Last day in Paris. Made the most of the time before catching our flight and headed out to find the Shakespeare and Co bookshop in the Latin Quarter. Along the way we found more beautiful cobbled streets, little shops, had lunch and finally got to our destination. All the books were in English in this lovely store set out a bit like the old Smiths Bookshop in Christchurch. Just gorgeous.
We made it out to Beauvais airport, checked in (thank you so much check-in lady for allowing my bag to be 2kgs over without charging me!) and had our last French pastries before flying away to Fes. We were picked up by the driver from the riad (guesthouse) we were staying at and arrived at Riad Ibn Battouta. By goodness it was lovely! Big bed in a separate room, lounge area with another bed, beautifully decorated, huge bath; it all felt a bit royal actually. A fabulous sleep followed.
Moroccan breakfasts are yummy, oh yes they are. The fresh strawberry and orange juice is delicious! What a super start to the day those brekkies are and what a day we had. Fes is unlike anywhere I have been. It's a bit like going back in time but still with modern technology. Our guide took us on a walking tour around the labyrinth of the medina where we were treated to multitudes of colours and smells and sounds. A couple of things you notice pretty much immediately is the absense of motorised transport (cars wouldn't fit but no motorbikes are allowed) and the hundreds of stray cats! It seems quite miserable at first until you hear that although the cats are homeless, the people do feed them and treat them quite well. Dogs aren't as liked (something to do with they way they are depicted in the Qur'an) so we didn't see any of them around, just cats, loads and loads of cats!
Our guide then took us to the tannery (bound to be a commission thing) and we were shown around. It seems like extraordinary hard work and I imagine many of the workers never get the dye out of their skin. The colours were beautiful and all natural as we kept being told. The smell wasn't exactly pleasant but manageable - we were given mint to keep under our noses to help with that issue! Of course we were encouraged to buy some things and I didn't exactly resist. I am now the owner of a rather lovely leather handbag. Not cheap but pretty damn lovely. Next up was the carpet shop - you can't go to Morocco and not be offered carpets! We were even given mint tea as a refreshment - not to add any pressure to purchase of course :-) Neither of us had any desire to leave with any carpets so left, full of mint tea and after a very interesting chat with the owner. And then on to the argan oil place. Yes ok, I bought some rose oil there. It smelled so good, how could I not? After many more winding 'streets' and copious stalls, we thanked our guide and returned to our lovely accommodation for some downtime.
The best bit came soon after. Rose arrived! Now Rose is a good friend from New Zealand who has made her home in Morocco. She bought a large house in Moulay Idriss (a town just out of Fes) and turned it into a guesthouse. She is an inspiring entrepreneur who has worked extremely hard to make her dream a reality. I haven't seen her in a few years so it was super exciting to finally catch up. She took Vanessa and I up to an incredible look out where you can see all of Fes. What a spectacular view!
While we were there an interesting thing happened: the police called over and reprimanded a young man who had been sitting with his arm around a young lady. They weren't married so as far as the culture is concerned, it is unacceptable and very disrespectful to the woman. He was warned (I can't remember if he was given a fine or not) and returned to sit next to the young woman although not nearly as close as before. Being a westener, public displays of affection are nothing new to me and totally expected when a couple is in a relationship so I found it a little odd that it was so frowned upon here. Rose explained that women are very highly regarded in Moroccan culture and that their virtue should be protected at all times so it is seen as extremely discourteous to do anything that might tarnish a woman's reputation. Some say that woman are oppressed and that it is a misogynistic culture but Rose sees it differently. She says that men want to look after the women in their lives; they want to provide and care for them. They work hard to make sure their wives don't have to work, that there is no pressure for her to have to earn money to keep the home going. Men want their wives to be able to stay home and enjoy their children. Rose never feels oppressed or disrespected. She always feels safe and highly appreciated. Interesting.
Dinner that night was quite a treat. We went to a restaurant called the Ruined Garden run by Rose's friend Robert. What a beautiful place! The meal was fantastic as was the service. It was so peaceful sitting outside under the Moroccan stars enjoying great company and food. Every now and then I get a surge of happiness and wonder when I realise where I am and what I'm doing. I'm so glad this Kiwi decided to fly.
