Dining in style in Fes, Morocco
Beautiful restaurant in Fes, Morocco
On one of the days during our visit to Fes, Morocco, we had a delightful lunch in this magnificent restaurant. As stunning as it was, the most astonishing thing about it was the nondescript sign and entrance in the street outside (see photo below).
The lane outside was very plain with all the usual stalls, small shops and the always milling crowds and noise. The only indication of the restaurant’s presence was this simple sign (below). On moving through the door the restaurant opens up like an Aladdin’s magical cave, revealing a spacious, beautifully maintained and with an exotic decor in keeping with the local culture. Amazing.
The part of restaurant where we ate is seen though the doorway at the far end of the room. It was shrouded in luxurious looking carpets, drapes hung from the ceiling and low level lighting gave a truly exotic feel to the experience. And when we sat down we sank into deep, soft cushions.
As a bonus the food was wonderful. It’s just that we had so many great meals in Morocco I’ve completely forgotten what I ate that day. I didn’t even take a photo of the dish I had.
Restaurant in Fes, Morocco
Decorations inside a beautiful restaurant in Fes, Morocco
A picture of patience in Fes, Morocco
A picture of patience in the medina of Fes, Morocco
During our meanderings in the medina of Fes in Morocco I photographed this very patient animal waiting for his owner. To me it does not look like a horse, and it is certainly too big to be one of the local donkeys which were common. It has to be a mule. It was just standing there patiently, totally ignoring the busy, noisy crowds milling around. It even ignored the patting of one of our tour group (the lady with the red head covering).
It was certainly a lot more docile than some of the local donkeys who tend to be quite lively and belligerent in their attempts to push their way through a crowded street. we had to be constantly alert for them, as well as the local motor bike riders.
Dressing in style in Morocco
Stylish dress shop in Fes, Morocco
I found that the shop shown in today’s photo is something of a mystery to me. The dresses on sale in this shop are not your traditional or typical type of dress worn in Morocco.
So who was the target customer? Was it non-Moslem women? Are these aimed at the younger women trying to break free from traditional Islamic practices? (Our guide told me that this is increasingly an issue facing Morocco, especially in the workplace where traditional male only roles are being challenged by young, independent educated women.) Or perhaps these dresses are for tourists only or maybe also consular or NGO staff working in the area.
Whatever the reason, they certainly are glamorously beautiful.
In a crowded bookshop in Fes, Morocco
A bookshop in Fes, Morocco
I didn’t see many books or bookshops during our meanderings in various cities and towns of Morocco. We probably didn’t go to the right places.
This one in the medina in Fes was a small shop in comparison to most bookshops we have here in Australia. It was, however, rather large when compared to most retail outlets in this part of Morocco. Space in the medina is limited, so the owner of the shop crowded as much material as possible into the available space. It looks like a very efficient use of the shelves he had to store the material. It all looks neat and tidy to me.
As I couldn’t read the language I can’t say with certainty what the books were about, but some of the covers indicated to me that the emphasis was on Islamic materials almost exclusively. It’s probably the equivalent of our church run bookshops here in Australia.
Sights of Fes in Morocco
Toy shop in Fes, Morocco
The streets of Fes in Morocco – like all cities and towns we visited – are a constant delight with the many sounds, colours and aromas we are just not used to here in Australia. It was hard to take it all in, take photos, avoid bumping into the milling crowds everywhere AND keep one eye on our tour guide and the rest of the tour group.
In today’s photos I feature a soft toy shop (above), a dentist’s sign (below) and several street scenes (below).
Dentist sign in Fes, Morocco
In Fes, Morocco
In Fes, Morocco