23 January 2025 – Thursday – Fes

We left our hotel and drove across the river into Sale where we passed the palace where the king prefers to stay when he is in Rabat. The palace isn’t visible from the street but it’s obviously an important place as there are many guards positioned all along the walls. 

We drove along a highway passing though Maamoura , a huge forest of cork trees. Cork cannot be harvested until the tree is 12 years old and thereafter harvest is done every 9 years. It is the only tree that can survive striping the bark circumferentially. 

Abdou had told us about a special market we were going to visit. He said we would meet the real Moroccans. The market takes place on Thursdays every week. 

As we got close to the market, we saw trucks leaving with cows, sheep, hay, and huge blue sacks which we were told was sorghum. The parking lot was filled with cars and trucks parked randomly. We were the only tourists for sure. 

As we entered the market area there were many stalls with barbers giving shaves and haircuts. A water seller was filling his goat skin sac before walking into the market to sell the water. He looked very much like the water seller in Tetouane although not quite as fancy. 

The market was packed with people buying, selling, eating or drinking. It had the feeling of a country fair without rides or games. You could pick out a chicken, have it weighed, pass it to the butcher who kills it, plucks the feathers and cleans out the innards all in a short time. 
Many places were grilling little spiced meat patties and all sorts of organ meats. The smell was delicious. Some men were sitting at a table drinking tea. They invited us to join them but we said no thank you and moved on. 

We passed all sorts of sellers for fruits, vegetables, dried beans, spices, shoes, clothing and on and on. We continued on to the animal section where horses, sheep, rams, and goats were being sold. Horses were tied to trees.  All other animals were hobbled so they couldn’t escape. Young male sheep(rams) are desirable for eating. Age is easy to determine. Check the teeth. Two adult teeth means the animal is 2 years old. Older rams are used for breeding. Males are supposed to taste better than females. Females are used for breeding or they can be eaten if they have not given birth. 
Cows and bulls were being led away as we walked by. There is a slaughter house somewhere on the grounds. We didn’t visit it. 
As we left the animal section, there was a section of halters and lead ropes for sale as well as metal chains and all sorts of connectors. 
A man was selling a black liquid that was cedar oil which is used on the ground surrounding a house to keep out bugs. 
We stopped to share a donut that had just been fried. It was crunchy and tasty. Not sweet. There were several booths selling small fried whole fish. Nearby there were tents where people could eat. 
Abdou had told us that we should greet people and ask if we could take a photo. Many said ok while others hid from us. The people were every bit as interesting as the things being sold. 
We left the market and drove to Fes which is the oldest capital city of Morocco. It is the oldest Medina from the 9th century. It is also the spiritual and cultural center of Morocco. Approach to the city is through a new modern part. Then we got off the bus and walked into the narrow crooked streets to our Riad. 
The Riad is a combination of several old houses that have been converted to a hotel that is composed of many different rooms with baths. I suspect that no 2 rooms are the same. 
After lunch we were given our room assignments. My room is small and comfortable. It’s just a place to sleep. The bed is comfortable and there is heat. Nothing else matters. 
We met at 4 pm to be taken to a high spot overlooking the Medina so that we could appreciate the enormity of the old city. We then went to visit an artisan studio that makes clay pieces and mosaics. It is fascinating to watch the artisans. At the end of our tour, we were brought to the store that sells what they make. I think everyone bought something. Me too. It will all be shipped home. 
We came back into town near our hotel to have happy hour before we ate dinner at the cinema cafe. We each ordered different things. I was not alone in ordering a camel burger. It was tasty and not like a beef burger. We all made it back to the hotel and are ready to sleep before our next outing which includes an archeological site tomorrow.