Spain and Morocco

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco

Fes, Morocco - inside the medina (old town)


Inside the medina, walking on a quiet street and away from the market sections... heading to the dar


The rebuilding of the old town was a venture taken on by the Moroccon govt with aid from UNESCO. I was told prior to the French control Morocco at one time, majority families lived in old town (the medina). France built ville nouvelle (new town) which is more of a regular residential areas and is outside the medina

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco

A trip to Sefrou (25km from Fes) home of Berber Jews - that's the medina



Wood carver making ploughs for the farms


market

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco

Iron worker - not a good pic but it was interesting that they still made things using the olden ways.

[Marielle]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SandiF</div><div class="ubbcode-body">He was one of two street persons I saw peddling for money the other was a struggling old British chap. <span style="font-style: italic">Couldn't quite figure out why he left England for Spain</span> but we spoke for long... </div></div>

Oh, there's a huge expat british community in Spain! All went down there for the cheap living and the sunshine! In fact, there's no extradition treaty between Spain and UK cos of Gibraltar and the Brits call the Costa del Sol the Costa del Crime cos of all the british crims living down there!
Lot of people have lost lots of money (housing) and have had to return to GB, not surprised to see a brit begging in Spain, there's loads in Britain doing it!

Once met a Jamaican in Negril and he had an Arabic restaurant somewhere down there, think he was a yardie nice guy, he came to visit me in Amsterdam, we dived into the coffeeshop of course!

Have to go out now but looking forward to checking this out later, funny, the first two pages of photos of the buildings I see remind me of Havana (not surprising really!)

[Xavier]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

I love this picture.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> </div></div>

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

Breakfast at the dar - tea, Beghrir (pancake) eaten with preserves, olive bread, a sweet crusty pastry... after that a strong mini cup of coffee


Inside the medina (oldtown, Fez)


the mosque inside the medina (off limits to non-muslims)

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

the leather goods store below the tannery (that's me and Rachid); some of the finest leather jackets, bags and the prices were very affordable


workers at the tannery - they gave me a spearmint to sniff as the scent almost made me


someone's piece of art work of sidi moussa tannerie

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

i went to Morocco with the idea that most women would be wearing borquas but that is not so as most women dress very modern in western fashions, i found most did not wear a headdress scarf and I only saw two women fully covered in bourqa fashion.



donkey and mules were the only method of transport inside the medina

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

pot makers - this is a Berber and he got [censored] when i took his picture. I felt a bit badly...


I tried to make conversation in my best French; most times Rachid was my Arabic interpreter. Instead of being intrusive with the camera, I speak to them first and get approval to snap pic

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

olives with Moroccan wine... fine fine fine


dried fruits of various sorts


delicious olive breads

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

the market was in sections - the haberdasheries, the shoemaker, the rug stores, the fruits stands - after a while i started realising there is a pattern to it all


i couldn't quite figure out why soda was mixed with fresh meat so i thought a little brawta


as you can tell, the streets inside the medina on a Tuesday morning are very busy, narrow roads that does not allow motor vehicles. you get a good view of the various ethnic groups in Morocco and how the medina being old town has not changed over the many centuries

[neutral]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

Nice !......I love spain,me and my wife has a place there on the costa blanca near alicante,we usually just jump in the car when we,re there and just drive and stay wherever we take a likeing to,..love your photos.

went to morocco once but timed the weather wrong and ended up rideing a camel with an umbrella and a large bloody coat,wasnt enjoyable at all.

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

The next day…

Tuesday was filled with laughter, great conversation and being in the company of someone I feel as though I have known for years; this is Rachid who brought along Adil as a guide due to strong restrictions in the medina of Fes old town. It was yesterday that I met Rachid and Zak and have developed a fondness for both which is different but respectful. Our interaction is not that of strangers but of old friends, who somehow had not seen each other in years and finally getting that moment to re-connect, get back in touch and the good feel of camaraderie.

We took a walking tour of the medina, stopping at the tannery for a history lesson and purchasing a fine looking leather jacket for myself. The mosque I had a chance to stop at but could not enter as I am a non-Muslim. The pottery where they make the finest ceramics – The owner took me on a grand tour kept hitting on me all the while and finally confessing that he finds dark skin women to be the most beautiful. Next at the government sponsored rug museum and received an education about the different types of rugs, Arabic and Berbers and the people who make them. I was extremely impressed with the history of how women from the Berber regions had used rug making as a means of weaving their stories. For every stop we made it was customary to drink tea with the host.

The company was great and the courtesy shown by Rachid and Adil was to say the least awesome. Rachid reminded me time and time again that it was our destiny to meet on the train, destiny unknown to us plays a role in our lives. We made one last stop by taxi to Ville Nouvelle (new town) and had a lunch of kebab. Personally, I did not found much to see in Ville Nouvelle and we did not stay in that area for long. It was getting late and I was feeling a bit tired. Last stop was picture taking at the royal king’s palace and security forced me to erase some of my pictures of the imperial majesty’s gateway entrance! Once back at the dar, I was tired and still filled from the breakfast, bean soup and kebab lunch. Rachid stayed a while and we sort of went over the plans for the next day. Hugs and kisses and I shall see him the next morning. I had not forgotten that Zak and I had made plans for an evening rendezvous and was glad he called the dar for us to put off for the next day.

[SandiF]

Re: Spain and Morocco in 2 weeks

I noticed there were more Brits traveling in the two countries -- came across very few Americans.

Riding a camel in the rain LOL! There has got to be a good story behind that

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Natral</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Nice !......I love spain,me and my wife has a place there on the costa blanca near alicante,we usually just jump in the car when we,re there and just drive and stay wherever we take a likeing to,..love your photos.

went to morocco once but timed the weather wrong and ended up rideing a camel with an umbrella and a large bloody coat,wasnt enjoyable at all. </div></div>

[Marielle]

Re: Spain and Morocco

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SandiF</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> as always I am usually charmed by handsome charismatic men. </div></div>



Fabulous trip report!

Photos are bringing back memories! The Alhambra! Stunning place! Never been to Ronda(sp?) but been everywhere else, Cordoba, Seville, etc
My sister is married to a Spaniard (a granny already!) and has a house on the beach in South Spain, south of Estepona, with a view of Gibraltar from the beach!
His family come from down there, he was born in Algeciras.

That was probably Ceuta where you came in with the boat, it's actually a Spanish colony, there's another one to the east, Mellila(sp?), when you come in there you go thru the Rif mountains, where the hashish comes from.

Did you go to Marrakesh?