Castellanese

Hi (again),

I have a question, is the Bou Iania Medersa open to non-muslims? Under restauration at the moment? Open on Fridays?

I've read different things about it on the Internet.

Thanks.

jenmaroc

The Bou Inania is open to non-Muslims and is no longer being restored. Its a must-see in fes...but not open during lunch hours or on friday afternoons

jenmaroc

Regarding the Andalous quarter...its not often visited because there is not a lot to see there - its mostly residential...though there are some old mosques and medersas that are being restored. People who have 5+ days in Fes sometimes venture over there. I've lived here 5 years and only recently went over to the Andalous!

I personally think the Jewish quarter is not that interesting unless you are Jewish and want to see the cemetery and synagogue - in all other respects, it looks like the medina.

Castellanese

Thanks Jenmaroc,

Well, after having done a lot of reading, I've reconsidered what I want to visit each day. I guess I'll focus on a few landmarks and spend the rest of the day wandering.

Fez
day01(wed): Arrival.
day02(thu): The souks and the tanneries.
day03(fri): Bou Inania Medersa and...?
day04(sat): daytrip to Moulay Idriss and Volubilis.

Marrakech
day05(sun): Arrival.
day06(mon): The souks and Ali Ben Youssef Medersa.
day07(tue): El-Badi Palace and...?

Essaouira
day08(wed): Arrival.
day09(thu): Wander the medina.
day10(fri): On the beach.

Casablanca
day11(sat): Arrival.
day12(sun): Leave for Turin.

I'm leaving for Morocco next Tuesday. I'm excited and, at the same time, a bit scared because everybody has warned me about Morocco being a dangerous place.

Luisah

<<everybody has warned me about Morocco being a dangerous place.>>

Have the people who warned you been to Morocco? I was there last Sept and never got a sense of danger. I have not seen any warnings in trip reports posted here. Of course I don't wander around alone late at night anywhere, but I found the people in Morocco to be generally laid back and welcoming.

There have been a few terrorists threats but that happens here -- and pretty much everywhere these days. It's a far cry from a war zone and probably safer than a lot of U.S. cities.

Go and have a wonderful time. I hope you'll let us know your impressions when you return.

francetrip

Hi there, I am just planning a trip to Morocco for next March with two families kids ages 12 to 14, but good adventurers - How was your trip and what were your not to misses after being there?

thx

Castellanese

Hi Francetrip,

I was in Morocco from September 5th to September 16th this year and I must admit that I had a very "interesting" experience. This is a short trip report of my trip.

I spent 4 nights in Fez, 3 nights in Marrakech, 3 nights in Essaouira and 1 night in Casablanca.

This is my top 5 list of things I loved while in Morocco:

5. The train ride from Casablanca to Marrakech.

After 4 nights in Fez, I took the 8 hour train down to Marrakech. At some point, right after the train passed by Casablanca, I felt asleep, but when I woke up, I couldn't believe my eyes. The landscape was so arid and deserted that makes you forget about the length of the train ride. The taxi ride from Marrakech train station to the Medina in the late afternoone will give you a chance to be part of chaos at its best.

4. Saturday morning market in Moulay Idriss.

I did a daytrip to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss from Fez. While Volubilis is worth a visit, I agree that it won't take your breath a away if you've visited roman ruins before. However, visiting the Saturday morning market in Moulay Idriss is fascinating. It's loud and messy and everything about it takes you back a hundred years ago. Donkeys everywhere carrying merchandise, fruits and vegetables displayed on the ground, and locals unaware of tourism and the 21st century make it a great experience. The taxi ride from Fez to Volubilis/Moulay Idriss takes you to beautiful hilly landscapes.

3. Djemaa el-Fna, in Marrakech, at night.

The food stalls, the the noise, the fortune tellers, the chaos and the loud african and moroccan music being played charms you like a cobra. It is like taken out of tale. However, during the day, it's just an ordinary and noisy square. I think it's better to first see it at night than during the day.

2. Watching the sunset on Skala de la Ville in Essaouira.

This experience can't be describe with words. You don't have to be a professional photographer to take National Geographic pictures there. The seagulls, the sound the sea hitting the cliffs, the sea air and the beautiful sunset charges you with calm and serenity.

1. The medina of Fez.

Wow, I have no words to describe this place. It's overwhelming and trapped in the middle ages. Smelly, loud, noisy, dirty, fascinating and chaotic. Those are the words that come to my mind when Fez is mentioned. It's a once in a lifetime experience. I remember when I was visiting the andalusian quarter on a Friday right before noon. The loud and overwhelming "call" urging muslims to go to the mosques in order to pray fills the city in a intoxicating way.

I think that 3 nights was the right amount of time to be spent in each city. I spent 4 nights in Fez because I daytripped to Volubiulis and Moulay Idriss. Marrakech is interesting (not as much as Fez) but a bit commercialized and touristy, which is why I think that 3 nights are more than enough. Essaouira is small and can easily be visited with two nights, but, with 3 nights, I had the chance to spend a day on the beach resting before visiting Turin and Lake Orta, in Italy, for a week. The water is very cold, but it's very quiet. I stayed in Casablanca only for one night in order to leave Morocco early the following day, so I can't really say anything about it.

However, in spite of all this, there were some things that I really, really hate about Morocco. This is my top 5 list of things that got on my nerves while in Morocco:

1. Food stalls and non-fancy restaunrants have no kind of health standards. I got so seriously ill that I even had to go to the hospital because, at some point, I thought that I was going to die.

2. Being overcharged for almost everything and being asked for money whenever I wanted some orientation. What "enraged" me the most was when people had the nerve to say, right afterwards, "welcome to Morocco".

3. Being hassled by false guides who just won't take "no" for an answer unless the word "police" is mentioned.

Fez is terrible in the last two issues. However, I never felt that way in Essaouira.

4. Even though riads show on their websites that credit cards are accepted and when a room is booked they confirm it again, they look for ways to get you to pay in cash claiming "the machine is broken". However, whenever I said: "well, I don't know what we're going to do because I have no cash and I still have the e-mail I got from you confirming that credit cards are accepted", a new "machine" magically appeared. This happened in Fez, Marrakech and Essaouira; not in Casablanca, though.

I hope you've enjoyed this short trip report. Feel free to ask any questions about it.

Castellanese.

Castellanese

Oh, I've just realized that I forgot to mention # 5 of the things that got on my nerves while in Morocco.

5. No decent restrooms. Thank God I chose to stay in riads centrally located in the Medina, because there wasn't a single restroom that deserved being called so. On that note I must add that even though I enjoyed the train ride from Casablanca to Marrakech in first class, there's no number to grade the bathroom in it, but believe me, it was very far from belonging to first class.

Castellanese.

jgg

francetrip - We were in Morocco last March for 8 days with our 2 kids who were 11 and 14 at the time. We spent time in Marakkech, Fez and Merzouga in the desert. We really enjoyed it all, but the highlight of the trip was definitely our time in the desert, our camel ride and night in the Berber tent!! If you have time to fit that in, I would highly recommend it.

Here is a link to my trip report that you may find helpful:http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34974589