We started the morning at a Mosaic Pottery factory in Fez.  The pieces are unique to Fez as their pottery and tiles are made from grey sand and glazed so the hand painted colors won't fade and can be used in ovens.  The detailed handiwork by the artists was incredible to see.

He is using his foot to control the speed of the wheel as he molds the shape of the pot.

Cutting tiles

Chipping out shapes

Some of their beautiful fountains

After a visit to watch the Fez Potters, we continued our journey through another medina.  Our guide, Radouane told us if we were to lose our way to follow a donkey.  They are the only forms of transportation in the Medinas and take articles to the shops outside so eventually we'd find our way out (ha!).  It was such a neat opportunity to get a glimpse of daily life in Morocco. 

We’ll let the photos tell the story . . . .

I'm standing in front of a gazebo used for a bride in her wedding.

Sarah walking through a very narrow street.

My friend Lynn.

The medina from above

We had another incredible luncheon experience as we were guided to a separate area of the restaurant where we had a lovely table and Andalusian musicians performing for us.  Their music is mostly about the culture and daily life.  It was beautiful and almost put us in a trance.

After lunch we continued through the medina and escaped through a door tucked into a wall and ended up in an old Koranic school. It was like an oasis in the middle of the busy market.  We learned that it was built by a Tunisian woman who came to Morocco in the 1200s as a refugee.  Wouldn't this be a lovely place to go to school?

Our guide has done a fantastic job of teaching us about Moroccan culture.  We didn’t just go shopping in the market, we learned about how each item is made.  After lunch we went to a textile factory and learned how they make scarves, kaftans, curtains, you name it. The guide showed us how they use the agave plant to make silk scarves. We had no idea they could do that.  The weaver was still using a traditional loom with wooden pedals. Fascinating to see and of course we found something to buy.

Our guide followed his nose to our next destination, the tannery.  The smell was intense, but it was so interesting to see the washing and dying process.  The men coat their skin in olive oil so they don't dye their skin with the leather. In Morocco they use mostly goat and lamb hides because they’re not as heavy.

Washing and Dying Basins at the tannery

On our way to see how copper and brass are engraved we saw this beautiful arch built to show the connectedness of the Jewish and Muslim faiths in Morocco.  One side is green for Islam and the other blue for Judaism. 

Here is a photo of the brass engraving factory.  We bought a teapot so we can make our own Moroccan mint tea.

Thirsty?  Find a donkey, just don't get in his way.

From the sea to a celebratory Moroccan meal, complete with Issawa music and dancing then on to touring a Roman ruin city from the 2nd century  in 114 degrees, continuing through the sandstone foothills of the Atlas mountains to Fez.

A medina by the sea.  A medina is a walled area surrounding homes.  The doorways along the narrow pathway are the entrances.

Rabat

A spring

I was even able to learn a little Moroccan dance!

We were treated to a lovely area in the restaurant  

Typical Bread

A sweet young boy play the drum with me!

Touring the roman city.  It was incredible to imagine how this looked.

We are off to the city of Fez next . . . .