Fez

Once the capital of Morocco, with over 1 million people Fez is still an important city in the country and is one of the largest places in the world to have a no car zone in the form of its two medinas.

The older of the two, Fes el Bali is UNESCO heritage listed and an actual MAZE.

One of the entrances to the medina

You won’t have to look too far to see tourists scanning their Lonely Planet guides to see if they can figure out where on earth they’ve ended up.

Tannery bound no doubt

My group did a guided tour through the medina which saw us go past everything from jewellery, clothing, sheep’s heads and meats of every kind to the all important leather goods.

The smell is understandably pungent but with some mint under your nose very bearable and going up into a leather store and having a view of a tannery such as this really is something to behold since this tradition has existed for centuries.

Men walk along treating the animal skins and dying them to a range of colours.

The end result

Next our guide stopped us at some wooden doors, wondering what lay behind them in the middle of the medina was to my surprise, a university.

The University of al-Qarawiyyin is considered one of (if not THE) oldest tertiary institution in the world and it has been continuously running since its creation by a woman called Fatima al-Fihri in 859!

We had lunch at Le Patio Bleu and it was fantastic! While the tagine was nice the best part was in fact the appetisers – the eggplant especially was perfect.

The restaurant is situated in a stunning building, with many levels to it and each table is decorated with beautiful seats. Dining here is a cool experience!

Continuing on – the urge to shop in the medina is strong with beautiful scarves, garments and leather goods at every turn but my favourite was the pottery.

Making a scarf

Our guide took us into a factory of sorts for pottery and we got to see the process from start to finish.

This guy was making a mosaic table and he does it completely face down – such skill!

Sadly I couldn’t fit all of these amazing plates in my bag otherwise I would’ve surely wanted to get a few for home.

Another highlight of our tour was walking past the doors of the Royal Palace.

As we stopped to hear more about the Royal family which still rules today, the luxury of this entrance is worth getting up close to scrutinise.

I loved the mosaic patterns used on the walls nearby too.

To cap off our busy day in Fez we bought some traditional gear for an included dinner which was full of tourists and average food but set in a beautiful building.

The live music did make up for the lacklustre cuisine though and it was my first time trying pastilla which was an interesting mix of meat filled pastry with iced sugar and cinnamon on top!

I had a great time in Fez and think it is a city not to be missed while in Morocco!

Marrakech

Hands down the best thing about Marrakech is its labyrinth of a medina and countless souks selling wares of every description.

Honestly I was afraid to wander too far from my group while I was here in fear that a few turns would just lead me deeper in since the stalls really seem to never end in some areas!

Place D’Jeema el Fna is the highlight of this busy city. UNESCO heritage listed, at this huge public square in the day time you’ll really only find orange juice carts here in addition to a few souvenirs.

There’s also a selection of restaurants which line the square that are almost always open. A few have upstairs areas where you can get a good view of the square too.

However, as dusk begins and night falls this place is magically transformed with snake charmers, dancing boys (since girls wouldn’t be allowed to do the same here), music, henna and games.

Over 100 food stalls are also wheeled in meaning you can get delicious meals for a few dollars at most.

I basically lived off of tagine, so much so that I still can’t eat any almost a year later. Harira soup, made with chickpeas and lentils was also a favourite. Olives are everywhere which is brilliant and mint tea is a staple drink while here.

The difference between day and night is truly amazing to behold and has to be seen firsthand I think to really appreciate the daily ritual of this square.

My hostel was a couple minutes walk from Place D’Jeema el Fna, after a few twists and turns down side streets, which made for good fun trying to attempt to find it in the first place!

Once I did stumble upon it Riad Layla Rouge was pretty cool with lanterns hanging everywhere from its open roof.

On the rooftop there is a nice set up of chairs to hang out (especially at night), and with an offer of tea whenever from the staff, the hostel was a lovely place to chill out and escape the heat.

Breakfast

After two weeks of touring the country a hammam was exactly what I needed to get the feeling of desert sand permanently off my skin.

Mille & Une Nuits (1001 Nights) Spa right in the medina is where my friends and I went and let me tell you there is nothing to get you bonding quicker than hanging out topless with people you’ve only known for a fortnight.

Waiting for our hammam

I’d already experienced a hammam in Turkey and felt that the one I had in Istanbul was more traditional, however Mille & Une Nuits scrubbed you in much the same way (basically sandpapering your body saying goodbye to layers of dirt immediately) with a sauna included but afterwards my massage was very much Western style on a comfortable bed, which was lovely.

Depending on what package/services you get the prices will of course vary.

You may want to pay a visit to Bahia Palace, fairly new in terms of Moroccan history having been built in the 19th century.

Only part of the large complex is open to the public for viewing however even the parts you are allowed to visit are a great example of traditional Moroccan craftsmanship.

Jardin Majorelle was owned by fashion powerhouse Yves St Laurent, he must’ve really loved it here since his ashes were scattered in the gardens.

Probably best known for its vibrant blue this huge botanic garden is a popular site to visit just outside the city. It’s on my list for next time!

Todra Gorge

Located in the High Atlas mountain area of Morocco, Todra Gorge and the city of Tinghir create a desert oasis when glimpsed from a far.

 

Tourists are able to explore the gorge and city which looks like a pretty awesome thing to do – however my group didn’t actually stop in to the gorge itself.

Instead our guide offered to take us on an early morning hike from the small town we were staying at nearby.

The scenery was lovely – plus there wasn’t a soul around as he took us through orchards..

Past the occasional dwelling..

And although not inside the popular gorge itself some pretty fantastic views were obtained, which seemed to stretch on for miles.

This was truly a picturesque region of the country and taking some time out to explore the mountains by foot is well worth the effort!