Thursday, March 17, 2022
Before leaving Fes and heading to Casablanca, we stopped in the Fes-Mellah, the Jewish Quarter. Muslims and Jews have lived together here for 2,000 yrs, a long history of “immigration, integration, coexistence and emigration”. Yassim gave a brief history of Jews in Morocco, noting that the Jews had a settlement as early as 70 AD. More Jews as well as Moors settled in Morocco after they were expelled from Spain during the Inquisition which then allowed greater tolerance for Jews. In general, Christians, Muslims and Jews coexist in Morocco.
We started in the Jewish cemetery, outside the walled city, and continued to neighborhoods where Jewish homes are distinguished from Muslim homes by use of balconies. The current Jewish population is very small due to emigration to Israel.
Next on our travel list was a tour of the American Fondouk, an animal hospital providing free care to the donkeys, mules and horses of Fes. This is a very impressive and much needed service to the people of the Fes Medina and surrounding area as these working animals are critical to their livelihoods.
We were given a tour of the facility that included an operating area, lab, pharmacy and ”kitchen”. Every stall was roomy and padded thin wood shavings. These animals sustain eye injuries from traveling in the Medina’s close alleys as well as injuries to their hides from head to hoof. Dogs and race horses are not treated here as dogs are not typically found in the city and those owning race horses can afford more specialized care.
After petting a cute donkey and viewing the imaging, laboratory and surgical services, it was back on the bus to Meknes, an 11th century city known for its lavish 17th century Spanish-Moorish architecture, made possible by Sultan Moulay Ismail, the Warrior King.
The ”Versailles of Morocco” was built during Sultan Moulay Ismail’s rule. It may be due to the he had 500 concubines and 800 children! Unfortunately, there are only a few buildings left (a stable large enough to feed 12,000 horses, watered by an aqueduct, for one) and we were unable to tour as renovations are occurring. Meknes is a UNESCO Heritage site and must complete improvements by 2023. The famed Bab Mansour Gate was undergoing renovation and was covered in scaffolding and shrouded in tarp.
A local guide took us through the Meknes Medina which seemed brighter and cleaner than Fes. It also allowed vehicles except for areas with narrow alleyways. The Meknes Medina is smaller but 3 of our travelers managed to get lost as they were distracted by vendor offerings as we wound our way through the maze.
Onward to the guide’s home, Ryad Bahia, behind a substantial, ornate door off one of the Medina alleyways. We explored this beautiful space with an open courtyard in the center (windows open into the interior of the house as no windows are on the side of the alleyway in Muslim homes). Our guests were found by the local police who are very familiar with Tauck guests and the itinerary.
Lunch over and on to the bus for the long ride to Casablanca. We watched the classic Bogart-Bergman film while munching on snacks and learned that it was totally filmed in Hollywood! We arrived at the Four Seasons Casablanca, settled in and made dinner reservations. We are totally spoiled!
We were forewarned that the area where the Four Seasons is located is ”dry”, meaning no alcohol is served anywhere within the boundaries of a resident Saudi Prince’s estate. This includes the hotel. The term ”resident” is loosely translated as he hasn’t visited this area in a decade! Fortunately, we purchased a few bottles of wine at Zouina Winery, making our stay quite relaxing! The hotel and grounds are exceptional as is the location on the beach. The weather has been cool during our trip so we did not linger on our beach walk. Dinner was at Bleu, a seafood restaurant located in the hotel with an exceptional wall mural consisting of shells—very upscale!
We’re excited about tomorrow’s schedule that includes lunch at the famed Rick’s Café! ”As Time Goes By”—it is going too fast!