Fes

Depsite the excitement of our engagement, we kept moving and headed north to Fes. Like all the major cities in Morocco that we´ve visited, Fes is divded into both an old walled city (the medina) and a newer French-created Ville Nouvelle. Fes´medina is believed to be the largest contiguous car-free urban area in the world, if you´re into useless facts.

We stayed in the VN and headed to breakfast at a French cafe on our first morning there. We were taken back when our eggs arrived in oceans of olive oil and had to document it!



Next we enter Fes el-Bali, or the old city. We wandered through more souqs and made a final purchase of a sheesha (water-pipe) to keep our African memories alive. Along the way we peaked in the Bou Inania Madrasa, which like all the madrasas we´ve seen consisted of an intricately decorated courtyard.



Here´s a closer look at the different texts and patterns adorning the walls.



We wandered more shops, and especially liked this one selling hand crafted bronze lamps and shades.



We continued past the University of Al-Karaouine, thought to be the world´s oldest university and stopped for lunch at a B´sara stall. Surrounded by locals in a cramped closet of a restaurant, we devoured our bean and olive oil soup with thick pieces of bread. It cost about 40 cents each.

Our last stop in Fes were the doors of the palace. Their scale and details made them a worth-while sight.





Other than these sights, we spent more time in Fes making plans for our return home. We changed our flight and will arrive back in the states on the 17th of June! Our first stop is Chicago to find a place to live, followed by New Orleans to look at wedding venues.

Currently we´re in Madrid and loving the wine and ham. Stay tuned for the last blog post of the trip!

Stop, Pause, and Relax / We're Engaged!

Eight years ago, a Frenchman was horse-riding through the Morocco wilderness outside of Marrakech. As he crested one of the rocky hills, he spotted a small oasis of palm, fig and olive trees. One this site, he dreamed of building a hidden retreat that would become La Pause. Over the years he slowly added different mud and straw adobes, berber tents, a pool, and various natural gardens to create the ultimate private resort.

We heard all this as Frederic drove us from Marrakech to La Pause a few days ago. As we turned down an unmarked dirt road, passing villages of dried-mud, we couldn't wait to see his vision.

Along the way Frederic explained that he'd recently hosted a wedding at the resort and to reward his employees (mostly locals) for their hard work, he was taking them on a one-day beach vacation. We looked at each other wondering if we'd be making our own meals, but were quickly assured we'd be taken care of. He was right. He also explained that because of this we'd be the only guests at the resort and that he would put us in the "big house."

Upon arrival, our bags were carted up a rocky trail to our "room" at the big house.



We were shocked and surprised as we toured the two living rooms, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and kitchen. It was larger than some of the tourist sites we've been to. The rooms are simply decorated with Moroccan rugs, low-lying couches, and enough candles to light the electricity-free hotel.



In awe of the privacy, space, and quiet that we've missed for some time now, we sat on our patio and took it all in. The staff brought us some olives and made arrangements for our evening sunset horse ride.

Around 7, we saddled up and a guide led us up and down the surround hills. We took in views of the Atlas Mountains, wheat-blanketed slopes, and old fortified casbahs. Lindsey galloped ahead up and down hills while Steve tried his hardest to hold on and slow down his horse.



By the end, though, he looked like a cowboy. A young pony followed us for the whole ride.



When we returned after sunset, the stars had come out against a deep purple sky. We cleaned up for dinner and Steve asked Lindsey to change into one of her only dresses. She was a bit curious as to why she needed to, but agreed nonetheless. Steve had wine, olives, and candles set up on the patio where we both sat down for a drink before dinner. It was one of our few glasses of wine in the last four months!

Moments later, Steve asked Lindsey to be his wife. She agreed rather quickly and cried for a very long time.

After we held each other and the tears stopped, we headed down to dinner to celebrate, which like all meals at La Pause, is an endless supply of amazing food. We absolutely gorged ourselves. Steve bragged about having proposed while wearing Patagonia and adventure pants.



When we finished, the trail leading to our house was lit by lanterns and every room within it was lit by candles. It was a very romantic setting for us.

The next morning (hardly even hungry) we enjoyed a massive "petit" dejunier at a new dining location. Each of our meals was set up at a different perfectly chosen site. We were both still excited, but Lindsey was a tad frustrated she couldn't call anyone without electricity. Steve thought it was a perfect way to enjoy it for a day.



We followed our massive carb-intake with a hike down the river bed. We passed some beautiful hillsides and local homes.



After an equally large lunch (this time set in a berber tent), we clenched our stomachs in pain and surrendered to an afternoon nap.



That evening we mounted camels and took a shorter tour of the surrounding area. Our temporary dog, who followed us everywhere and slept on our doorstep, joined us.



Our last morning, we enjoyed breakfast, some pool-time, and lunch before bidding farewell to La Pause. We took some of their self-bottled olive oil as a memento to an amazing and special stay.

