Morocco Travel Diary- Fes, Part One

Hi guys!

I just came back from Germany a couple of days ago and I'm still trying to adjust to the real life... It's been a busy Spring as far as traveling is concerned and I couldn't be happier! I cannot wait to start planing my next sweet escape! We might be going to Italy in May (fingers crossed), but until then I'm making sure I share every detail of my trips with those of you who enjoy this kind of posts. I, for one, am crazy about traveling, I watch travel vlogs almost every day and I love reading about people's experiences and adventures.

Getting back on track with my Morocco travel diary, today I'm going to show you how we spent our first day in Fes. On our way from Rabat to Fes we made a quick stop to Meknes to see the famous city gate. The gate was beautiful indeed, but other than that, I would not suggest visiting the city (reviews on the internet are a bit overrated). We arrived in Fes some time after noon and went straight to the Riad (Riad Sanaa Rose, Fes El Bali) to check in and ask our host for some suggestions as to what we could visit. Getting information at the hotel is the best thing you can do, people there are usually very helpful and could provide the best advice. In Rabat, the hotel owner had suggested to book a guide in Fes to visit the Medina. She told us we could easily get lost in the maze-like streets and lose precious time. We took her advice, booked a guide, and by the end of the day, it proved to be the best decision. Not only did he take us to visit key spots inside the medina, different artisans, the famous tanneries, but he also shared a bit of history and fun facts along the way.

First he took us to a panoramic spot, from where we could see the entire city, and pointed us towards different attractions. Then we went forward to visit the Medina.

We were able to visit an old madrasa, a type of school for the study of religion, a ceramics factory, leather and rugs artisans' shops,  spices and argan oil stores. Every single one of the places had a little background story, so the trip was pretty informative. Not to mention we got to also buy souvenirs in the process, which was great.

The Medina was super crowded and noisy and it painted a perfect image of the agitation and restlessness of the Moroccan people! It was a wonderful and enjoyable day and it was a real pleasure to experience a culture that's so different from our own.

I hope you'll enjoy the photos! Talk to you soon!

Love,

Mamalina

Oufit details:
Shirt: Kenzo for H&M
Jeans & Bomber: H&M

Morocco Travel Diary- Rabat, Part Two

Hi guys,

I'm finally back with part two of our day spent in Rabat. It's really hard for me to stay on track with this travel diary because I've had some busy couple of weeks, culminating with my husband's birthday celebration this past weekend. But I'm dying to share all details of the trip to Morocco, so I'll do my best to update as often as possible.

Talking about trips and a busy calendar, we're actually in the middle of packing our bags once again, as we'll be leaving for Germany in just a few days. My birthday is coming up next Sunday and we've decided to go on a city break, yeeeeey! I've never celebrated my birthday away from home, but I'm stocked about Germany and I'm sure I'm gonna have the best time.

Now back to Morocco! In the previous post I was telling you guys how we managed to visit Rabat in just one day and succeeded to see everything on our list.After leaving the Oudaias Kasbah we went forward to visit Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohamed V, which are next to one another. We really took our time to explore the area, the sun had come out and the temperature was just perfect. The story of the Tower is that it was intended as a minaret for a big mosque that should have been build as instructed by the ruler Yacoub al-Mansour. Unfortunately, the death of al-Mansour in 1150 left the work unfinished, as the construction was abandoned shortly after. Nevertheless, the Tower is still impressive and amazingly decorated. It made me imagine how the Mosque  would have looked, had it been finished as planned.

Next to the Tower, stands the beautiful Mausoleum of Kind Mohamed the 5th. We were allowed to actually visit the inside of the Mausoleum and see the tomb from above. On the walls, traditional Moroccan tilework reminded me one again why I had chosen to visit this amazing country.

There were quite a few tourists and a super fun story is that we had some girls coming to us asking to take a picture with my friend, Cami, who has light skin and big blue eyes and looks straight out of a Disney Princess movie :). She was so different and contrasted everybody else, that she became quite a touristic attraction :). Of course, nobody wanted a picture with me (brown eyes, darker skin tone, I could easily blend in with the locals :)).

In the afternoon, as suggested by our host in Sale, we went to visit the Chellah Necropolis, the ruins of an 14th century citadel. The quiet, peaceful walk in the sunset light through the gardens and the ruins of this ancient town was just what we needed to relax after such a busy, tiring first day in Morocco.

The place was animated by quite a few super friendly cats and also storks that have found nesting on the ruins of the old mosque ans mausoleum.

On our way back to the hotel, as we were searching for an ATM/money exchange office, we got a chance to see a part of the city that we hadn't been able to explore during the day: crowded streets, high-street stores, large pedestrian zones packed with people taking their evening walks. We rambled for a while, then went back to the hotel and crashed into our beds, getting ready to leave for Fes the next morning.

I hope you'll enjoy the photos! Untill next time,

Love,

Mamalina