Meknes

Meknes

So we got back from Meknes yesterday morning and are now back in Fes. We were in Meknes for two days, which I think was the perfect amount of time. I was definitely ready to return to Fes by the end, but also enjoyed my time there. The first day we got there are went to an absolutely fabulous lunch at a family restaurant that was located in their home we believe. It was sooo delicious. We had to wait a while for it, but thats a good sign because it meant it was homemade and fresh! It was well worth the wait and I can safely say everyone had a wonderful meal! Lexi, Katie G, Katie S, and I all got various tagines and Addie got a pastilla, a moroccan dish that comes with out without meat, as well as with veggies, rice, crushed nuts usually...like tagines it really varies, but basically it is all wrapped in a filo pastry like dough and then cooked and sprinked with cinnamon and powdered sugar on top-its definitely a sight to see. We all watched with dazzled eyes as the waitress brought it over and couldn't wait to try a bite. I still dream of my tagine and I think all of us will remember that lunch. After lunch, we visited the Musee Dar Jamai, which is a beautiful palace that once was a residence now turned art museum. It is incredible and magnificant! It is in traditional moroccan dar style except much larger-like a small palace I guess they called it-with the mosaic tile, intricate wood carvings, beautifully painted wood ceilings and just overall incredible. I am totally obsessed and it is someplace I definitely would reccomend someone to visit. After the museum, we all explored the souks and market of Meknes, which were bustling and crowded full with people. It took some serious manouvering and you had to be on your toes if you actually wanted to get anywhere or to avoid getting run over by another person or a cart. After exploring the souks we went had some time to go back to a souk or store we were interested in-so Lexi, Katie and I set off to find some jewelery and sandals that we saw earlier. We then made our way back to the hotel for some down time, then returned to a street cafe for a light dinner.
The next day we ventured by grand taxi to the town of Mouley Idriss which is a holy pilgrimage site. Supposedly if you make 7 pilgrimages to Mouley Idriss it is the equivalent of a pilgrimage to Mecca. We had a great tour guide who showed us around the town and told us all about the history of both the town and Mouley Idriss himself, the first of Morocco's royal family/first king and is said to be a direct decendant of the prophet Muhammed. The tour ended with another delicious lunch that overlooked the rooftops of the town. After lunch, we headed to Volubulis or the roman ruins and walked around there as well as spend a good amount of time sitting on some stone column remnants looking out over the landcape. We then returned to Meknes and had some time to relax after our long dya of walking all about before we headed off to dinner.
We left the next morning to come back to Fes, happy with what we had seen and done in Meknes and excited to return in time for lunch at our homestays!

Posted by Lindsay at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 8, 2009

End of Fes Phase I

Hi everyone!

Fes Phase I has officially drawn to a close. We left the Medina at the crack of dawn this morning (okay, maybe 8 a.m. doesn't exactly count as "the crack of dawn") and headed off for the train to Marrakech, where we'll be staying for about a week before beginning our whirlwind adventure in the mountains and deserts of the South.

For all of us, the departure from Fes was a little bittersweet; each of us found that we had bonded with our host families to a surprising degree, and realized that we'll miss chatting with our host siblings about our lives, helping our host mothers cook dinner, and, most of all, eating that home-cooked dinner. It took us a while to get over our initial culture shock, but it was in Fes that we all grew to overcome that boundary, and it was Fes that had come to feel like home to us. At the same time, though, we're all ready for a change, and are all excited about the next phases of our journey; even talking about all the physical geography we'll cover (mountains, deserts, oases, valleys...) makes me excited!

Since yesterday was our last day in Fes, it marked the end of this first period of ISPs (Independent Study Projects). We got to see what each member of the group had been working on over the past few weeks, and the projects were INCREDIBLE. Lindsay performed part of the belly-dancing routine she'd learned--which was SO good, and looked so cool when she did it--and Lexi showed us the 3 pieces of painted wood she'd made, which were unbelievable. Somehow, she had managed to produce these beautiful pieces that looked just as good (if not better) than the wood paintings made by Moroccan professionals. As for me, I'd been pretty sick in Fes, so it was hard for me to devote as much time to an ISP as the rest of my group. But I did get some insight into the Moroccan medical system (which, incidentally, was amazing).

We're all looking forward to the next few days in Marrakech--we took a short stroll around the Medina this evening, and can't wait to see more!

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