Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Fes & Meknes
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Fes & Meknes
WJ Tested: Insight Vacations – Day 10: Fes & Meknes, Morocco
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Fes & Meknes
16-Night Motorcoach Trip in 2011
Fes
Following an excellent buffet breakfast in the hotel dining room we departed by coach at 8:30 am. Javier, Abi and two local Fes guides, Momo and Azziram, would spend the morning touring us through Fes. We started with a short drive to the highest point, the Bab Ftouh Castle, for spectacular views of the surrounding Rift Mountains and the old Medina (with its reported 365 Minarets). The viewpoint provided an amazing perspective of the old city’s density – around 250,000 people live and work here.
Driving back towards the old Medina we had a photo stop at the Royal Palace located in 9th century Fes. Then we were divided into two smaller groups for our 3.5-hour walking tour through the Medina. We were with Momo and a security guy who brought up the rear of our entourage (to make sure nobody in our group got lost). Very quickly we could see how easy it would be to get completely lost within the Medina’s maze of narrow alleys and so stuck like glue to either Momo or the security guy. Everything we could imagine (and more) was available for sale. At one point we were nearly run over in one of the narrow alleys by a donkeyloaded with hides from the tannery – just as well we could smell him and his load (pigeon dung, cow urine and acid are used in the tanning process) before he got too close. From that point on we paid attention to the shouts of “Balak!” – meaning move or get run over!
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Fes & Meknes
During the tour we had a few opportunities to shop for souvenirs, but before we started to part with our Dirhams it was explained that bargaining is typical and expected as most prices are highly inflated at first – especially for tourists. Our first shopping stop was Dar Zarbia S.A.R.L., a government-controlled carpet co-operative, where many from our group made purchases of carpets crafted mostly by weavers at their homes throughout the country and then delivered to the co-op to be sold. We were quite impressed by the quality and selection of Berber, Kilim, Arab, Nomadic, Fes extra-superior rugs and carpets in all colors, shapes and sizes. The purchased carpets were then wrapped and waiting to be put on the bus after our walking tour concluded, as most of us were taking them back to Spain where we could easily ship them home.
After more wandering through the Medina we followed our nose towards the world’s oldest leather tanneries, which have remained mostly unchanged since medieval times. As we climbed the narrow and steep stairs of the Merveilles de Cuir leather tannery co-operative, all the way up to the rooftop, the pungent odor coming from the tannery completely filled the air. Before exiting the stairwell on to the rooftop and moving to the viewing gallery, one of the workers kindly offered us a bunch of mint leaves – which we quickly grabbed and stuffed under our nose to mask the stench. We became thoroughly engrossed watching the tannery workers below going about their work in stone vessels filled with colorful dyesor in the stinking concoction of pigeon poop, urine, acid and animal fat.
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Fes & Meknes
When we couldn’t stand the smell any longer we ventured back into the leather shop and had the difficult task of deciding what purchases to make here. Did we want a leather bag, purse, jacket, belt, cushion, shoesor slippers? And how many souvenirs and gifts should we take home from the plethora of choices at the tannery co-op? There was so much to choose from, but as we were travelling light we finally decided on souvenirs of traditional Moroccan slippers and coin purses.
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Fes & Meknes
Shopping Tip
Things to remember when shopping for anything in Morocco: prices are not firm; the first price is not the final price; negotiating is done in good faith and spirit; it can be a lot of fun to haggle with the locals; bargain hard – the seller will walk away from selling if he can’t make money from your offer. Many times the price you pay should be 25-35% of the original asking price.
Free Time
By 12:30 pm we were back at the hotel and had a free afternoon to spend by the pool. As we had chosen to take the optional excursion to Meknes, we just had a couple of hours to relax and grab a bite for lunch (the hotel has a lovely outdoor restaurant terrace).
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Fes & Meknes
Optional Excursion: Meknes
After a 3 pm departure from the hotel and a scenic 1-hour drive to the Middle Atlas region of Morocco, we arrived in Meknes. Here we drove past the Palace and reservoir before arriving at HRI Souani (the granaries of Moulay Ismail) for a walking tour with Abi. Then we moved on to view a mosque and see the Central Gate, Place el Hedim and Bab Mansour.
Included Dinner
The four-hour excursion required 2 hours of driving, so we arrived back in Fes and at the hotel by 7 pm, just in time to quickly freshen up before our 7:30 pm included buffet dinner. The hotel dining room was spacious and had a very large selection of beautifully presented and delicious hot and cold items. Once finished at dinner, the few in our group that still had energy went to the hotel bar for a nightcap, while the rest of us took our weary bones to bed. This was a day with enough memories to last a lifetime!
If You Go:
Visit WAVEJourney’s Insight Vacations Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco Review:
Overview | Itinerary | Hotels | Photos | Day 1: Madrid | Day 2: Segovia | Day 3: Toledo & Salamanca | Day 4: Fatima & Lisbon | Day 5: Lisbon & Cascais | Day 6: Sevilla | Day 7: Cordoba | Day 8: Gibraltar & Tangier | Day 9: Fes | Day 10: Fes & Meknes | Day 11: Marrakesh | Day 12: Ourika Valley & Marrakesh | Day 13: Casablanca & Rabat | Day 14: Torremolinos | Day 15: Granada | Day 16: Madrid |
