The trip from Marrakesh to Fes by train took eight hours because we had to return via Casablanca, and the train was running about an hour late by the time we reached Fes. Eight hours is a long time to not go to the toilet! However the trip was pleasant enough and we shared our compartment for most of the way with four women who got onto the train on the outskirts of Marrakesh. One of the younger women spoke a small amount of English and we exchanged a few words but exhausted those fairly quickly, so we read and snoozed and time passed slowly. About half way between Casablanca and Fes a man joined us and he spoke good English and in fact became quite chatty. He was employed by the Ministry of Tourism and he was keen to help us to have a great time in Fes, which he claimed was the best city to visit in Morocco. We chatted away with him (I think his name was Youseff) and he told us all the things we should see and what we should do in Fes.
After being on the move for quite a few days, and getting all the lowdown on what to see and do, we decided to stay in Fes for two nights. The first night, after the long train trip, we wandered the city and just took in the atmosphere. Fes has a rather grand boulevard that runs the length of the city and is very festively decorated. Despite the cold and occasional rain people were out in the streets in vast numbers. It was lovely just to feel like you were part of it all.
Youseff had told us to visit the old city and the Medina, but we were sort of all over the old cities and Medinas by then and didn’t fancy getting lost in another labyrinth of souks! So we decided to hire a car and head off into the countryside the next day. Youseff had also suggested we should visit some of the small towns in the Atlas Mountains – so that was the mission. He had mentioned Meknes as it is in the winegrowing region and Ron had told him of his interest in Moroccan wines – we were ever hopeful we would eventually find a good one! So we plotted a course that took us in a large triangle out of Fes to Azbrou to the southeast and then across to Meknes, which is south west of Fes, and then back into Fes. We planned on having a late lunch in Meknes and giving Moroccan wine another go.
Well what a day this turned out to be. After a hilarious start trying to find our way out of Fes with the help of a few roadside tourist guides (people we stopped to ask who could not understand us – or we could not understand their directions!) we eventually hit the road to Azbrou. In fact once out of Fes it was very well signposted and we had no trouble finding our way. We drove along and saw some great examples of country life, little villages and people going about their business. A few towns we drove through had markets that day which meant there were sheep and goats on the road and people moving about with produce for sale and shoppers with big bags of stuff headed for home. We just love observing the everyday goings on and seeing how people live their life in these strange and wonderful places.
The road kept climbing and we noticed the temperature dropping on the “incar thermometer”. The countryside started to change and vegetation became sparse and rain began to fall…..and then it was sleet….and then it was SNOW! The temperature had dropped to 1 degree and the windscreen was fogging up and we were finding it more difficult to see out. The scenery became totally white and we were in a downpour of snow. Now snow was the one thing I definitely had NOT expected to see in Morocco. After an hour or so of very careful driving we came into the town of Ifrane where we stopped for a coffee and a warm up at a roadside cafe. It was still sleeting and it was so cold I couldn’t believe it! On to Azbrou where once again it was raining and freezing cold so we decided to stay in the car and just keep going to Meknes. The Moroccan countryside is spectacular. We had expected desert but were really pleasantly surprised with rolling green hills that reminded me of New Zealand and the south coast of New South Wales in Australia. I would like to go back to the area around Fes and to Fes itself. We didn’t stay there long enough to do it justice! We didn’t see the tanneries and dye shops where they tan and die leather – and apparently they are an absolute must.
Meknes is an ancient town and has a wealth of history to be explored – but not on a cold rainy day verging on snowing! So we went to the Atlas Hotel and had a lovely lunch – Harira Soup. Now I have to say this is just a sensational soup and I am going to search the net to get a recipe. I believe it is a Moroccan Wedding Soup but is also used as a hearty winter warming brew and in Ramadan for breaking fast at the end of the day. It is spicy and hot and yet sweet and full of veges – YUM! It really warmed us up after our freezing morning drive. Meknes was another reason to return to Fes for another holiday one day. Oh and we did find a bottle of Moroccan wine which we drank half of and took back to the hotel thinking we might drink the other half ….. well it wasn’t that good and so it met a draining end!
It is really scary when foreign police pull you over – you just know you must look like a criminal to them – they all do to us! So we were pleasantly surprised when the nice men in blue from Morocco were really convivial and happy to wave us on and wish us a good day at the three places we were pulled over. Ron was pretty naughty and crossed an unbroken line and they still greeted us nicely – warned him not to do it again – and waved us on the way!
We wended our way back to Fes and decided after our big adventure we would treat ourselves to a nice meal at one of the good hotels in town, and maybe a nice bottle of (not) Moroccan wine! After another disappointing venture into the subtleties of Moroccan wine I was drinking a Martini and Ron had found a ‘reasonable by Moroccan standards’ red to wash down a pretty ordinary meal. It really is better to forego the alcohol and eat local!
