10, 2014

more of the medina

after being fortify with our very expensive lunch we head to another medrasa (this one I had actually been to in my last trip - remembered only because of the photos) and then onward in the souks until we found a museum in a converted carvan serai... then to the leather tanneries (or what's left of them- mostly they are there for show and real operations have been moved outside the city) and eventually back to the hotel- where we have a brief rest and then off to dinner and a "lecture" by a professor from a local university. The lecture was actually more of a discussion but it was a lovely evening and the food was good as was the company.

back out to the "streets" -

on to the tanneries-

the showroom below the viewing platform- had many things on offer- LOL- no surprise there!

the restaurant where we had dinner- and our salad course which was quite the same from one place to another but always a lovely spread...

tomorrow we are off to Roman ruins and Meknes (both UNESCO World Heritage sites)- so stay tuned!

into the medina

so we return to the Blue Gate- to start our exploration of the Medina in earnest... the blue gate is blue coming in and green going out-

the minaret in the center of the view through the blue gate is the one we visited earlier - a combination mosque and medrasa...

as we walk away from the area right inside the gate we are immediately transported into medieval times - the narrow lanes bustling with souks of food and clothing and leather work and metal work.... all within an absolute maze- I suppose that eventually one could find their way out but it certainly would be difficult for someone unfamiliar with the medina...

this is a wall were they run threads before putting them on bobbins (note the threads on the lower portion of the photo)

when we finally stop for lunch we are astounded at the tourist trap we have landed in- our lunch cost more than our lovely dinner at the swanky hotel last night!