Today is our last day here, then we move on, up north to a small town in the mountains.
We have discovered that we really like the smaller places better than the big cities, almost every time. But as far as cities in Morocco go, Fes has Marrakesh beat all to hell.
I was up early this morning, feeling a little better but still tired.
We ate a little breakfast, then we set out with a guide to see the famous tanneries, deep in the heart of the medina. We have never hired a guide before and were uncertain of what to expect. Mohammed showed up, asked what we wanted to do (explore, no shopping, see the tanneries) and we set off. It was actually a great thing, and I thought the best part was that Mohammed kept the touts at bay, with a look, a warning or simply by pushing them away.
We visited some sites with history which we soon forgot, except for the fact that Fes was founded in the 800. That, and the color of Fes is blue. And one more thing: people use green inside because of Islam. Fes is famous for the very intricate tile work, and the leather, and seven of ten Islamic Religious Schools in Morocco are in Fes, so it is the spiritual capital as well. So I guess maybe I remembered a little of the history lesson.
We walked the other main souk street, parallel to the area we walked two days ago, we went into a religious school, saw the old university and the new restorations on the founder of Fes’ mausoleum. Mohammed took us to see a weaver with a loom (didn’t have to shop) and a lady doing fine embroidery (didn’t have to shop) and the metal workers (didn’t have to shop). A perfect trifecta!
We saw the neighborhood baker, who owns the oven, stokes a fire and everyone brings their bread there to be baked, like in a pizza oven. The mules used for delivery on the 7,000 streets in the medina, too narrow for anything but foot or mule traffic. The butchers, shops lined up one after the other, one specializing in ribs, one in internal organs, one in sausages, one in tongues (I saw him splitting the skull) and one specializing in hooves. The carpenters in the wood section, the thread stores and the tailors; all the clothes on one street, the leather on another, the electronics in a different area. I loved the stone masons, carving the delicate Arabic inscriptions on gravestones, Koranic verses above.
We made it to the tanneries late in the morning, deep in the center of the medina. The whole medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which means that things must be kept the same, for better or worse. The worse part of keeping the tanneries the same is the “natural” chemical dies used on the leather, and the effect it has on the workers. But it is a rare thing to be able to work the tanneries; a totally closed society, a craft passed down father to son. And the Fes leather commands the best prices, as it is recognized, even by the Italians, as the best in the world.
You are not allowed into the tanneries, but the leather goods stores have set up viewing balconies. For a small fee, perhaps ten dirham, they let you go look. But Mohammed got us right in.
In fact, in the store we were in, we ran into Bill Murray.
Yes, that Bill Murray.
The tanneries were so interesting we paid him no mind, it wasn’t until Mohammed pointed it out to us that we thought, “Huh. Oh Yea, Bill Murray. Huh.”
Then we went back to looking.
So now, when we tell people we are from California, and they ask if we see movie stars, we can truthfully tell them, “Yes. In Fes, Morocco.”
The leather is from lambs, (softest) goats, cows, and camels (toughest). Did you know that if you see a jacket you like, but it is in the wrong size of color, they will make that jacket for you and deliver it to your riad in three hours, no extra charge. That was the sales pitch to me, the uninterested buyer. Bill Murray was buying leather pants, and he wanted a button put in above the zipper. Next time I see him in California at the “Movie Star Hangout” I will ask if he got the button.
In the tanneries there is a “white” section and the other section. So it works like this: the river used to flow through here, thus it is the lowest point in town. They would wash the leather hides in the river, but now they have a giant washing machine that does it. The hides are washed, then dumped into the white pits. The white pits are filled with water and limestone, to remove the hair, and pigeon poop to soften the skins. On hot days the combination is rather pungent, so they give you a sprig of mint to hold under your nose while you are looking.
Then the hides are washed again, then dumped into the “other” pits which are filled with dies. The dies are from natural sources, you know, like flowers and rock, but of course there are some chemicals in there as well, which is not great for the guys wading around in the stuff. The most expensive die is yellow, which is from saffron.
After that we went back out into the winding lanes.
Mohammed was a great tour guide, and if you are in Fes and want someone, well he has my recommendation. (Click for his email.)
After a great time touring, we returned to our riad for a little rest, then headed over to the bar to watch the Argentina vs. Belgium game. We were the only ones there again, but soon another family, then a couple single people joined us and we all groaned as Belgium lost 0-1.
We read a while, before going out to walk the streets again.
When the sun has officially set and everyone can break the fast, they shoot off a canon. You can hear it throughout the city. Then the call to prayer starts right up. Tonight it was at 19:41 exactly.
Earlier we had been talking to our host at the riad about the “too much food for dinner” dilemma. She made us a simple, small salad, bread and soup dinner that was just right, and cost a fraction of the meals we had been eating. It really helped us end Fes on a great note.
Tomorrow we take the 8:00 bus four hours north, into the mountain town of Chefchaouen, famous for the blue walls, loose and easy lifestyle, and easy access to kief (Hashish).
About Bill Murray, and our earlier miss of Bruce Willis in the Marrakesh Airport: turns out that they are making a movie, Rock The Casbah. Here is the trailer. And no, I did not take a photo of him. We were looking at the Tannery.
But… the movie also stars Kate Hudson.
I am keeping an eye out for her...