After a very long break, we are back with our final post in the Morocco series, which is on the penultimate city we visited – Fez! Incidentally, it was exactly on this date last year that we began our amazing trip. Fez was a city that involved a lot of wandering about and getting lost in (more so than any other city that we visited in Morocco). But getting lost was definitely part of the charm and fun of being in Fez – a bit confusing and annoying at times, but full of fascinating sights, scents and sounds. Just as a reminder, you can find our previous posts in the Morocco series here, here, here, here and here. As always, we hope everyone is and stays as safe, strong and sane as possible. 🙂
Juhi: What were your first impressions of Fez?
Fiona: Well, since we came from Casablanca (which I had not been too impressed by), I thought immediately that Fez was much better! I also thought that the riad we stayed at was very pretty (so, so blue) and then we had a tasty lunch soon after reaching, so a good start.
Juhi: I have no idea why but I remember feeling like we were in some Arabian Nights kind of setting on our taxi ride from the train station to the riad! I really do not have any rational explanation for this. I also recall getting a very distinct vibe, like with the many gates and the high walls. Obviously at this point we had not seen anything of the Medina and so it all just felt a bit abandoned, ruined.
Fiona:Â Speaking of riads, what did you think of where we stayed – Riad Jean Claude?
Juhi: Loved it! I was sold just by the blue front door and the falling pink bougainvillea. Of course, this very door troubled us (and embarrassed us in equal measure) a lot because we just could not figure out how to open it! From inside, the Riad was very pretty and peaceful with lots of greenery. The room was spacious and comfortable. The breakfast spread was elaborate and yes, there was always feline company. Also, the Riad’s location was great – it was just a short walk from the Medina.
Fiona: Also agree that I found it a bit embarrassing (and frankly confusing) as to why we struggled with the front door! But otherwise a nice stay, although I think I preferred where we stayed out in Chefchaouen (Casa Perleta) even though Casa Perleta was probably less luxurious. I liked the breakfast as well – it was definitely an indulgent spread, as with most of the other breakfasts (aside from in Casablanca) that we had.
Juhi: Do you want to talk through what we did on the first day?
Fiona: We headed out for lunch at Made in M in the Medina, which was luckily quite close and easy to find from where we were staying. Made in M had quite a quirky aesthetic, and the food was quite tasty too. I had a tagine and then some tasty sweet things to end the satisfying meal. It was also quite entertaining to sit by the window and watch life go by in the Medina right outside – locals, tourists, animals, it was all happening.
We then spent some time familiarising ourselves with the Medina, and sighting the various gates (“Bab” is a gate). Although I don’t remember us getting too lost on that first day, I still recall not finding it easy to remember where we had been. Also, it was quite steep (not necessarily a complaint though)! Overall, it was a less chaotic Medina experience than in Marrakech, but I did find it disconcerting to feel very lost (although that is part of the joy of it…).
We also made some stops at Bou Inania Madrasa (madrasas being places of learning and scholarship) and then R’Cif Cafe. I really liked the view from the terrace, and the terrace itself was very pretty with neatly-patterned blue tiling. However, I think Juhi may have had a different opinion of it because there were a lot of cats, who were playing some sort of cops and robbers no less!
Finally, we had dinner at Darori Resto. I have to admit I was slightly underwhelmed by the food and experience itself, although we did get to try out a pastilla (a type of dough-wrapped pastry) and some Moroccan wine as well. As I think we’ve mentioned before, alcohol is not widely available in Morocco and we hadn’t tried out the local wine before so this was nice.
Juhi: I have to add that we were not served bread at Darori Resto whilst the adjacent table was! And how can we forget the task it proved to be for you to successfully withdraw cash when we were walking around the Medina – haha!
Fiona: We started our second day with a visit to the famous tanneries of Fez – what did you think of them?
