Fes

After a great few days in Spain, we headed back to Malaga and took a tiny propeller plane to Casablanca, Morocco, for the next stage in our travel adventure. We got on a bus and headed on a 5 hour bus ride to our first stop, Fes. One of the four imperial cities in Morocco, Fes boasts the oldest medina, or old city, in Morocco. We spent our days serpentining through Fes's crooked streets, getting lost and confused in one of the world's hardest to navigate cities. 

While in the old medina, we got to tour many local artisan shops, showing off the local wears of Morocco. We visited a bronze shop that specializes in hand crafted bronze plates, which have been given as gifts by the king of Morocco to more than a few US presidents. Next, we visited a local embroidery shop, and watched the women hand stitch elaborate table clothes, place mats, pillow cases, bed linens, and much more in fabulous colors. We also visited a Moroccan carpet shop. Morocco is famous for its rugs, and they can been seen displayed in most shops throughout the country. We visited a local co-op, and got a demonstration on the different styles and types of rugs made in Morocco. Finally, we visited a tannery. We were given mint leaves upon entering to help with the smell, and made our way up to the roof to look out over the dye vats. Below us were hundreds of mud wells, filled with saffron yellows, henna reds, indigo blues, sage greens, and many more colors. Hides lay out in the sun drying as far as the eye could see. And the smell was absolutely overwhelming. It was quite a sight to see for sure.

The national dish of Morocco is tangine. Cooked in a cone shaped dish, it can be filled with cous cous, potatoes, peas, carrots, onion, olives, meat, tomato, and lots of spices. The cone shape keeps all the moisture inside, making a deliciously tender and flavorful dish. One of my favorite foods of my entire study abroad experience!