Tanneries of Fez

We started this morning with a visit to a pottery and mosaic workshop. We had the obligatory tour of the workshops 

that was very interesting and then our fellow tourists proceeded to buy almost everything in sight. We joined in and bought two cereal bowls and a great time was had by all.

Then we moved on to tour the Medina, or old city. The streets were so narrow and steep that we had to walk in single file. 

As we got nearer to our next stop we started to notice an unpleasant smell that got worse and worse. At the entrance to the tannery shop we were each handed a big sprig of mint to try and reduce the smell.

I noticed one lady stuff some into each nostril, and another guy balanced it under his nose by pushing his lips out into a sort of Hitler moustache look. I was very pleased with myself as I whipped out my covid mask,pushed the mint inside and then wore it for the rest of the visit.

Once we got up on to the top floor we had an amazing view of the tannery.

If you look closely you can see men working in the little pools. 

The guide explained the process of turning camel,cow and sheepskins in to leather of different colours that they then turned in to bags, coats and poufs etc. It was a huge eye opener, and all done in the traditional way. I can't remember all of it, but the light coloured pools on the left hand side are full of pigeon droppings and the skins are left in it for many days as the acid does something to the skins.

It also accounts for the terrible smell. After that they are moved to the coloured pots where they are washed for 25 days in natural coloured dyes to add colour to the skins. It looks like an awful job,but apparently the jobs are passed down through the generations of families.

After that time, they are then left in the sun for a number of days before they are ready to be turned into clothes and bags.

Unfortunately I think that everyone was as shocked as me by what they had seen and smelt, and I don't think that anyone bought anything.

After that we had lunch which our guide told us was a fantastic Fez delicacy. Called a pastilla, it was a sort of chicken and spicy pie topped with icing sugar and cinnamon. I had huge doubts about whether chicken went well together with sugar and in my opinion I was right - it doesn't. However, we had good company and Daz and I shared one between us,which was more than enough.

We also toured a beautiful old building called a Madrassa, which is a Muslim school dedicated to learning the Koran. It is empty now, but had amazing decorative plasterwork in an enclosed courtyard.

We were told that the best students had the windows overlooking the courtyard and the others had darker rooms at the back, which seemed quite fair really.

Tangier to Fez

 I have worked out that Morocco is a large country and the cities are very far apart,so we spend a lot of time getting from place to place. The countryside in between is often very beautiful, but it can last for a bit too long at times.

Today's highlight was a town on the way called Chefchaouen. In the olden days the women of the town used to paint it blue as in the winter they were troubled by mosquitoes, and if they painted the buildings blue then the mosquitoes thought it was water and stayed away. Apparently.

Anyway, it makes for a lovely place and lots of photos.

Our guide is called Mohammed is called Mohammed and is really nice. He dresses in traditional clothes now that we are out of Marrakech and can be spotted immediately.

Lots of other men dress this way too, but usually in white and they are much smaller than him, so our guide looks like the grim reaper.

Watch out Darren, he's just behind you.

Our hotel in Fez is great and we had a rooftop dinner with Morrocan Champagne, as the waiters called it, or sparkling water as that was what it was.

Casablanca to Tangier

Our hotel in Casablanca was right next to a huge mosque, and we were keen to get a closer look.

It was on a platform over the sea and all around people were having a great time on the beach and jumping in to the sea. There was a lovely promenade in both directions and we had a nice walk along it.

After dinner we went back to see the sunset behind such a beautiful building.

This morning our guide told us that it was the third largest mosque in the world, but although definitely enormous, Wikipedia said it came in at about 10th. Not that it matters.

Our tour group has been joined today by 30 Canadians, and they are very friendly, but it's a big group.

Looking back on today, all that I can think is that it was very long, lots of driving and looking out of the coach window. However, we did also see some good stuff.

Rabat is the capital city and is up the coast from Casablanca. It was supposed to have an identical mosque tower to the one in Marrakech but the king died before it was was finished, his heirs didn't finish it either, and then it was badly damaged in an earthquake in the 1700's. It's been repaired recently and looking very nice.

Lovely beaches with a large and very scenic cemetery just behind them.

A very nice old town also overlooking the sea.

Then we carried on up the coast for a very long time, but a genuine highlight for me happened at the motorway service station. Everywhere we looked there was storks nest on the top of electricity pylons.

Finally, it was getting quite late by then but our guide insisted on taking us the very long route to Tangier so that we could see the meeting of the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas. I did try, but it all looked like water to me.

Ps, now that I look really closely at this photo, maybe near the horizon the water is a different colour. Amazing!!!

Walking tour of Marrakech

Off on a tour of Marrakech with our group and guide. It's a beautiful morning and not too hot.

First stop was the Koutoubia Mosque which dates by to the 13th century. Our guide told us that after people worshipped there for the first 100 years they found out that it was not facing towards Mecca.  Quite a disaster really, but they seem to have rebuilt the ground floor but left the tower as it was.

Next past all of the horse and carts waiting at the Jemaa el-Fna Square. This is a photo taken a bit later of one of them as viewed through an arch in the city wall.

It's supposed to be a bit arty and I kept pressing my camera button either too early or too late, so this is one of Darren's pictures.

The Square whose name I can't pronounce was quite empty as it was quite early in the day, but I spotted a sad looking monkey on a chain and stayed well away.

Then our guide took us into the souks and backstreets for a very long time.

Eventually we emerged into the daylight and went to see the Bahia Palace. It is a beautiful place that was built by the Vizier for his first wife called Bahia. Apparently it means 'beautiful' in Arabic and she was his favourite and had her own private quarters in the Palace.

Unfortunately she also had to live with his other three wives, and his hareem of 20 other ladies. Our guide didn't tell us what she thought of that arrangement.

This is the hareems rooms.

Selfie with Bahia's garden in the background.

Beautiful ceiling.

Finally our last stop was the oils and spice shop where the salesman did a great pitch, but unfortunately we are a cheap group and only one lady bought some hibiscus tea.

The afternoon saw us drive the 200 miles to Casablanca and we have just checked in to our hotel.

Empty airport

Our flight is at 8am and we stayed overnight at a Premier Inn a few miles from Heathrow. The first bus was at 5.24am and was filled with airport workers and us.

We arrived at about 5.45am, and it's now 6.20 and we are all checked in and sitting in a café drinking coffee and cake!

I can't quite believe it!!

Also, for the first time ever, every single security staff member was friendly, helpful and smiling. One even told me that I had unpacked my bag perfectly and to have a lovely day!

Are we in an alternative universe or is the flight going to be delayed? 

By the way, we are going to Marrakech so hopefully some sunny blogs coming up.

New house on it's way

Monday morning, and work is starting on the plot behind our house. They are having it built by Danwood, so it should be quick and efficient.

By 10am pieces of building were flying through the air, and by the end of the day the ground floor was in.

By Tuesday evening the first floor was added and today the roof started to go on.

It's looking good and is set towards the front of their plot, so further away from us. The left hand side is going to remain single storey so we will keep the views of the woods behind. 

The only downside, and it may be a big one, is that they gained permission for a very large outbuilding in the garden that will be only a metre from our boundary. We will have to wait to see if it blocks a lot of our light.

Changing the subject, our fish is looking good and if you look carefully it looks as if it is blowing bubbles, but they are actually calla lillie flowers.

I did try to grow lots of blue pansies to look like water around him, but they didn't really grow, so instead he is perhaps swimming through a coral reef.