FEZ - May 11

Have we been here for 5 days already? The days are fading in and out, and we have completely lost track of all time. Happy belated Mother's Day, as today is the first day we have thought about the date or day or time since we arrived from Marrakesh.

Last Friday (we think) we traveled for 8 hours aboard a bus from Marrakesh to Fez through the Middle Atlas Mountains. Though the views were not nearly as breathtaking as in the High Atlas Mountains, we appreciated that the cliffs were not quite as high as our rickety old bus flung around hairpin turns on the mountainside. Harrowing was the word that we used to describe the bus ride to the Sahara, while the one to Fez was only slightly terrifying. Having arrived safely, we should let you know that we plan to take a train to Casablanca tomorrow, so not to worry.

Arriving from Marrakesh, we were well primed to explore the maze of alleys and hallways and paths that Fessians all call the streets of their medina. We settled quickly into our hotel, and set out to get lost and find dinner.

Fez is the third Imperial City in Morocco, behind Marrakesh and Rabat, and served as the capital of a medieval Islamic Empire that spanned from Spain to Sub-Saharan Africa. It's far less touristy than Marrakesh was, which has been mostly wonderful but a little bit frustrating.

Jillian being Jillian met and ended up chatting all night with a few Masters degree students from Fez University. We learned all about the ins and outs of life in the medina, the politics of tourism, and just how friendly and hospitable Moroccans really are. We were invited to attend a special lecture with them the following morning, and readily agreed. One of their classmates joked that she had known about many different kinds of tourists and tourism, but was quite impressed with our educational tourism. OK, we admit, it was a totally geeky move to check out Fez University, but it was really an offer we couldn't refuse. After class, El-Medhi took us for a stroll through the medina. We saw his home, primary school, the shop of his brother and we met many of his friends. We could hardly walk two meters without a "salaam aleykum"coming from someone. As he is both a student and a middle school English teacher 100km outside of Fez, our walk was cut short as he caught a bus to head to the remote village where he teaches.

We've spent the last few days in and out of shops, eating brochettes (kebabs) from the grill at the camel butcher and homemade yoghurt, stumbling upon fine craftsmen in their studios, and encountering the most exquisite inlaid ceramic public drinking fountains and peering into mosques and medersas.

Don't be fooled, we have been fulfilling our touristy obligations of seeing the historical and Jewish sites too. Two days ago, we took a petit taxi (yes, that's what they call their cutey pitootey busted little red taxis) to the Mellah, the Jewish section of town. El-Medhi had explained to us that relations between Jews and Muslims in Morocco are quite good, and in fact the Mellah in each city was not erected as a ghetto, but as a protected place for Jews to live. In Fez, the Mellah abuts the beautiful Royal Palace, demonstrating just how important it was/is to the monarchy to look after the Jews. We're not sure how true this was throughout the entire history of Moroccan Jewry, but today the Moroccans are very proud of their good relations and in Marrakesh particularly we found that Jews and Jewish artifacts were considered exotic and really cool. Huh.

In the mellah we encountered a very different style of architecture, where all of the homes had balconies. We don't know why this is, we just noticed it. For some baksheesh (a tip or some small change) a gentleman led us through the mellah to the home of a revered rabbi, a decrepit Sephardic synagogue, and the recently restored 17th century Ibn Danan Synagogue. From there we walked to the beautiful whitewashed Jewish cemetery that overlooked the stunning hillsides of Fez.

There is no mistaking the laugh of Ed Wynn as the old banker in Mary Poppins. Think for a minute, yup, you remember the one. Yesterday, as we drank our morning cappuccinos and tour guides approached us to offer their services, we heard the laugh from across the square. We had not been planning on taking a tour, but the guide's friendly demeanor and full body laugh (heart attack?) won us over immediately. For several hours, this charming old man led us through the medina sharing all of its secrets with us. Two days before, we had thought Al-Medhi had been a popular dude, but we hadn't seen anything yet. As he imparted wisdom and we walked, all of Fez came out to greet him. Children stopped begging for candy, business transactions were halted, parchese dice were held, and idle time was made lively as Missouri Al-somethingsomething strutted by with us. He shouted lively greetings to some, but only those who had not already greeted him. We don't know exactly what he was saying, but everyone laughed as he rolled his R's longer than R's have ever been rolled. He told us it was something to the effect of "all politicians are donkey shit" but something was lost in translation, because everyone reacted as if it were the funniest thing they had ever heard. His life lessons were deep and his joy contagious. We learned a little bit about the history of the medina walking around with him too.

CULINARY SIDE NOTE: Just in case you want to know where to get the freshest camel meat in town, the butchers in Fez proudly hang a camel head in front of their store touting their goods. Hoofs and testicles are on display too, for the discerning chef. We have been trolling restaurants far and wide, but as yet haven't been any more adventurous than a camel burger with fries. In all fairness, though, we haven't seen "ball soup" on any menus. As former (and Ari soon to be again) New Yorkers, the irony was not lost on us when we dined on a pastilla de pigeon. It was a delicate pastry filled with meat and an assortment of spices, and was truly divine.

Our camera cord is a little cranky today, so we can't upload any photos, but we promise to get more up as soon as we can. Fez has been quite a delight to the eyes.

Lots of love,
Jillian + Ari