Colours and odours
Late summer 2023, my sister Linda, my brother Roel and I travel through northern Morocco. For Linda and me, it feels like a reunion with an old friend; for Roel, it is his maiden voyage. We are determined to not only tick off the tourist highlights, but also to crawl a little under the skin of this fascinating country.
Our first stop, Fez, is an instant winner. This city is like a history book you walk into – and then can’t find your way out of. Linda has booked a ‘dar’, an ancient traditional house in the middle of the Medina. The house is utterly beautiful. ‘House’ is perhaps an understatement: it is an architectural fairytale, full of mosaics, arches and alcoves. Factually, it is a four-storey high air duct with rooms glued to it. The icing on the cake? A rooftop terrace overlooking the whole of Fez. This is where Fatima treats us every morning to a breakfast a sultan would be envious of. We may have to fight off some alley cats to keep breakfast to ourselves, but that doesn’t spoil the fun.
Fez is a city that, in my opinion, must have been designed by someone with an obsession for labyrinths and a sadistic pleasure in seeing tourists get lost. Finding our dar again at the end of the day is truly a challenge. Despite my above-average internal compass, I become totally disoriented here – every alleyway looks suspiciously like the previous one. This doesn’t happen to me often, usually I know exactly where I am. Luckily, we have Mohamed, our guide annex human GPS. This round-bellied local leads us through the maze of alleys and squares with the endless patience of a monk. Mohamed is clearly in his ‘home town’, proudly showing us his childhood home. He knows, sees, and greets everything and everyone. We walk past countless beautiful things, taste everything, and discover through Mohamed’s eyes the layers of the past that this city has to offer. But amidst this colourful and historical splendour, we are also confronted with contemporary realities: the streets, especially in the less touristy parts, are littered with rubbish and stray cats, the smell at times is absolutely overwhelming. A silent witness to the environmental challenges Morocco struggles with.
After three days, we pick up our rental car and head north. The drive takes us past the Barrage Sidi Chahed reservoir, which appears out of nowhere in a parched desert landscape. Just after the lake, we deliberately turn off the main road, and drive an alternative route through the isolated mountainous area. It is hot, the thermometer in the car indicates it is 42 degrees Celsius outside. The villages we pass show the contrasts of Morocco. The landscape is dry and arid and the villages are quiet and deserted, so different from the liveliness of the city. Apart from some schoolchildren that run enthusiastically after our car and a few melancholy-eyed donkeys, there is little sign of life. However, one thing that is everywhere? Litter. Again, we are shocked by the huge amounts of rotting dirt along the roads in the villages. The reality of travelling in Morocco is further highlighted by the frequent police checks – at least five times a day we encounter them during our car journeys. Each check is a reminder of the strict regulations and supervision in the country.
Our journey heads on to Chefchaouen, the blue city. We stay here for two nights in the middle of the old medina, which is predominantly painted bright blue. Originally the whole village was white, but during the last century the blue colour was introduced. The story goes that blue would be less blinding to the eyes and keep the houses cooler. Chefchaouen is a maze of winding narrow alleys, built on a steep hill. The main streets are quite touristy, but if you wander off a little, you quickly find yourself in beautiful authentic surroundings. Especially late in the afternoon, when the light becomes more soft and the buses with day-trippers have left, the village comes into its own.
The next day is Linda’s birthday. We celebrate it in style: with a private cooking course from Aman, on his family farm above the city. He has access to a piece of land with a phenomenal view of the city. Aman is a young and enthusiastic cook, he shows us how to make different tagines. His mother also helps out, stoking the fire and scurrying about cosily in the background. The result? Delicious food, a great day and a deeper appreciation for Moroccan cuisine. For the rest of the trip, we struggle a bit more to stay enthusiastic about Moroccan cuisine. Although the food everywhere tastes good and is fresh, the majority of dishes on the menu are tagines, pastilla and couscous. We feel slightly disappointed by the lack of variety and imagination. Also, all three of us do not escape the inevitable intestinal problems. Roel is first on the list, but Linda and I are also badly affected by the end of the trip.
On our way to Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, we stop off at Dar Bakkali Nadi, in the middle of the countryside near Tangier. Here we receive a warm welcome and spend an afternoon lazing by the beautiful pool. In the evening, they prepare a very good meal for us. The next morning we drive on to Asilah, a town on the coast. Asilah’s medina has clearly been renovated with care. There are beautiful murals everywhere. Perhaps the town has been refurbished with a little too much deliberation, as it is so clean and empty that it no longer feels truly Moroccan.
Our last stop is Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, a town just north of Meknes. It is fantastically chaotic, smelly and authentic, and it certainly doesn’t feel touristy. It has maintained its character well over the centuries. It is a fascinating maze of small narrow streets, glued spectacularly onto a couple of hills. For some Moroccans, this place is a pilgrimage site because one of the descendants of the Islamic prophet is buried here. The ruins of the Roman city of Volubilis are nearby, but we skip them due to the combination of heat and intestinal problems. The temperature today rises again to around 40 degrees Celsius.
We conclude our trip at Fez airport and reflect on our experiences. Morocco has surprised us again, with all its colours, beauty and historical splendour, but certainly also with its challenges and contemporary struggles. It was a journey that not only took us through the country physically, but also offered a deeper journey through the complex layers of Moroccan society.
Fez
Chefchaoun
Barrage Sidi Chahed
Asilah
Moulay Idriss Zerhoun
