Hanging out in Sefrou, Morocco
Washing hanging out in Sefrou, Morocco
One of the smaller towns we visited on our tour of Morocco was Sefrou, a short 30km drive from Fes. This town was just as fascinating as any of the larger cities we explored, and over the coming days I’ll share some of the photos taken during our visit.
Today I show just 2 photos. Below features our guide, Said, and some of the tour group. Said was exceptional in his knowledge of his country. He was also very considerate of each member of the touring group and we were immediately at ease with him.
Above is a quick snap I took of washing hanging out to dry. In many of the places we visited we were able to mix with the local people going about their everyday activities. In that regard one could say that we really experienced the genuine people, their culture and lifestyle. Although we did visit a large number of obvious tourist oriented sites, we were never far from the authentic experience of Morocco.
The photo above also shows some of the ancient fortified wall of the town. Such walls are a feature of many of the older towns and cities in Morocco.
Our guide (left) and some of our tour group, Morocco
A delightful little restaurant in Fes, Morocco
Owners of a small restaurant in Fes, Morocco
There were many highlights on our tour of Morocco. One of them was finding delightful little shops or hidden away restaurants. During our stay in Fes we found this delightful little family restaurant right next door to the hotel where we were staying. We could have dined in style in the hotel restaurant but this eatery had so much more character.
It wasn’t huge; it had enough seating for about 6 to 8 people; there were no more chairs, and the dining room was hardly a room at all. The cooking and counter took up half the room, and some equipment had to flow out onto the footpath. Most of the customers were people passing by, grabbing a bite to eat on their way to work or back home. The establishment was run by the lady shown in the photo above, assisted by her young daughter.
The mother could only understand a few words of English but the daughter spoke it fluently. We engaged her in conversation and found out she was working her way through university, studying to be a teacher. My wife, daughter and I are all teachers, so we found this very encouraging. My guess is that not many Moroccan girls are teachers, and few go to university. Women in the professions are most definitely in the minority in this country, but this is changing.
We were very pleased to support this family and their tiny restaurant on several occasions during our stay.
And the food was delicious.
Tuning in, Fes, Morocco
Rooftops in Fes, Morocco
While we were exploring the delights of the city of Fes in Morocco we had a view from a shop overlooking the rooftops nearby. I was amazed at the number of satellite dishes sitting on the rooftops. It’s not a sight we see here in Australia, but I found it relatively common in Morocco.
Just one of those quirky little differences I found on our journeys.
A visit to a smelly tannery in Fes, Morocco
Tannery in Fes, Morocco
One of the more interesting – yet challenging – aspects of our tour of the city of Fes in Morocco was a visit to the tannery. I had never seen a tannery in operation before and we were warned about the smell before our arrival. It is truly a memorable experience. What amazes me is that this tannery was allowed to operate within metres of many homes and shops. I guess that the locals either get used to the smell, or reluctantly accept that they cannot change anything and put up with it.
Our views of the tannery in action were from a balcony of a leather shop overlooking the works. The climb up to the top of this series of homes and shops was narrow and steep, but we were rewarded with good views of the tannery as shown in today’s photos. I have also included below a photo of some of the thousands of leather items for sale, the end product of the tannery workers.
Tannery in Fes, Morocco
Tannery in Fes, Morocco
Shop near the tannery in Fes, Morocco
Views of Fes, Morocco
View of Fes, Morocco
During our visit to Fes in Morocco we had the opportunity to take stairs to the top of a building to see the view. Today I share some of the photos taken on that occasion.
View of Fes, Morocco
View of Fes, Morocco