We’re a few weeks shy of Christmas and that means two things here in southern Cal: (1) really awesome sunny weather while people in other parts of the country are digging themselves through snow and rain and (2) winter sales. This time last year I was trekking from Morocco through Spain so had missed out on a lot of the sales. But apparently not too much because I still remember taking calls at 2am from sales associates (“SAs”) who had shoes or clothes they knew I had to have at the reduced prices…perhaps they knew in my half sleep I would be less likely to say no!
This year I decided to stay in the US during sale season and host guests for a change. I figured I’d actually make it to the stores to see the sales myself instead of relying on fuzzy pictures emailed from my SAs’ phones while half way across the world. But as it turns out, since my guests have been here, it’s been a nonstop whirl around the state of California for three weeks (which explains my silence here till now). And with the exception of that Black Friday weekend–and all I can say about that is that I’m not sure I’ll be waking up at 3:30am to hit the mall by 4am ever again–I haven’t really been able to get into any stores!
Today’s photos are of our quick jaunt to Vegas and Hoover Dam (which is pretty incredible, I might add)…
and the closest I came to shopping there was at this machine
where I traded $1 for this coin:
I do remember that when we got back to the Bellagio, I walked by the Chanel boutique a few times but had no energy left to actually set foot inside it or any of the other stores ripe with pre-sales. But I did get photos of the winter wonderland in the Bellagio’s foyer:
I know Vegas is a big destination for a lot of people, but whenever I’m in a casino, I feel like I need a shower. I can’t be the only person to feel this way, can I?
Tomorrow I’ll show you where I should have gone all these years ago…but like I always say about travel: it’s never too late to start.
Tags: Bellagio, Black Friday, Chanel, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Morocco, Spain
Today in a farewell to Fes blog entry, I’ll take you on a couple of my favorite outings in this city. The first is a tour of the massive ramparts that surround the medina. You don’t have to look too hard to know that you are in a walled city:
On a clear day up at the Borj Nord, a lookout tower to the north built in the 16th century to guard the medina, you can really see forever…
There is a weapons museum inside the fortress:
And if you sit around the garden long enough,
some nice old man will bring you flowers…
for a small tip. Hey, nothing in life is free. Except maybe the thrill of being up at the other Borj near the Merenid Tombs and ruins…
I love this picture–click on it to see a larger version:
So after this cool jaunt for a lofty view of the city, I end up at my second favorite place–what else but an art store (there’s no Chanel boutique in Morocco!),
The friendly artist/owner shows me pictures of his daughter who is studying in San Francisco and gives me a tour of his upstairs studio…
which is no bigger than the size of a very narrow, small bedroom, completely windowless. I don’t know how he fits them all in here, but he says the space is shared by 5 artists. This makes me a little sad.
So I buy. Maybe I do walk around with the word “sucker” on my forehead, and maybe the smell of oil and acrylic paints is making me woozy, but pity has a strong effect on my pocketbook. And art makes me happy. So as I wait for my paintings to be wrapped up,
I chat with his son about his life in Fes as a young man. He tells me he doesn’t paint like his dad because his art of choice is music. Later, we end up a few doors down where he shows off some of the Moroccan stringed instruments:
The best present from a trip, besides the experience itself, is local art. That way I can enjoy a little bit of Fes everyday in my own home.
My passport is ready. See you in the next town!
Tags: Borj Nord, Chanel, Fes, Merenid Tombs, Morocco
I am told that in every big city in Morocco there is a royal palace. I tell you, it’s good to be King. Fes is no exception to this royalty real estate bonus,
and while I am allowed to get close enough to some of the doors,
one of the guards nicely asks me to erase the picture I take of the door he is guarding.
Not too far from the palace is the mellah, or Jewish quarter. It is here in Fes that you can find Morocco’s first official mellah founded in 1438. In 1465 a rebel attack proved fatal to many of this mellah’s inhabitants, and by the early 19th century the mellah came to symbolize segragation of the worst kind, then with the affluent Jews moving into other parts of the city, the mellah was mainly left to the elderly or poor. One of my guides tells me that the Jewish population has dwindled in Fes due to the migration to other parts of the world. Today there are shops (gold, food, and furniture stores) lining the streets of the mellah, marked by what the locals term Spanish architecture (note the brown windows):
Many tourists wander through the mellah looking for the synagogue. And if you’re looking for a great huge structure you’ll never find it. Down a blind corner through an unimposing door, you can pay a few dirhams to gain entry:
Up on the synagogue’s rooftop, you can peer into the Jewish cemetery:
Tomorrow I’ll take you to two of my favorite experiences in Morocco and then I’m back on the road.
Throughout Morocco you can find ceramics of all patterns and quality. At the end of one of my half-day tours I turn up at a ceramics factory–the Famille Fehari Cooperative. As soon as we drive up to the parking lot, we can see clay items in various stages of formation…it’s ceramics galore:
The co-op’s guide shows me the kilns,
and takes me around to observe a primarily male staff sculpting,
painting,
and building mosaics…
My favorite item at this factory is the fountain that comes in a myriad of sizes and designs. Maybe next time I will bring a design so that I could get one custom made:
Beyond this big courtyard where large items are being completed…
is the gift shop where you can find a million souvenirs,
most of which you could find for cheaper in the souks with some bargaining. But I buy a few things here anyway because…well, whenever I’m in a store environment I just can’t help it. It’s like I’ve been conditioned to shop or something!
Anyway, my tour of Morocco is almost up. I’ll show you a few more sights just a day or two more and then we’re out of Africa.
I must have walked by that sign a million times during my visit here in Fes before I finally go in to see what magic potions might be found there. As luck would have it, I run into a very chatty owner who gives me a fun tour of the spices, medicines, and oils that are supposed to fix whatever needed fixing:
He doesn’t have a cure for restlessness but I buy some tea and Ras El Hanout which he says is a concoction of 42 spices. The name means “head of the shop” in Arabic. Heck, I may not be able to cook well but who can pass on something that has 42 ingredients! The items are weighed on this scale then wrapped in what looks like paper from someone’s journal (if only I could read in Arabic!) before they are bagged in plastic:
From his shop I wander aimlessly around looking for shoes, but these are too small…
and this is too big:
So I keep walking…
until I run into the Medersa el Attarine, which is an old but recently restored educational facility:
Whoa, hold up there missy, you say. Can we check out that jacket you’re wearing today? Why yes, it’s Look 5! My Prada windbreaker might actually be useful as the clouds are looking mighty suspicious today.
Anyway, I really like this shot, from inside, of what’s going on outside:
And what’s outside is more great architecture:
Right in the middle of all this you will find Cafe Clock,
where all tourists and expats eventually end up for a quick bite or wifi, or in my case some live music + dessert on one day…
and falafel lunch on another…
But you know what’s really yummy here in Fes? It’s these vegetarian sandwiches you can get on the street for nearly nothing. You might or might not get sick eating on the street anywhere, but my first sandwich was so great I am more than happy to take the risk again, and again. More on that tomorrow…
Tags: Cafe Clock, Fes, Medersa el Attarine, Morocco, Prada, ras el hanout
