Funky Fes (no really, that's the name of it!)

Monday 31st, December, 2018

We were up at 9 so we could leave for a walking tour of the city by 10. The room was still freezing (and the shower was still moldy) so no showers for us. Breakfast was included at our accomodation and was absolutely lovely- hardboiled eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers, tangerines, bread, cheese and marmalade.

17 of us left the hostel and embarked on a really informative walking tour throughout the Old Medina in the city of Fes. The city is made up of 9500 alleyways (big, small, covered, winding and everything in between).

We first climbed up, up and up to take in a beautifully panoramic view of the city.

Our first stop was the largest and oldest mosque. We weren't allowed to go in because when Fes was occupied by the French (many, many years ago), a law was made stating that those who were not of the faith must remain outside places of worship. This was necessary because frenchmen, especially police, were interfering with the religion of Islam. Because Fes is comprised of alleyways, the walls leading up to the mosques can be covered in wood, as opposed to the usual clay, so that people who are blind will be able to find their way to Allah.

Fes used to be the capital city but has since been changed. Everything within the walls of Fes is protected as a UNESCO world heritage site. We learned many different things as we walked, such as: the legend of the prophet Fatima who is said to be stretching her hand over the door to protect those who enter; or the reason that there are two knockers on the door, (one for family and one for strangers) that each make different sounds, so that the women in the home will know whether or not they need to cover their head before answering the door.

 We also saw many different things as we walked, such as: the famous tanneries where leather is made. The smell from the tannery is so potent and strong that before entering visitors are given a sprig of mint to carry with them.

National Geographic named leather making in the tanneries one of the hardest jobs in the world and "therefore it is only done by men". (Although I do not agree with the sentiment that only men can do this difficult work, I do understand that this is the mentality of the people living and working in Fes.) Agree to disagree my friends, agree to disagree.

We visited an apothecary who used family recipes to make argan oils, lip balms, perfumes and more.

We had lunch at a tiny stall that served soup for 5 durham (fifty cents). First, our tour guide advised us to try it plain. Then, he told us that the locals all add a scoop of salted butter to the top and mix it in as it melts. It tasted absolutely delicious in this way! We were also given bread which is baked fresh in wood ovens. Many times, the women knead the bread at home and then come to the center to bake it.

After our scrumptious lunch we headed to a loom where they made silk and cashmere scarves from aloe vera. Here men only make 4-6 loom scarves but women can make many, many more. (That's what I'm talking about ladies!)

One of the things that resonated with me so much while we were walking happened when our tour guide stopped us near the river. One of the people from my hostel made a comment that the river was "so dirty" and had "so much trash in it". My tour guide informed him that the river used to be much, much worse and that now it was relatively clean. He explained that he gives walking tours because he loves his city and he wants visitors to learn as much as they can about this wonderful place. What he didn't realize, when he started giving the tours, was that he would also learn from the visitors. About five years ago our guide was giving a tour and while walking threw a food wrapper on the street. One of the tourists inquired as to why he would do such a thing, and the two got into a discussion about littering. Our guide explained that the people of Fes were raised to throw their trash in the river- they knew no other ways. Our guide had never heard of littering, or the fact that it was illegal and could incur fines in other countries. He was truly humbled, as was the tourist. Our guide told us that from that day forward he started educating children, and anyone who would listen really, as to why throwing garbage in the water wasn't the right thing to do. He asked us to imagine 5 years from now, when that many more people have had the chance to be educated, how clean the rivers will be. It made me realize that being judgmental, or bothered, by things that I see while I'm traveling is ignorant. Just because I know something to be "wrong" or "environmentally neglectful" doesn't mean that others do. I grew up in a place where there are garbage cans in every home, regular garbage pick ups on the curbs and trash cans in all of the public places. It's stupid to litter in a place like that because it's not necessary. But in places that don't have garbage cans in every home or regular garbage pick ups, not to mention any sign of public trash cans, can you blame people for throwing their garbage in the street? It's not calculated neglect, but rather an oversight.

After thanking our guide for showing us his beautiful city over the span of the day we headed back to our hostel to enjoy sun sunshine on the rooftop deck. It was a gorgeous afternoon for tangerines and chapter books. While on the roof we chatted with some of the other hostel guests and decided to share a taxi out of town to purchase alcohol for the evening. The taxi wouldn't take 5 of us, so we had to leave one of the guys behind. The traffic getting to the mall was a bit hectic, but nothing crazy. At the mall we wandered all over inside of the supermarket looking for alcohol. After asking around we were directed outside of the supermarket and into "the cave", which was a separate entrance to the alcohol den.

Mark and I got two bottles of wine to share. Leaving the mall was absolutely mental. The traffic was insane. It took us over an hour to get home and the distance we traveled was only a few miles. When we returned to the hostel we had a huge, traditional moroccan dinner with some of the most amazing, flavorful food I've ever tasted. Eating with everyone in the hostel was a really fun experience.

After dinner Mark wasn't feeling too well, so he laid down for a rest. I conspicuously drank my wine from a teacup (alcohol isn't allowed but the hostel mom hinted that she may look the other way since tonight is NYE) while chatting with some girls from Spain. At 10:30 a moroccan band showed up to play.

The music was fun and lively and it got all of us up and dancing, even Mark. The hostel workers, along with their children, were invited to stay for the evening and celebrate with us. The mix of all of us, dancing, singing and clapping together was truly remarkable. It is a New Year's Eve I will never forget!

