Fes, Bhalil, Sefrou and more

 To say we had a full day would be a huge understatement; we walked around, through and over the Fes Medina, shopping and watching craft demonstrations and that was all before lunch. We walked through the Jewish quarter in Fes, but like the other Jewish quarters we have seen and will see, the Jews have been gone for fifty to seventy years. There have been a few exoduses, beginning with around the time of Israel’s independence in 1948 to the 1960s, with Moroccan Jews moving to Israel. They weren’t asked to leave or forced to leave, though, and now many Israelis of Moroccan heritage are returning to visit their homeland. If we didn’t have a guide, I don’t think I would be able to tell we were in the Jewish quarter, but apparently the Jewish apartments had balconies or different types of balconies, and some of the balconies had Stars of David in a corner. 

In Sefrou (which actually came later in the afternoon) we also went to the Jewish quarter and went to a former Jewish children’s home that had a synagogue.

Walking through the medinas is like stepping back in time, narrow lanes, brick lanes that have probably been walked on for over 500 years (at least). We went into a brass shop and saw a demonstration of a plate being made, hammered and shaped without any pattern or special tools. The work was just beautifully done, and as much as I didn’t want to spend any money, I couldn’t help it. They had beautiful Seder plates and some other plates with Jewish Stars. There were lamps and candelabras and jewelry. 

Sweets in preparation of Ramadan

Graham, or Aziz as he is also known, our guide (a British transplant who has lived in Morocco for over 25 years) squeezed in a visit to a pottery to show us how the tiles are made for the many mosaics we have seen in mosques, museums, the synagogue. It’s a very intensive process done by hand using the gray clay found in the region, chipping out the different shapes, placing them upside down in a framework, putting the cement mixture over it and only then seeing the completed pattern. The artistry is mind-blowing and I think we all appreciated the opportunity to see the process and the end result. I found a little self-control and did not buy the $500 silver inlaid menorah; even now, I feel like I should have because it was really special. Don’t worry, I didn’t go away empty handed. The purchases are wrapped up and tucked away, so no pictures of them. 

The last ‘artisanal’ thing we did, in the morning anyway, was go to the tannery co-op; I had read beforehand that the smell can be overpowering, so I just practiced my mouth breathing techniques, so I didn’t get the full force of the ammonia and other smells, we were provided with springs of mint which we all pretty much stuck up our noses. They have been using the same process for centuries using urine, pigeon droppings and patience (probably some other stuff) to create unbelievably soft leather. A few in the group bought leather jackets, but I could not justify that purchase. Maybe on my next trip. 

I think at that point we headed back to the hotel so people could go on their own way for lunch or to rest up before the optional excursion to Bhalil and Sefrou. I found a little cafe and grabbed a veggie pizza (I used my French, “pas de viandes, s’il vous plait”).  Then before I knew it, we were off to the Middle Atlas Mountains to meet a man who grew up and lived in a cave dwelling; it was somewhat modernized with newer construction above the cave, but he still used the cave to share with visitors. It was not what I imagined, and he was quite a character, who did not act like he was 73 years old. We had mint tea that he brewed for us and some cookies Aziz brought, and he told us a little about his life. We walked around the village a.little and watched some of the local women making buttons for djellabas, kind of like a long coat or outer garment. 

I’m exhausted just typing this, and the day is not even over. After we made our way through Sefrou we had just a little bit of time to rest up before the big dinner and show. This group touring thing is an introvert’s worst nightmare. But, on we go. We were going to have a traditional meal with a variety of entertainment including a traditional Moroccan orchestra, drummers, dancers and magician. It was as crazy as it sounds. The food was so good and I did not take a single picture, so you’ll have to trust me, but it included figs, olives and bread to start; soup; chicken skewers; chicken tagine - the chicken was so soft and tender; and flan for dessert. The entertainment was happening during dinner, so there was a little bit of sensory overload. A few of our group (actually a pretty good representation) participated in different parts of the show, several of them getting up on stage and shaking it with the dancers. It was a great time, but I was absolutely wiped out. 

We left Fes this morning (Saturday) for the marathon endurance test known as the road to Marrakech, which took forever. But we are here and I’m ready for the next adventure.