brainwashed by a swig of mint

Oh dear. Like moths to a flame. We were easy suckers to spot. Ridiculously easy. We assured ourselves before the tour, fully aware that we would be taken into friends' stores and be convinced to buy their wares, that there would be no shopping. Our guide led us through a labyrinth of streets, some so narrow you had to walk sideways to get to the doors that apparently opened into mansions. We checked out the oldest university in the world (started by a female no less!) and stepped inside unmarked doorways where we found opulent Arabic architecture – mosaic, carvings, fountains and marble. Then another unmarked doors, up a flight of stairs and we are hit by a stench of leather followed oh so quickly by a lovely swig of fresh mint. Led past rows upon rows of handbags, shoes, jackets, belts, purses. All colours, all styles… thousands! "Claire look at this, omigod I lloooovvvee it"…"Raff look at these bags" "oh that one is so gorgeous"…. On and on we went, eyes falling out of our heads. We hadn't even seen the tannery yet. And then over the balcony we see these hundreds on vats, filled with deep reds, maroons, turquoise and yellow. And further off white ones that we learn are filled with some concoction off pigeon droppings that get the fur of the skins. In these ponds there are men with their pants pulled up to their thighs, stomping and working the fabric. It is awe-inspiring. This tannery is one of the oldest in the medina, begun in the 12^th century and still in operation today as it was back then. Well, that basically sold us. Clever buggers…woo us with this history and colour and overwhelm us with this smell and the rather glamorous look of swanning around with a mint leave under our nose … and then lead us to the shoes. And then to the handbags. And then, are you joking, we actually ask to see the leather jackets. Suckers. The evidence is in the justifying we have had to do every day since "the tannery". The first few days were "yeah, we bargained really well, this is good quality stuff", "Hey we are like paying about seven people with those purchases, that's a great good thing, almost a good deed?", "And these are really beautiful, and we have a great story to go with our purchases…"

In the meantime, well straight after the tannery, we are taken to the carpet salesman. But of course! And we are quite impressed with his offer for us to pay nothing for one month on a one thousand dollar carpet, sell it at supposed Australian art auction, make thirteen thousand, pay for our trip and then pay him the original one thousand. This sounds good. Claire considers calling her parents to cut a deal with them. I, on the other hand, get snappy. "No. I don't want a carpet," and with a rather rude stare and all but stop talking. The carpet salesmen stops talking to me about carpet, but he does suggest trying the best Moroccan food, their chicken pies, 'Bisteeya'. Soon enough we are whisked off, back into the Medina labyrinth which is home to 300,000 people. Into another unmarked door and it is a gorgeous authentic restaurant. We order the chicken pies but are first presented with perhaps 20 dishes, small portions of this and that. Spinach that tastes too sweet, spicy mash eggplant (very good), chickpeas, dahl, marinated vegetables, fresh flat bread… so many and it was impressive. Some tasty, some just a bit too strange for our western taste buds. Photos with Claire, the blondie, photos in dress ups complete with little red hat and staff. Then finally what we actually ordered, the chicken pies. So tasty. It is baked in a flaky pastry and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Good thing we liked it as once again, after a plate of sliced orange and a cup of green tea for dessert, we realize it was the tannery all over again… we had finally asked for the bill.

That night we find the cutest, beautifully decorated little pension to stay at right on the edge of the medina. And for a moment we forget how much cash we have blown in a single day. How in one day in Fes we have spent more than any time in Europe. Instead we sit on the balcony, sip on mint tea, watch the action down below and breathe in the exotic air.

Fes' medina is amazing. Even though it seems our awe could be sniffed out a mile away, the leather is still beautiful albeit shockingly expensive; the maze of streets filed with people, stalls, fabrics, pastries and donkeys still claim hours of wide-eyed wandering; the bisteeyas with their combination of sweet and savoury is definitely a dish to try at home, as is the tagines and couscous; and behind yet another unmarked door, the Turkish bath is another story altogether, a true highlight.