Cultural Observations

In my final post about our week in Morocco, I’ll consider some of the cultural observations that I have not already touched on. The first, which we noticed everywhere we went, were how warm the people are. Ready with a smile, ready with mint tea (don’t refuse it!), ready for a conversation. (This is in contrast to where we are currently living. Ahem.)

People went out of their way to tell us that in Morocco things are peaceful because 1) the King looks after everyone and 2) all faiths and non-faiths are welcome and are part of the society. We heard stories that Jews left Morocco when Israel was founded, but that some Jews are returning to Morocco. The man at the ceramic workshop showed us this plate and explained how it encompasses three important cultures of Morocco.

The star in the middle is the Star of David, representing the Jews. The geometric patterns are Islamic, and the leaves represent nature found in Berber art.

We were in Fes on the first day of Ramadan. Our cooking teacher kept getting texts from friends and families wishing her a happy holiday. The markets were especially busy with the buying of honeyed sweets and other preparations for the holiday.

We were surprised on the Sunday before that our clocks had moved ahead during the night. Turns out that Morocco is on Daylight Savings Time year round, except during Ramadan. This makes the evening come earlier. On Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. a large canon set off 7 large explosions announcing the beginning of the holiday. We had seen the canon when we had gone to the panoramic view over the medina. Our guide had told us we would hear it, so we were not surprised.

On the surface, women are treated with respect. Our driving tour guide told me that he could not, in good conscience, let me open my own door, so I waited for him to run around each time I got out.

At the carpet shop, the man selling the wares kept telling Hal what a happy, good wife he had and how lucky he was. I think this is because sellers know that it is often the woman who makes the buying choices. I had a hard time knowing how to tell the seller that I was not interested in buying any of his beautiful rugs. If I had needed a carpet, I saw a number that I could have bought. The prices were reasonable. I just do not need a carpet. I felt quite awkward, but as we left, I thought that it was just another cultural learning experience.

We saw this kind of decoration on many doors. It’s The Hand of Fatima. It is supposed to give protection again The Evil Eye.

It’s hard to sum up a week in a completely different culture, but our trip to Morocco only underscores for me how important travel is. There are so many different ways to be in this world, and connecting with people and ideas only enriches our own lives.

Handcrafts in Fes

High quality handcrafts are central to the economic well-being of Fes. Some of these crafts are produced in cooperatives. Some employ widows providing a community safety net for them. Our first guide took us through the medina and showed us the tannery, a rug shop, weavers, and cactus silk spinners. For every sale made, I am sure each guide gets a cut. Including the restaurants they send you to.

Anyway, my favorite craft place had moved to a larger facility outside of the media. The Art D’Argile creates some amazing ceramics and mosaics;

Our guide showed us many parts of the production in this cooperative that supports widows and orphans. Quite labor-intensive each person hones their skills on a singular task. The results are truly amazing. Watching people put impossibly small pieces of pottery into patterns face-down for table tops, I can see where one could pay a good price for the skill and time.

They also paint ceramics with great precision.

Ready to be fired

Our guide showed us all the packages that were ready to ship to the US. I wish that I had a need for some of these pieces, and I appreciate that the man showing us around was not a hard sell.

Getting Around Morocco by Public Transportation

We found that navigating the various busses, taxis, and trains to be much easier than we had imagined. First of all, you can buy your tickets ahead of time online. Even though there is a QR Code, bus drivers and train conductors just want to look at the information.

CTM Busses

We took these comfort coaches from Tangier (where we landed) to Chefchaouen and then from Chefchaouen to Fes. Each ride was less than $10. You are assigned a seat according to when you bought your ticket, so both times we were in the front row. It is advisable to buy your ticket at least 2 days in advance, as these busses fill up. At one stop a man was saying that he had a ticket for seat 54. There was not seat 54, so they finally pulled down the jump seat by the front door.

I would say the roads ranged from pretty good to excellent. All of them are two-lane, and you could often be stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle for a while. As a bus experience, this one was okay, especially for the price.

The most pleasant journey was on the train, though. The station in Fes is fairly new and beautiful.

We took the train from Fes to Casablanca where we went to the airport. We had heard that there is not much to see in Casablanca. It looked like a fairly modern city from the train.

This 5-hour train ride, when we paid the extra for first class, cost $20 per person.

First class compartment

We ended up sharing our car with a couple from NYC and we had a very pleasant conversation. Later on, two Dutch women joined us.

The bus and train stations were not close enough to the medina, so we needed to take a Petite Taxi to get to and from. These little red cars with non-existent seat belts sit by the entrances to the medina. We had heard that you need to negotiate a price beforehand. We never had any issue with being overcharged. Most rides were under $5. A 50-cent tip was well-appreciated.