Juhi: Hmm, I went with tempered expectations simply because many times, I tend to find the things that are hyped a lot quite disappointing. The experience of randomly entering shops/house to go up to the terrace was fun, haha. And oh god, do you remember that insanely long line of tourists? This was despite us going fairly early, which I would recommend. As regards the actual tanneries, I was not particularly blown away by them. The colours were dull and I was not really taken by the sight. I don’t know if that was just a case of a bad day when fewer colours than usual were being used or a case of me not appreciating art/colours enough, the latter being highly possible. It was, however, quite eye opening to the observe the way in which the tanners were working. I was also thankful that the smell was quite tolerable.
Fiona: They were definitely different to what I expected… The colours were nowhere near as vibrant as I expected, and I struggled to photograph them. On the upside, it definitely didn’t smell as bad as I expected – from the roof terraces it still smelt strong, but it was definitely bearable even without mint sprigs to try and ward off the smell. It was quite disappointing, but luckily it was a short trip in the morning that could lead us to better things during the rest of the day!
Juhi: What did you think of the rest of our morning after we went to the tanneries?
Fiona: That was definitely interesting too… This was where we got astoundingly lost – it was the one point in the trip where I was a bit scared we wouldn’t be able to find our way to the right place or our way out! We were trying to visit Dar al-Makhzen, the Royal Palace. We did eventually get there, but what stymied us was that we just tried to follow the directions to the Royal Palace (which is largely shut) rather than the ‘golden gates’ in particular. Once we got there, the gates were actually quite pretty, but there was nothing else to do apart from taking a picture or two. And after such a long walk, it felt pretty anti-climactic.
However, what did make the morning much better was our lunch at The Ruined Garden. As with a lot of things in Fez, it was a struggle to find, but it was such a nice place to sit in. And the food was good too, although for the life of me I can’t remember what I ate except that we had some interesting soups!
Juhi: I agree with you. The walk to the ‘golden gates’ was quite confusing and it was also pretty hot. We also then tried to find the Jewish Quarter, which I think we did? I am still not very sure because that was pretty confusing as well and it was not easy to identify the buildings! But the walk ensured we had worked up a good appetite, which we made good use of at The Ruined Garden. I loved the setting and the food. Even I cannot recall what we ate. I just remember it being tasty and us eating a lot! I also recall doing some shopping after our meal – a grand three postcards between us :p
Fiona: In the late afternoon, we went to the Marinid Tombs. What did you think of the sunset here versus the various other sunsets we saw in Morocco?
Juhi: My personal favourite was the sunset at the Spanish Mosque in Chefchaouen but I liked this one too. I think the colours were actually better once the sun had set, on our way back. However, it was a good walk up to the Tombs and once we were up on the hill, the view of Fez was beautiful. It was quite peaceful just sitting there (and at least I was catching my breath), people watching, seeing some wildlife (read donkeys) and seeing the actual tombs as well.
Fiona: I really loved it. This was probably one of my favourite sunsets, up there with the sunset for Chefchaouen. I think I enjoyed the walk up to the Tombs more because it was a bit less perilous / unmarked, even if it took a similar amount of time – around 40 minutes, and it was, I think, less crowded than at the Spanish Mosque. Also, there was more to see at the Marinid Tombs than at the Spanish Mosque because there is an array of different ruins on the hill (as well as the donkeys passing by occasionally).
Juhi: Our final meal in Fez was at Cafe Clock – what did you think?
Fiona: Pretty nice really, even if not the most authentic (and there are various ‘branches’ of this in Morocco). I had some quite tasty couscous and then we had some cake, which I remember being one of the tastiest sweet things we had in Morocco. Also, although it took us absolutely ages to realise what it was (and we found it pretty underwhelming), Cafe Clock is named after the ‘Margana’, which is a water clock near the restaurant!
Juhi: Apart from the drama of having to change the table thanks to me on account of the cat (sorry Fi!), it was a nice relaxing meal. I really liked the ambience as well. The cake was yum and I recall eating falafel – so yeah, not the most authentic meal for me for sure!
FORUM HOPPING 