Butchershop in Fes, Morocco
Many shops in Moroccan cities like Fes are very small, like the butcher shop shown in today’s photo. They are just a small opening into the street or lane with a minimal counter for serving. Some of the meats available you definitely wouldn’t find here in butchers in Australia – the camel legs hanging near the front, for example!
Just another interesting facet of life in this wonderful country.
Stalls on the footpaths are a common sight in Morocco
We found it fascinating wandering the streets and laneways in the medinas of Morocco. The sights, colours and aromas were not only amazing but really in your face. Fruit and vegetable sellers, like the one shown in today’s photo, were very common, along with just about everything else you would want to buy, from umbrellas to fish to suits to shoes.
Spices and grains for sale in the medina of Fes in Morocco
I have written before of the colours of Morocco, especially in the medinas such as the one in Fes. I took this photo of the many colourful spices and grains available in the streets of the old city.
They certainly make a colourful sight.
In the medina of Fes in Morocco
While wandering through the medina of Fes during our visit to Morocco I was constantly fascinated by the huge variety of items for sale. I imagine one could buy almost anything, from food through to weapons and on to clothing.
The aromas were sometimes overpowering and the colours amazing. The visitor’s ears are assaulted with the constant sound of vendors and customers, musicians, the crowds thronging everywhere and the frequent call of “Balak! Balak!” warning of a little donkey loaded high with goods for sale and the roar of motor bikes cutting a swath through the mass of people squeezed into ever decreasing spaces.
In the medina of Fes in Morocco
In the medina of Fes in Morocco
Transport in Fes, Morocco – what a load
One of the interesting things about visiting an unfamiliar country is the interesting – and unusual – sights one can see. Of course, the scenery is usually quite strange to what one is used to, as is the architecture and in places like Morocco, the clothing locals are wearing.
Something that fascinates me – not sure why – is the differing modes of transport. In crowded, busy cities like Fes in Morocco, walking is by far the most common mode of moving people, especially in the narrow lanes and streets in the medinas. Motor bikes are also in large numbers everywhere, even in the narrowest of lane ways.Pedestrians beware!
Today I feature two photos of transport. Above is a delivery van with a huge load on the pack rack on top of the van. I didn’t check up close, but I hope that either the rack is VERY strong, or the load is VERY light. The inside of the van is also stuffed full of something.
The photo below was taken quite near to the one above. It shows another van loaded up with pipes (or something like pipes) on top, as well as a converted cart being towed by either a horse or a motor bike, and for good measure, a donkey transporting a man. All these contrasting modes of transport are quite common in Morocco and go to make the visit so much more interesting.
Different forms of transport in Fes, Morocco