Fes, the Medina & a litle bit of Lady Luck

Lazy Sunday breakfast in the Jardin de nouvelle ville preceded an aborted attempt to call the UK, all the phones were down for some reason so we made our way to a bus stop for the Old town Medina. The sole other person queueing person was a well dressed gent in his 40 's. We checked we had the right bus number & that we were heading in the right direction. 6 buses later his patience ran out & he volunteered we share a taxi.



The taxi ride initiated a fantastic tour of the Medina. Larbi, a wealthy local businessman insisted on showing us the entire Medina at his own time expense. We explored his business (a fabulous carpet shop), the smelly Tanneries that use all sorts of undecidable ingredients to soft, stretch & colour the leather & the cloth weaving machines of his cousin.

With Larbi as our guide not only did we avoid all the hassle of the faux guides & shop keepers but we effortlessly navigated the maze of streets & alleyways that would have oh so easily had us lost. We shared sublime mint tea & ate fresh shesha styled kebab meat in a local "den" before bidding our friend goodbye at the Medina gates.



Reflecting on the day I would without doubt recommend anyone planning on travelling to Fes to invest in a guide to explore the old city. We hit a huge piece of luck & Marrakech was a doddle compared to the biggest labyrinth in the world. Today we thanked the kindness of people like Larbi who help restore the trust, good will & hospitality we should all show each other. If you want a rug or carpet of the finest quality then feel free to call him 00 212 73 24 55 42 @ Dar Saad Medina ...... & so ends the advertisement !


We head north tomorrow for Chefchaouen & its apparent blue & white streets.