Day 4 - 26 Dec 2007

Trip Start Dec 23, 2007

Trip End Jan 07, 2008

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Where I stayed

Batha Fes
(aka. Hotel Batha)

(Fes hotels)

Flag of Morocco Fes, Morocco
Wednesday, March 26, 2008

After a pleasant breakfast spent discussing eyebrows, it was back on the coach for the drive north into the hills to visit the Holy city of Moulay Idriss. Named after Morocco's most revered saint, and creator of the Arab dynasty, it remains a place of pilgrimage. A sign over the entrance to the city, written in French, declares "Entry forbidden for non-Muslims." During the day this applies to the centre of Moulay Idriss. At night it applies to the whole town. The Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss is the holiest place in Morocco. A great Muslim festival is held here every August, with the Royal Family usually in attendance. As you enter and leave the city, you pass through a buzzing vegetable market.A donkey was tethered, trying to eat bits of carrot tops off the floor so I gave him a sugar lump which he promptly spat out. He's obviously an healthier eater than I am! Our local guide led us through the charming, windy streets on a mini tour and we admired the scenery in the valley below, from our viewpoint hill on the hill. The smell of animal hides drying in the sunshine was heavy in the air, as we descended back down to the main square to enjoy mint tea in one of the cafes, feeling slightly uncomfortable as the only women surrounded by Moroccan men who were just staring at us

Courtyard Hotel Batha

. Women are not really welcome at such places in this part of the country.

We drove on to Volubilis, an ancient Roman capital, featuring the best preserved ruins in this part of North Africa. The Romans evacuated most of Morocco at the end of the 3rd century AD but Volubilis was left inhabited, only to be destroyed by an earthquake in the late 4th Century AD. It was noon when we arrived and Kim and I decided to buck the trend and have lunch before exploring, rather than after. We ordered tagines and were entertained while we waited for our food, by a huge blue eyed goose that periodically popped his head over the wall to honk at us. We polished off the excellent meal and took a very casual wander around the ruins, admiring the mosaic floors and Triumphal Arch. I guess we were still feeling delicate after the excesses of the previous night, so probably didn't take in as much as we should have done. The most memorable thing was the filthy toilets. Basically holes in the ground in a stinking ramshackle shed. We paid our money to enter and were given a bucket of water to throw down the hole after. Gross!
It was then on to Fes and the weather changed dramatically. The two ladies in our group were still without their luggage, lost on the flight over, and were feeling the chill without their extra clothing. We stopped for a view of the old city (Fes El Bali) from the top of the North Borj tower. Very nice I guess on a good day but it was blowing a hoolie and freezing cold so we gritted our teeth while our local guide insisted on making us stand up there while he delivered his talk on Fes. Must confess I didn't take much in due to brain freeze and hypothermia, plus still feeling fragile from last night. It was late afternoon and I just wanted to get to the hotel but we then drove into Fes to visit the Jewish cemetery and synagogue

Donkey friend

. Oh! And guess what else? Another Mausoleum! We gratefully boarded the coach, dreaming of a warm hotel room and hot bath but were then taken to a Mosaic workshop and Fes pottery for about an hour. Interesting enough and some nice wares but a word of caution about the shop. I'm pretty convinced the goods were all seconds and at very high prices to boot. It was pressure selling, so be warned. You can buy Fes pottery just about anywhere else, in perfect condition and a lot cheaper too. Didn't take to the guy in charge of the pottery who gave the tour. Very abrupt and with a revolting set of teeth -when he smiled it looked like Boot Hill Cemetery on a rainy day. Finally got to Hotel Batha early evening and decided to skip going out to dinner. Felt knackered so decided to just chill in my room, eat the remains of my picnic food and get nicely slaughtered on the wine I had left over. Really liked this hotel, rooms overlooking a large central courtyard, beautifully tiled. Glad we were spending 2 nights here. Good central position too. The room was spacious and it had a huge bath which I soaked in for a good hour while drinking my wine. Sheer bliss!