Welcome to Day Two of the Week of Fez! Today, we'll go over my travels to and during my first day in Fez, and what I learned along the way.
Traveling to El Prat Airport was fantastic. My friends and I left the apartments exactly on time, allowing us to arrive in the train station just before the train pulled up and then at the bus station just as the bus pulled up. We arrived at the airport twenty minutes before planned because we managed to time the transfers so perfectly, which was great because we had a small emergency at the airport. This is when I learned....
1. Buy your flight tickets based on the day you need to travel. Then check that you've selected the correct dates. Then check again. Then check again. THEN YOU SHOULD CHECK AGAIN. The last thing you want to do is be told at the airport that you don't have tickets for this flight because somehow, you bought tickets for May 20-24 instead of April 22-25. And you don't want to have to buy new tickets at the airport. And you don't want to have to fight with the airline over the 65€ you spent on the tickets for the wrong dates.
2. The easier it is for your parents to get you money while you're abroad, the better off you are. Because when you have to drop $300 to fix your ticket error, your bank account will be drained and you'll need to figure out a way to pay the guy at the riad and oh wow is it hot in here or is it just me? I feel light-headed and nauseous. I think I'll sit down a minute.
3. Apparently, getting water from McDonalds in El Prat Airport involves going to a computer to order your water and pay for it, and then waiting for the person behind the counter to call out your order number, check your receipt, and hand you a bottle of water. Neat.
Okay, disaster survived. Barely, and all thanks to my traveling partners. I managed to sleep through the flight to Fez even though my fellow passengers seemed to have a different set of standards for plane behavior (Standing in the aisle to talk to your friend? Leaning your seat as far back as it can go? Chatting loudly? All things that would not fly where I'm from.) Entering Morocco revealed...
1. In Morocco, planes are unloaded from both the front and back exits. Super cool and much more efficient. Why can't we do this in the U.S.?
2. It's possible that you are not supposed to take pictures of the Fez Saiss Airport. The screaming security guard makes that clear. So just be quick and sneaky about it.
3. Look for people who will check your passport. Because entering Fez, there are three. And if you don't see the third guy- the one who's armed- you're gonna get grabbed and scolded by an intimidating authority figure.
I really appreciated all the detailed information our guide provided and the places she took us that I would've struggled to find on my own. For the price of $10 and three hours of my time, I learned ...
1. Guided tours can be interesting and worthwhile. The past couple of guided tours I've taken have been relatively dry and difficult to understand. It was so relieving to enjoy a tour and learn so much from the guide.
2. Morocco's major cities each have a symbolic color. Fez's color is blue, which is why its famed blue gates are blue. Marrakech's color is red and Rabat's is white. Green is the color of Islam, which is why it can be found in mosques and on the eastern (Mecca-facing) side of the famous gates.
3. Fez has had running water since 1100. That's about 700 years before Paris did.
4. Islam does not allow the portrayal of Allah's creatures, which is why the art is so different from European art. Because of this, people found other ways to communicate religious meanings through art. For example, five-point stars represent the five pillars of Islam (Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting, and Pilgrimage to Mecca), ten-point stars represent the Ten Commandments of the Qur'an, and twelve-point stars represent the twelve tribes of Ishmael.
5. Be prepared to yell, "Ne me touche pas!" It might seem like that guy is just trying to get through the crowd on the narrow street, but that's not what's happening. The medina is not that crowded. The path is not that narrow. Even if it were, it wouldn't take him that long to get get past you and he wouldn't have to touch every square centimeter of your butt. Try not to let it bother you, and if you're not stunned into silence, tell him to knock it off.
6. Every detail here has some purpose. I mentioned this in my last post, too. I was astounded by how detail-oriented the city was. Absolutely nothing is unintentional.
7. Friday afternoon is "the worst time" to take a tour in Morocco. Fridays are non-work days in Morocco and Friday afternoons are spent at home with the family. Our guide was therefore displeased that we'd chosen a day and time during which most shops would be closed for our tour. She told us we'd chosen the worst time to take a tour of Fez.
8. But actually, Friday afternoon might be the best time to take a tour. Since most people were at home, the medina was much less crowded than usual. This made it easier to take pictures and follow our guide, who was about four feet tall and would have easily been lost in the crowds any other day. With this in mind, the best/worst time to take a tour in Morocco will depend on what kind of experience you're wanting.
9. Sometimes, your guide asking if you want to haggle the cost of a blanket doesn't mean what you think it means. She's not implying that haggling is socially acceptable and expected, so you should go for it if you want that blanket. She's just asking if you want to haggle. My bad.
Our first day in Morocco was lovely, even considering the immense stress we went through on our way there. We were pleasantly surprised to find our riad to be gorgeous on the inside despite being tucked away in a back alley, our guide lead us to many sites we'd hoped to visit over the course of our trip, and we enjoyed plenty of free mint tea. Saturday was a (mostly) unguided adventure, so look forward to hearing all about that tomorrow.
Until next time!