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Day 2: Arrive Fez
You will be landing at Casablanca's
Airport Mohammed V as the sun
rises over Africa. When you get to the terminal, follow the
"Transit/Correspondence" signs up for your flight to Fez.
Upon your arrival in Fez you'll go through customs
and immigration. As soon as you exit the customs area you'll see your guide
waiting for you holding a sign with your name and/or SaharaTrek.
You'll be driven to your accommodations where you'll be able to drop off
your luggage and start on a guided walking tour of Fez..
 If
you had to choose one city to embody Morocco, it would be
Fez. Founded in the 9th century, Fez reached its height in the 13th–14th centuries. The urban fabric and the principal monuments in the medina
– madrasas, fondouks, palaces, residences, mosques and fountains
- date from this period. Although the political capital of Morocco was
transferred to Rabat in 1912, Fez has retained its status as the
country's cultural and spiritual center.
 Inside
of 8 kilometers of fortified walls is the
tangled maze of narrow streets
that make up the Fez medina, the world’s
most complicated labyrinth city. Designed to thwart invasions,
today it mostly thwarts the independent tourists from finding their way.
Rest assured, with your guide, the secrets of the city will be be
revealed and you'll miss none of the sights.
 Architecture,
mosques, monuments and palaces are the static physical evidence of Fez's
history and culture. But the living energy and soul of the city
come from its' people who go about their daily lives and practice their
trades just as they have for hundreds of years. As you
are guided though the narrow streets and ancient souks, you'll see the
artisans at work and have a chance to purchase the products of their
skill. Around each turn is a different souk known for the
craftsmen who work there. Cold lifeless metal is formed into
practical items and then reformed into works of art at the metal souk.
Turn a corner and you'll be confronted with the overwhelming smell
of the tannery where raw hides are turned into world famous Moroccan
leather. Turn after turn something new is around each corner.
The rhythmic clicking of the wooden shuttle as they races back and forth
over the wooden looms, the hammering and sawing of the wood workers, the
filing and fitting of the bone workers, all the sounds of the medina
rushing together into an everlasting symphony of history and life.
The experience at times can be overwhelming, so along you'll have a
chance to sit and relax while you let the experience soak in. One
of our favorite places is to get away is the shop Dar Zaouia. A
carpet shop located in a restored villa deep it the old city, the Zaouia
is the only shop offering more learning experience then sales pitch.
While you relax in the cool quiet of the Dar and enjoy a glass of mint
tea, you'll be given a lesson in Moroccan rugs from wool to spinning,
dying to tying, and know the differences between a kilim and imperial
which is only talked about by serious rug collectors.
And if you're interested, they'll of course be more then happy to sell
you a rug or two. Rugs purchased from the Dar Zaouia qualify for
the Rug Guarantee.
After a full day of
touring, you'll be taken back to your accommodations for the night.
(Breakfast included) |
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