Fes

Fes is the oldest of the four imperial cities and is generally regarded as the cradle of Moroccan civilization, so we were quite keen to check it out. Our first port of call was the Royal Palace where the current king, Mohammed VI, resides when in Fes. The ornamental bronze gates and the tall walls resplendid with superb mosaics overlooking a large square, where people strolled or relaxed, was a sight to behold. One can only be in awe of the craftsmanship involved here. From the Palace we visited the colourful Jewish cemetery nearby. There is a synagogue adjacent to the cemetery and, even though it is no longer in use, it still houses its original Torah or parchment scroll of Jewish Religious Law, which its guardian proudly displayed to us. Morocco once had 40,000 Jews living here. We then headed to Morocco's original walled medina, an incredible maze of twisting alleys and blind turns along which there is every conceivable type of market and craft workshops. We visited leather, carpet and ceramic shops, watched various skilled artisans at work and generally wandered around this incredible souk and bazaar. Occasionally we had to press ourselves against the narrow walls of these passageways as a donkey loaded up to the gunwhales with merchandise trundled by. After picking up a few souvenirs we made our way to one of the most remarkable restaurants I have ever been in. It was a former palace, built at the beginning of the 20th century and belonged to the then Minister of Defence. Gorgeous mosaic tiles embellished the walls, elaborate chandeliers hung from the carved, cedar ceiling and traditional Moroccan carpets lined the floor. We dined in this great opulence on chicken and vegetable couscous served tajine style. It was delicious. After lunch we concluded our day with a visit to a ceramic making factory on the outskirts of the city, where we watched the potters at work and ladies hand painting the finished porcelain in intricate colors and designs. A very pleasant day indeed!