Or Fes as it is known/ pronounced here. We were reminded that fez is a hat, familiar to many from the Shriners. No fez were seen today.
We departed our hotel right after breakfast, boarding the bus which is nice, modern, comfortable and seats 42. Since there are only 14 of us having enough room isn’t an issue.
Our first stop on the way east the cork oak forest. At over 200,000 acres, the batk is harvested from the main trunk ever 7-12 years depending on the particular tree. Most of the cork is turned into wine bottle corks. No surprise considering the French “protectorate “ from 1912-1956.
A short while later we made a quick rest stop for toilets, drinks & snacks before driving the rest of tge was to Fez. Seeing a portion of the city from the bus (the old town – Medina, the Jewish quarter, both of which are walled and the New town – neuveaux ville – which is not, falling outside the walls.
From the bus which dropped us off about a ten minute hike down twisty lanes to our hotel. Converted from a 1700s villa, the central courtyard has bern roofed and now serves as lounge & dining area. We were served lunch before having a couple of hours downtime. In case you were wondering, porters with hand carts hauled the luggage to the hotel, then up to our rooms.
Of note, just about everyone is what I would consider a reasonable packer as 19” suitcases seem to be the norm.
our afternoon jaunt took us for a drive, up the side of a hill opposite of the city to a porcelain workshop/school. All the work is done by hand, from pottery wheel to painting, to hand made & set mosaics.
From there, driving we passed the massive cemeteries outside the city. The headstones are white, some plain, some highly decorated but all face east to Mecca. Then, after driving through a portion of the new city, we were dropped off at the edge of the souks, walking through them back toward our hotel. George & I skipped the optional dinner in a restaurant in favor of an early night and sleep
Besides, I had chocolate