A Sublime Sojourn in Morocco

We made it!  In spite of political turmoil in many very-nearby countries, Kent and I and my twelve clients, now friends, arrived safely in Fez, the former imperial capital, last Friday to begin our ten day adventure in Morocco.  Nestled in the medina, our home for the first three days was the Riad Alkantara, lovingly restored by its owner Fettah Seffar who warmly welcomed us with mint tea and almond cookies on the terrace overlooking the pool and lush garden-- the largest in the entire medina.  Our guide in Fez was Mohammed Bouftila, affectionately called Momo, a  boyhood friend of Fettah’s.  Living near each other in the medina, they became friends at their neighborhood bakery where they brought their mothers’ dough each morning to be baked in the communal oven.  The Fez medina is divided into 270 such ‘neighborhoods’, each with its own communal bakery, mosque, school, hammam, and spring-fed fountain.  Fresh ripe vegetables, nuts, oils, cheeses, and lamb poured into their markets from the surrounding fertile Sias valley, awakening their palates at a young age, allowing them to tantalize us throughout our trip.

Both Fettah and Momo brought Fez to life for us by introducing us to many amazing artisans who are still creating the same beautiful leather goods, jewelry, ceramics and rugs as their ancestors hundreds of years earlier.  Fettah, himself an Oxford Ph.D., is an 8^th generation plaster carver.  We visited his workshop deep in one of his palaces (riads) undergoing restoration where he showed us his intricate plaster carving techniques.  Momo took us to visit a weaver who makes fabric for the Royal Family in the traditional way, and to the oldest (9^th century) and largest tannery in North Africa where several people bought gorgeous goat leather jackets.  It is the softest and yet most durable leather.

Bright colors at the tannery

We enjoyed several succulent tagines, including a beef tagine with quince, and a lamb tagine with spring peas and artichokes which Fatima, the cook, taught us to make in our Riad Alkantara cooking class and a superb Berber vegetable couscous.

A visual feast

After the class, Fettah had invited a henna artist to tattoo us in places and designs of our choosing, some selecting floral arm or hand patterns, others the striking Riad logo.

Traditional henna being applied

Sparkles adorned us as the henna dried.  Our gala dinner followed, lit by a thousand candles, as we dined on our own creations, accompanied by surprisingly good Moroccan reds and whites, a welcome new accomplishment by local vintners.  Tomorrow we set off for Marrakech.