On our way to the Fes train station on our last day (the first day of Ramadan), we hoped to find a taxi at 6:30 in the morning. It was easy to walk through the medina that morning as it was nearly empty at that hour. As we popped out the gate we saw one lone taxi and one young man walking towards it. He said he was going to the train station, so we shared the $4 ride with him. Our ride sharer gave the driver the $4, and we gave the driver a $2 tip, as that was all the small change we had. He was overjoyed with an ear-to-ear smile. I said, “Happy Ramadan!” Then we gave the young man our half of the fare. A definite win-win.

Cooking Class at Cafe Clock

Yep, another food post. But it is also a culture post. Mr. Glamper found this cooking class and signed us up in advance. These classes are held at (I think) the three cafe locations: Fes, Chefchaouen, and Marrakech. The cafes are owned by a Brit named Michael who fell in love with Morocco on his first visit in 2006. They get their name from the water clock that is near the Fes cafe.

This clock was built in the 1300s and is waiting to be rennovated.

We had also eaten at Cafe Clock in Chefchaouen. Both cafes have a hip vibe and often have musicians drumming away.

But not in the morning. We found people were not particularly early risers.

Our fantastic teacher sat with us and the other couple to instruct us to choose the same three items: appetizer, main, dessert. The other couple was from Rome, and although the woman did not speak any English, her husband spoke some, and we used a lot of Google Translate.

After writing down our shopping list in Arabic (right to left), we went outside to the market. She told us about each butcher and what they specialized in. We chose lots of veggies, and we looked at the spice shop.

We students served as sous chefs, chopping, stirring, etc. We had thought she was going to buy a live chicken, as one does, but she said that was time-consuming, so she pulled a prepared chicken out of the fridge. Just like a cooking show.

After all the cooking, we enjoyed: soup and eggplant appetizers, chicken tajine, and macaroons with strawberries for dessert. While we ate, our teacher asked us what we want to know about culture in Morocco.

We loved our time here and would recommend it to anyone!

More photos at glampinginswitzerland’s Instagram.

Volubilis: Ancient Roman City

Those Romans, they were everywhere! Being in Fes for three days, we knew we wanted to take one day trip. If you know me, you know the prospect of seeing another bunch of rocks was high on my list.

Mr. Glamper spent an inordinate amount of time looking for the right tour and came up with one. We met our guide just outside the medina where the cars can go. He was punctual, and we were surprised and pleased to find out that he was our private guide. The drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site is about 90 minutes, and along the way, we stopped at this overview to take photos. It was also a break for our driver to have a cigarette.

Once at the site, the guide asked if I had a hat. Nope. So he gave me an umbrella to use, which I appreciated. Having seen a number of Roman ruins, we kind of knew what to look for, so we didn’t hire a guide at the site. Our guide sat at the little cafe and told us to take our time.

The site has been half-excavated and restored in many places.

The Basilica

There must have been 15-20 beautifully preserved (or renovated) mosaics. This one depicts Medusa in the lower right-hand corner.

This article said that while the Romans built this city in the 3rd C BC, they were gone by 285. Many other groups occupied Volubilius over the years.

We saw many stork nests on our travels through the country..

I think the idea way to visit a site like this is to visit it first, go home and read about it while you are not standing around, and then return. It’s that returning part that’s difficult.

We met our guide after we wandered the whole site. He was sitting with his other guide friends. We said we could have a coffee before we left, and we sat in the shade and enjoyed the view.

More photos at glampinginswitzerland’s Instagram.

Traditional Moroccan Food

This is always one of my favorite kind of posts to research. As we were planning our trip I have imagines of tajines with lots of spices. Some well-meaning friends warned me about not only not drinking the tap water, but also almost anything else. Armed with some Pepto tablets, we were undeterred.

Along the roadways, we saw many stalls selling the clay pots. It was easier to a picture in the market in the medina.

I often chose a tajine when we went out to eat, as I knew I would not have another one in a long time. Mr. Glamper enjoyed a vegetarian tajine.

Some restaurants only sell a complete meal for about $15. This includes a large number of side dishes.

There is also a dessert. We had fruit a few times, and a caramel flan another.

Maybe our favorites were breakfast. A scrambled egg made flat, various breads and a pancake that was fried onto which you drizzled honey or marmalade. We also had some cucumbers and green peppers. We had orange juice and goat cheese and the famous mint tea. At our first riad (pictured below), we were given coffee. At our second, just tea, as they said coffee was something to be had later.

Breakfast with a view

So we got a Moroccan coffee later, and we were hooked. The espresso is mixed with many spices and has a great flavor.

I am happy to report that our stomachs did not object to anything we ate.

After a large breakfast (later in the morning because the markets don’t open until 8) and a large main meal at 2 in the afternoon, we were rarely hungry for dinner.

Fes

I have to say that I am overwhelmed thinking about writing this post. How can I possibly talk about this ancient imperial city, founded in the 700s, with its 1.5 million inhabitants, and whose medina is UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Of course I can’t cover very much at all, but I will attempt to tantalize you with a few photos and stories. Here is the video I watched to get me excited about hiring a private tour guide. Rick Steves has always said that a private guide will make you appreciate your experience. I felt as though we were a little out of our comfort zone, so we asked the hosts at our Fes riad if they could send us somebody tomorrow. “What time?” they asked. “How about 10:00?” They agreed that that was a perfect time.

