The craziest medina, the nicest people. This is Fes.
The penny dropped when I altered my behaviour 180 degrees. Before I would evade or ignore the ‘touts’, ‘guides’ and salesmen. But they are Maroccans, too. I embrace them now, see their perspective. And also these Maroccans turn out to be so incredibly nice. While chatting with a old local waiter, I take the menu out of his hands and walk to the street luring in passing tourists. With my looks (European that is 
) and English I bring in a couple straight away. The waiter can’t believe his eyes, insists I stay at his house and greets me exuberantly whenever we meet afterwards. At the potteries of Fes, without buying anything I chat with a dozen workers who all happily show me the intricacies of their work (and give me a tile when their boss is not looking 
). They love chatting about soccer and don’t want me to leave. A taxidriver nearly breaks into tears when telling me his Dutch friends bought him a cassette-recorder 10 years ago, and insists I take his phonenumber and stay with him next time I’m in Fes. The list of meetings like this goes on and on. If you show some respect and interest, their friendliness is truly surprising. It’s hard to capture their friendliness in examples, but I hope this gives you some idea.
Are you that talented teamplayer who ‘gets the job done’ with a ‘can-do’ mentality? If yes, board a plane for Fes ’cause they got just the right job for you.
The medina of Fes is the largest in the world. Nothing can prepare you for it. You’re bound to get lost, you’re bound to get hassled, you’re bound to see chickens’ throats being slit. Relax, it’s all part of the fun. The building with the green-tiled roof is the Kairaouine mosque.
The tanneries: creating leather out of skins. Here, they are still making things.
Horses on the graveyard of Fes. Naturally.
You throw rubbish on the floor. The poorest and the cats will take it from there.
A mosque? A palace? No, the view from my room. And it was a bargain, too.
The city ends rather abruptly.
Actually, not that much display of the flag in Marocco.