December 1

Today we woke up early to get on a bus for Fes, one of the most culturally significant places in Morocco. We said goodbye to our host families and buckled in for the three-hour long trip. When we finally arrived at Fes, we checked into our hotel and quickly headed across the street to a restaurant for lunch. They served us a delicious bean soup, followed up with the main course. I ordered kebabs, and while they were amazing, there were so many that I couldn’t finish them all before we had to leave.

    Our tour guide then led us through some of the oldest streets in Fes; some were barely wide enough to walk through in a single-file line. They were also dark. Without our guide, we would have been lost in minutes, as Fes is practically a maze for an outsider.

    After that, our guide led us into the old medina, built in the seventh century. There, the streets were full of people shopping and vendors selling goods, as well as lots of stray cats, waiting to grab any dropped food or any meat within reach. There were many different things for sale there, including meats, fruits, candies, spices, soaps, electronics, leather products, jewelry, and much, much more.

An array of smells greet the nose every time you turn a corner in the old medina of Fes. We spent some time in a Jewelry shop, and then we went to the tannery. At the Tannery, which we were told is the oldest in Morocco, we were allowed up to the roof of the building, giving us a panoramic view of Fes and also allowing us to see the process used to create leather items. The leather there was very high quality and very soft.

Next, we stopped at a fabric shop where they made scarves and blankets by hand using wool, cotton and silk from cacti. The 100% silk scarves were the softest I’ve ever felt.

    We were able to step inside and experience an old madrasa where students study to become imams, as well as look into a mausoleum, though non-Muslims weren’t allowed inside.

    Our guide led us back through the narrow streets to our hotel, where we had kebabs for dinner. The chicken kebab especially was amazingly juicy. After dinner we all went to bed, completely exhausted after an awesome day exploring Fes.

-William Owen McClung