Back in Marrakech, we loaded Skype and began the phone calls. We were both excited to call our friends and family to share the good news. For those of you just finding out, we are hoping for a spring 2010 wedding in New Orleans and will be holding an engagement party in New York City on July 11th. We can't wait to celebrate our engagement and wedding with all of you.

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White-Washed Essouria

From Marrakech we took a three hour bus to Essaouira, a small town fortified behind tall ramparts built by the French. The town has a bustling fishing industry, soaring seagulls, small souqs, and picturesque doorways. It was also a one-time home to Jimi Hendrix who wrote 'Castles Made of Sand' about one of its off-shore crumbling fortifications.



We wandered the cavernous white-washed alleys and photographed many of the doorways. There a whole set of these in the album.



Wandering past the fish souq we picked up on the strong smell and got a closer look. Here you could buy everything from sardines to sharks to eels and have them cook it up for you right there. The cats in this area were especially fat and lazy.



The town was very picturesque, but had limited sights or attractions to speak of. We basically just took in the views and wander the alleys for a day until we headed back to Marrakech.



The other forte of Essouiria are the restaurants, with Elizir and Cafe Des Alizes delivering some of the best meals we've had in months. Our last treat was a rather hidden bar where we savored some of Morocco's hard-to-find beers.

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Snakes, Souqs, Soup & Sausage: Marrakech

Marrakech's center is the D'Jeema el-Fna within it's fortified-walled medina. Formerly used for public executions, the large square now hosts fearless snake-charmers, pushy juice sellers, smokey food stalls, and tribal musicians. People sell everything from teeth to tanjines (pots used for cooking a tajine). We arrived at the square in the evening just before sunset when the action is at its peak.



Lindsey carefully navigated the crowd to avoid snake-holding men and was a bit unnerved whenever she heard the charmer's oboe playing.



We bought some dried fruit, and sat down for the world's best sausages, lentil soup, and fresh bread.



The next day we wandered the city's endless souqs, or marketplaces. Along the way we stopped at Bahia Palace, boasting floor to ceiling painted, tiled, inlaid, and gilded masterpieces that took 15 years to complete. The garden courtyards are a great refuge from the cramped nearby souqs.




Next we stopped by the 14th century Ben Youssef Madrasa, or Islamic theological school. Like the palace, this too showcased beautiful moorish architecture including mashrabiyya (wooden-latice screening) and move zellij (mosiac).



Back in the souqs we began a shopping spree. For most of the trip we've held off on large purchases since we didn't want the obligation of carrying them with us. With the trip's end in sight, we lost this concern.

Each purchase involved a lengthy sit-down discussion with the shop owner over hot tea. To refuse the tea would be rude and by our 4th or 5th shop our hearts were racing from both sugar and caffeine overload.

We bought a handmade leather bag, crafted in the nearby tanneries. Some Moroccan tea glasses to remember our many mandatory glasses of 'Moroccan whiskey' as they call it. Some ceramic tiles to be used as coasters. And finally, a carpet-fabric bag that fits nicely inside the first leather one. We're holding off on a few last purchases to be made in Fes.

We wandered so much that we were eventually lost in the tangled streets of the medina. A few dead-ends and 20 minutes later, we emerged at a gate through the rampart miraculously near the bus station. We bought tickets for our next stop: a white-washed coastal town called Essouria where we headed the next day.

After a few days in Essouria (next blog post) we returned to Marrakech for the morning where we stopped by the Jardin Majorelle, crafted by Yves Saint Laurent. It was a great oasis within a loud city.



Marrakech is an exciting city for all the senses and we loved it. Everyone should come here.

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Cafe au Laits, Croissants, & Casablanca

We entered Morocco via Casablanca, and spent half a day here before heading south. Casa has a very European/French feel to it with wide boulevards, cafes, and a distinct lack of third-world chaos. While it does remain a fairly poor city with large slums surrounding it, the city-center doesn't let on to this which was a treat following our last day in Cairo.

Our first stop was to a patisserie where Lindsey was successfully able to order us breakfast in French! English isn't that widely spoken here which is funny given that everywhere else we've been has really catered to English-speaking tourists! Our petit-dejunier was divine, especially the coffee which contrasted sharply with months of instant-java. The chocolate croissants and baguette were other treats of returning to the western world.

The main tourist attraction in Casablanca is the Hassan II Mosque. Built by Morocco's former sovereign, the mosque is the second largest in the world (after Mecca), cost nearly one billion dollars, and was completed in 1993. Unfortunately, the site is closed to visitors on Fridays (their holy day) so we missed out!

To fill our day, we took a long walk past some of the city's best know Moorish/Art-deco architecture. Again, a lot of the city looked French, with some Moorish accents. We liked the French/Arabic street signs.



Our last stop, before catching our train, was the local market. Sardines, horse-meat, and lamb were the most popular items.



So Casablanca wasn't that thrilling (we only took 10 pictures!), but luckily we had planned to just spent a day here! Next stop: Marrakech.