City- Fes
Weather- 65

Today we did a city walking tour of Fes which is the most complete medieval city in the Arab world. It was like stepping back into the Middle Ages in the Labyrith of the Medina full of life! Craftsman, markets, tanneries, mosques and so much more! Just the hustle and bustle of everyday life surrounded us. We visited a famous tannery where they dye all the leather for the leather products. What a process it is! Wow! It was a beautiful view of the dye pits where the men get into these large pits and dye the leather. The feel and look of this leather is like no other. Real leather can be lit on fire but will have no effect where cheap/fake leather would burn and smell very badly. I took numerous photos of the people in the markets selling fish, fruits, nuts, olives, shoes, fabrics, etc. there were also many men with carts of snails! Hundreds of snails for a snack. :) We visited a ceramics factory and also saw how the local scarves were made with thread from an agave plant. So interesting!
We had the best lunch today at a beautiful hidden gem in the middle of the markets. It was 13 dollars and you got three courses. To start were all the mezze salads- lentil, carrots, eggplant, cabbage, beets, olives, zucchini- to be dipped with the homemade bread. Next was the chicken pastilla- pastry dough stuffed with chicken and cinnamon. So delicious! Followed by a dessert of fresh oranges, bananas, and apples. The oranges here are the best I have ever had! Huge and full of juice! It was a long day of walking but so incredible to see how the other side of the world lives- men still using donkeys to haul back and forth, women wrapped up caring for the children or not being seen, men visiting the mosques 5 times a day... We finished the day at the night street market for dinner- had
1 chicken skewer and 1 kefta skewer with an onion pancake. Total- $2.50. My kind of meal. A small group of us went to a cafe to have some mint tea and desert.