Oh Hey There Morocco

Sunday, December 30th, 2018

Everyone was moving slowly this morning so we took our time getting showered and out of the flat since our flight wasn't until later in the day. We went to Leon, a healthy mediterranean "fast food" place near the tube station for lunch. We took the tube to the rail station but because of delays had to sprint to the train. We missed it by less than a minute so had to board the next train that was leaving 30 minutes later. Getting on the later train was actually a godsend because we ended up with seats and a spot for our packs. Many of the passengers that boarded later weren't so lucky. Once we arrived at the airport we found our flight check in desk for Ryan-Air. Mark and I both agree that Ryan is MUCH, MUCH better than Wizz, the only downside being that if you're not traveling with an EU passport you must print your boarding passes ahead of time. The airport in London is SUPER strict regarding liquids. You must empty all of your liquids out of your travel case and put them into the airport ziploc bags. Only one bag per person is allowed. Thank goodness we had checked Mark's bag and therefore I was able to split all of my liquids between two bags, one for Mark and one for myself (phew! I knew there was a reason I married him 😉)  We got through security without any problems (minus my bags getting flagged but I'm used to that by now) But once past security we weren't able to get our gate info until 5:25pm. There was only one thing left to do: find a spot for dinner. We ate quickly so that as soon as our gate info was available we could head to the boarding area--- our flight closed its boarding at 5:55pm so we didn't have a lot of time to waste. Our flight ended up leaving late and although it was only three hours it felt much longer. We didn't purchase choice seats ahead of time but since the plane wasn't full Mark and I ended up in a row all to ourselves 😀Mark and I were both in awe upon arriving at the Fes airport. It is so beautiful!

 Getting through security and customs was a breeze and we were outside in no time at all. Unfortunately, our driver wasn't there waiting for us. We wandered for a few minutes and then reached out to our contact at the travel agency, Abdellah. Soon after, our driver, Driss, arrived. Driss apologized for speaking very little english and inquired as to whether or not Mark and I knew French. Umm.. oui? Driss wasn't sure how to get to the hostel we were staying at even though I provided Abdellah with this information ahead of time. I called the hostel for Driss but since they didn't speak Arabic or French we were SOL. Driss then consulted with a few other drivers and found a man who knew the city and offered to take us where we needed to go. Ummm... ok? I guess so. It's midnight so I'm not sure what other option we have. Sure enough this man delivered us straight to our hostel door and then some. No really, he parked in a tiny alley, grabbed our bags and walked us in. He then marched to the front desk and introduced himself as "Mark and Jaclyn's taxi driver" to the kid sitting behind the desk. It was a giggle worthy moment for sure. We thanked our driver and sent him on his way. The kid behind the desk looked at us funny but we told him we were as confused as he was. Anyway, by this time it was after midnight so Mark and I just wanted to get checked in and up to bed. After meeting our roommates, I was left with the question "which is older, the bathroom or my bunk mate?" Too close to call for sure. For starters, the shower is peeling and covered in mold, but the toilet isn't much better. After further inspection I determined that the toilet seat is placed atop the toilet but isn't actually connected. One false move and the seat is sent sliding. To add to the experience, in order to flush I had to stick my hand into the tank and pull up the draining mechanism every. single. time. Although Mark and I had our own single bunk beds the room was absolutely frigid and I just couldn't warm up. About halfway through the night I snuck over and climbed in Mark's bunk so that my lips would return to their normal color, instead of the blue they had taken on. A great time was had by all at this accommodation.

Tourists by Day, G&T Drinkers by Night

Saturday, December 29, 2018

We had a breakfast of English Crumpets (they reminded me a lot of very thick, un-toasted english muffins) at Em and Todd's before heading to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. (In order to get here we took one of the double decker red buses 😄) For some reason, the change wasn't taking place, but, the guards were marching between posts so we got to see that (I actually thought the guards' marching was the changing of the guard so I was really confused when everyone started asking why the changing of the guard hadn't happened 😂)

We had a look at the Queen Victoria Memorial Monument before starting our walk toward Trafalgar Square.On our way we stumbled upon the palace horses exiting the grounds in the form of a grand parade- though no one was sure where they were going.

I noticed that as we were crossing streets in the city centre the green "walk signs" were female, female or male, male symbols. I asked Emily why and she told me that when gay marriage was legalized in the UK the traffic posts were changed and have stayed this way ever since. I thought that was pretty fuckin' cool.

 I also learned that Trafalgar Square houses three plinths that hold consistent statues while the fourth is always rotating.

After the square we walked by Big Ben but unfortunately it is covered in scaffolding and will be for the next two years. Woof.

Near there we stopped to see Westminster Abbey and The Parliament Building (which was also unfortunately covered in scaffolding 😞)

On our way to lunch we passed by a bagpiper playing on the street corner who had attracted quite the crowd.

Mark and I shared fish and chips and bangers and mash and a couple of pints for lunch.

After lunch we wandered down the river to see the London Eye.

We ended our tour of the city at The Tower of London (which isn't just a tower, but rather large grounds that require exploring) We wandered in an out of all of the exhibits and at the very end of the day, right before closing, we snuck into the line to see the crown jewels (The wait was over three hours when we arrived but by the end of the night was only 20 minutes- score!)

We took the tube back to Em and Todd's where Emily made us a delicious curry with naan bread. She truly is the jack of all trades. By this point in the day Mark was feeling incredibly ill so he had a lie down while the rest of us had a few drinks and got ready for a night out in London. It was Emily's best friend, Nat's birthday, so we were all going to a bar where she had reserved a table. The bar had great music so Tash, Jenna, Em and I found ourselves tearing up the dance floor. The bartenders tried their hardest to make our drinks in completely hilarious, outrageous ways-- anything to get us to crack a smile, right?! (and maybe leave a bigger tip 😉). No night is complete without late night food so Tash and I had thought ahead. Earlier in the day we picked up three frozen pizzas. Our night ended in chatting and cheesy goodness.