Sophie's travels 2011-2012: 10/01/2012 Fes, Morocco

We started the day at the gates to the main palace (The Merderga Bou Inania) which were very impressive and surrounded by guards because the King was staying in Fes at the time. We then drove up to a big fort on the side of a hill looking out over Fes for panoramic views which was spectacular – we were lucky to have another clear blue sunny day. From there we visited a ceramics factory where we watched each stage of the process of making ceramic items and bought a few souvenirs in the shop at the end. We wandered through the maze of medina streets with our local guide at the front and our tour leader at the back as body guards! It was fascinating to see all the locals living normally in their mud brick houses, drying cactus silk, washing clothing, shaping copper pots etc. We passed many mules and donkeys carting market items along the way and eventually arrived at the tannery where we saw all the leather being died and dried. We learnt about all the different types of leather – camel, goats and sheep leather were the softest! We were given a sprig of mint to sniff while we were there to block out the rotting meat smell… Laura and I made a few purchases. We stopped for lunch at a brilliant traditional Fes restaurant where we tasted their special pies and salad and Laura and I shared a beef tajine which was also very tasty. After lunch we continued exploring Fes, we went to the oldest university in the world – built by a woman (Fatima) which had amazing detailed carved plaster and mosaic walls and marble floors. We also stopped at a mosque which again had amazing carving and floors. We finished our day in Fes at a scarf factory where we were shown how all the scarves and dresses are made and got to try on some traditional outfits which was good fun! We wandered back through the medina to the bus and went back to the main gates to the town. We stocked up on booze ready for our night by the camp fire in the desert before leaving Fes.