Fes II

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

For lunch today we gathered food for a picnic: bread, mixed nuts, peanuts, water, oranges, bananas, olives (from two days ago). We tried to find two museums with artefacts, but they were closed. Instead we came upon a school where we managed to find a class in which students were learning plaster carving. The teacher showed us the stencils they use to mark the wet plaster, and we saw students doing the carving according to the marked plaster. The building had been beautiful at one time, but was in great disrepair. We thought the school was teach restoration, but they did not seem to be preserving or attempting to restore their own building.

This is the view from the second story into the courtyard. It's pretty common for there to be orange trees in these courtyards.

We then happened upon a palace just as we wanted to get some tea. The tilework in this palace was newer and in much better condition and we were given a little tour by in Spanish by a man who is originally from Tetouan. He showed us the main floor and then we paid the price of “admission” via some expensive mint tea.

We had an early dinner and then looked for an internet place to check the bus schedule. But by 6:30 the medina was become unrecognizable. It transformed from a bustling place full of color – people and their wares in full light – to a corridor that was a series of double doors, one right after the other. Each stall really is about six feet wide, and when the doors are open they are hung with wares that spill out onto the walkway. At night it’s a bit dark. A man tried to explain to us that during the day... and the souqs….We had no way to tell him that we knew.

For reference, this is the beginning of the day, when everyone's setting up their stores.

We like Fes as a town, but it doesn’t have the charms of Chefchaouen, so we won’t stay long, nor will we search out other towns for their medinas. We’ll head to the desert from here (rather than Marrakesh) and come back here unless we’re enticed by a town on the Atlantic coast.

I am encouraged to learn French, and found a helpful book. If I speak it with Dave he is encouraged too. I want him to have a richer experience than the “getting by” he’s used to. He loves it that we can get more because of my Spanish. I’m more willing to try French than he is.