Fes has a number of fabulous things to see and do but we are now feeling the pressure of our timetable and the need to head further north in order to make it to Spain and Portugal in the timeframe for this holiday. The weather is not really tourist weather and although we were rugged up it is not so much fun in the rain…….and we think that further north there is more cold and rain………why did we decide to do this part of the world now – well the answer is simple – we might not get the chance again – so make the most of it!
After being on the move for quite a few days, and getting all the lowdown on what to see and do, we decided to stay in Fes for two nights. The first night, after the long train trip, we wandered the city and just took in the atmosphere. Fes has a rather grand boulevard that runs the length of the city and is very festively decorated. Despite the cold and occasional rain people were out in the streets in vast numbers. It was lovely just to feel like you were part of it all.
Youseff had told us to visit the old city and the Medina, but we were sort of all over the old cities and Medinas by then and didn’t fancy getting lost in another labyrinth of souks! So we decided to hire a car and head off into the countryside the next day. Youseff had also suggested we should visit some of the small towns in the Atlas Mountains – so that was the mission. He had mentioned Meknes as it is in the winegrowing region and Ron had told him of his interest in Moroccan wines – we were ever hopeful we would eventually find a good one! So we plotted a course that took us in a large triangle out of Fes to Azbrou to the southeast and then across to Meknes, which is south west of Fes, and then back into Fes. We planned on having a late lunch in Meknes and giving Moroccan wine another go.
Well what a day this turned out to be. After a hilarious start trying to find our way out of Fes with the help of a few roadside tourist guides (people we stopped to ask who could not understand us – or we could not understand their directions!) we eventually hit the road to Azbrou. In fact once out of Fes it was very well signposted and we had no trouble finding our way. We drove along and saw some great examples of country life, little villages and people going about their business. A few towns we drove through had markets that day which meant there were sheep and goats on the road and people moving about with produce for sale and shoppers with big bags of stuff headed for home. We just love observing the everyday goings on and seeing how people live their life in these strange and wonderful places.
The road kept climbing and we noticed the temperature dropping on the “incar thermometer”. The countryside started to change and vegetation became sparse and rain began to fall…..and then it was sleet….and then it was SNOW! The temperature had dropped to 1 degree and the windscreen was fogging up and we were finding it more difficult to see out. The scenery became totally white and we were in a downpour of snow. Now snow was the one thing I definitely had NOT expected to see in Morocco. After an hour or so of very careful driving we came into the town of Ifrane where we stopped for a coffee and a warm up at a roadside cafe. It was still sleeting and it was so cold I couldn’t believe it! On to Azbrou where once again it was raining and freezing cold so we decided to stay in the car and just keep going to Meknes. The Moroccan countryside is spectacular. We had expected desert but were really pleasantly surprised with rolling green hills that reminded me of New Zealand and the south coast of New South Wales in Australia. I would like to go back to the area around Fes and to Fes itself. We didn’t stay there long enough to do it justice! We didn’t see the tanneries and dye shops where they tan and die leather – and apparently they are an absolute must.
Meknes is an ancient town and has a wealth of history to be explored – but not on a cold rainy day verging on snowing! So we went to the Atlas Hotel and had a lovely lunch – Harira Soup. Now I have to say this is just a sensational soup and I am going to search the net to get a recipe. I believe it is a Moroccan Wedding Soup but is also used as a hearty winter warming brew and in Ramadan for breaking fast at the end of the day. It is spicy and hot and yet sweet and full of veges – YUM! It really warmed us up after our freezing morning drive. Meknes was another reason to return to Fes for another holiday one day. Oh and we did find a bottle of Moroccan wine which we drank half of and took back to the hotel thinking we might drink the other half ….. well it wasn’t that good and so it met a draining end!
It is really scary when foreign police pull you over – you just know you must look like a criminal to them – they all do to us! So we were pleasantly surprised when the nice men in blue from Morocco were really convivial and happy to wave us on and wish us a good day at the three places we were pulled over. Ron was pretty naughty and crossed an unbroken line and they still greeted us nicely – warned him not to do it again – and waved us on the way!
We wended our way back to Fes and decided after our big adventure we would treat ourselves to a nice meal at one of the good hotels in town, and maybe a nice bottle of (not) Moroccan wine! After another disappointing venture into the subtleties of Moroccan wine I was drinking a Martini and Ron had found a ‘reasonable by Moroccan standards’ red to wash down a pretty ordinary meal. It really is better to forego the alcohol and eat local!
Fes has a number of fabulous things to see and do but we are now feeling the pressure of our timetable and the need to head further north in order to make it to Spain and Portugal in the timeframe for this holiday. The weather is not really tourist weather and although we were rugged up it is not so much fun in the rain…….and we think that further north there is more cold and rain………why did we decide to do this part of the world now – well the answer is simple – we might not get the chance again – so make the most of it!
