Fes

The hotel in Fes is one of those where you can only get a decent internet signal in the lobby but I have bought a 10 gb SIM card for my cell phone and can use it as a hotspot if I place it in a certain place by the small window to the room.

Since we stop at Fes for two nights, we can also get washing done.

Two of our group. I wore my sunglasses as well.

Our bus took us to the entrance to the Palace where the current King sometimes resides. His wife is a commoner who came from Fes so that is why they go there fairly often. Normally they live in Rabat.

Another orange.

The Morocco flag. 

We headed off to the old Jewish Quarter which is close to the Palace. The Jews were well treated and respected by the Morocco population.

This black substance is a soap made from olives. It is used in a hamman which is a Turkis Bath.

Used at weddings.

More storks.

We were taken to a high point to get a view of Fes which is a large city with a population over a million.

The medina that we would visit later. 

Fes lies between two mountain ranges. 

It would make a good jigsaw puzzle.

We were taken to a pottery school. They use a special local clay and this poor bloke has to stamp it down with his feet to remove air bubbles. His feet must be amazingly tough.

We got the usual demo of making clay pots and then we were taken to a showroom where you could buy the results.

When they make a ceramic table top, they lay the ceramic tiles face down and then apply fiber-glass to the back.

Still at work.

You could ship your tagine pot home free.

Back into the bus and off to a narrow entrance to the medina. This one is huge and it is very easy to get lost.

The alleys become very narrow.

Barely wide enough for your shoulders.

Figs.

The black object is heated and a thin crepe is laid on top to cook.

This poor camel was wandering around the prior day.

And here is his hoof.

Fish. The market is divided into several areas all selling the same stuff.

We came to the tanning area.

They use the algave plant as a material.

The water and dye goes into the drain and from there into the river which is very polluted.

The river separates two areas of the medina and this bridge is very old.

You have to be constantly on the look out for donkeys, horses and carts carrying goods.

Huge bowls that you can rent if you need to cook for a crowd.

The famous vats where they dye the materials and tan the hides.

Satellite dishes.

The yellow dyes are very expensive.

When you enter the area, you are given a sprig of mint to help offset the stench of the tannery.

One of the mosques.

We walked through an area that sold wedding dresses. Apparently a woman gets seven dresses which she wears at different stages of her wedding that lasts a few days.

A place of learning where student would come and study for twelve years. 

Facing to Mecca.

The students lived in these small cells, two to a room.

The teachers would sit by one of the pillars and instruct their pupils who gathered around him.

The building was several stories high.

Green and while tiled floor throughout the upper floors.

We went into an elaborate restaurant for lunch but chose to eat outside on the top of the building.

It was a little chilly up there but the view was good.

The waiter brought out numerous bowls of salad material and here is what I ate.

The leftovers.

Our German lady had a vegetable tagine.

I had chicken and lemon but it was not as good as what I make at home. Fes is the gastronomic capitol of Morocco.

The white tower is the site of the oldest university in the world. We got a brief glimpse of it during the walk.

The name of the restaurant.

Back into the maze.

We were led into a carpet making shop where the bloke in the green shirt was industriously weaving his carpet.

There was a comfy seat for the men and we sat as the women trudged upstairs to look at more wares. The moment they left, the bloke in the green shirt stopped working and started talking to his mate who was also weaving. Another group arrived and they immediately burst into action.

Finally we emerged from the medina into the open air. You would never know there was an entrance there between the buildings. It was a very enjoyable experience.