Overview of part of the medina

At 10:00, a smartly-dressed young man showed up to pick us up. He said that he was a volunteer guide, and any tip we gave him, we would donate to the widows and orphans (we came to hear that phrase a lot).

For four hours, we wandered alleyways and walked through markets (souks). I was especially interested to see the world’s oldest university. The al-Qarawiyyin mosque-religious school / college was founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859 with an associated school, or madrasa, which subsequently became one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the historic Muslim world. It was incorporated into Morocco’s modern state university system in 1963.

As non-Muslims, we may not enter, but we can peek inside.

Al Atterine Madrassa

We learned that every little neighborhood in the medina has five things: a mosque, a fountain, a Koranic School, a bakery, and a hammam. Like a Turkish or Roman bath, a hammam a public place for a good scrub. We did not try one. The bakery is not what you would think of. Every morning you make your bread and mark it with your family design. Take it to you baker where he puts it is the wood-fired oven. Come back later, and your loaves are waiting for you on the cooking rack.

Mosque and Fountain

Fes is a famous center for handcrafted items. Fine rugs, amazing pottery, leather goods and bronze items.

Apparently you have to go to the tannery on any visit. Those pools you see? Filled with pigeon poop.

We chose Fes over any other large city, as it is supposed to be the most authentic, and less touristic.

Our guide left us once at a building to enjoy it while he went off to pray for five minutes.

He also took us to a rooftop terrace restaurant and told us that in an hour a young man would appear and walk us back to our medina. It’s great to get a local recommendation for a restaurant.

More photos at glampinginswiterland’s Instagram.

Dar Sababa – Our Riad

It is popular to book a room in a riad in Morocco. This style of courtyard house has 5-8 rooms, and I think many have a rooftop terrace. Both of our riads did. Steps leading up you room can be beautiful with tiles and quite uneven, so we were quite careful every time we went up and down.

Dar Sababa entrance. – very welcoming

Upon entering, we were offered the traditional Moroccan Mint Tea. At first we refused, because after a long day of travel, we just wanted to rest in our room. Turns out that it is impolite to refuse, so they brought the tea anyway. We were glad.

Looking down the courtyard from our floor.

View from our terrace where we had.breakfast.

It was a lovely introduction to Morocco.

More photos at glampinginswtizzerland;s Instagram.

Chefchaouen: The Blue City

What a charming city Chefchaouen is, set in the Rif Mountains. it was founded in 1471 by the Berbers, an indigenous people of northern Africa. The two official languages of Morocco are Arabic and Berber. French is also spoken, so we used a lot of merci.

We spent most of our time in the medina – the old part of the city which is car-free. One can wander the medina and only get a little lost before suddenly finding yourself in a familiar corner. Why is the city blue? No one is completely sure, but the two leading theories are that the Jewish refugees who came in 1930 painted it. The other theory is that it keeps away mosquitos. In either case, it is a truly beautiful place.

Looking out over the medina

More photos at glampinginswitzerland’s Intstagram.

Morocco: Getting From Here to There

On our last sabbatical, we spent a week in Istanbul. We wanted to visit somewhere very different than the other places we visited in Europe. This video made me want to go to Morocco. Mr. Glamper did an amazing amount of research and planned where to go and how to transfer between points.

Getting to our first destination, Chefchaouen, took us most of one day. Leaving our apartment in Zürich at 5:20 a.m. to catch the first bus of the day, we made it to the airport for an early morning flight to Madrid. Here we ate lunch. Knowing that we should probably not eat salads in Morocco (washed with tap water) we enjoyed our last crunchy greens for the week.

After several hours, we took a flight to Tangier, at the northern tip of Morocco. Here is a view from the airplane.

The airport in Tangier is quite small and has no ATMs. The Moroccan currency is the Dirham, and it is not possible to get any outside of the country. We were at the mercy of the money changers at the booths who take a nice cut in the transaction. We needed cash to pay the taxi driver who would take us to the bus station.

We used our credit card a few times during our week, but most small restaurants and businesses take cash.

Our driver in a Petite Taxi took us quickly to the CTM station. When we paid him the $5 fare with a $10 bill, he had to walk all around the station asking people to help break the 100 Dirham bill. Converting from Dirhams to dollars was an easy moving of the decimal one place.

We were early for the bus, so we sat in the station with locals and tourists alike. The bus left on time and two hours later we were in Chefchaouen. Google Maps led us to our hotel on foot, hiking up and up and up the hill for 25 minutes to the old town.

After dinner at a cafe recommended by our hosts, we were ready for a good sleep.

We were now in Mr. Glamper’s 28th country, my 30th, and our fifth continent.