Fez Tour June 2012

8/3/2019 Fez Tour June 2012

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A sacred travel experience

Find yourself... in Fez

THE VIEW

FROM FEZ



The City

Fez is unique. There is no other city in the world which has a fullyintact medina (city wall). Inside there are no cars; simply pedestrians,donkeys and mules. To walk along the winding alleys is to feel as if youhave travelled in me; back to the fourteenth century.

Although it is a World Heritage listed city, it is far from being amuseum – it is a living city, where arsans pursue their ancient crasfrom weaving and dying to copper-smithing and candle making.Markets redolent with spices and rose petals; beaufully ledfountains; small mosques and hammams or bath-houses are a featureof every quarter.

Fez is also the most Western-friendly city in the Islamic world, wherewarm-hearted and generous people will go out of their way to greetyou in kindness and invite you for a cup of mint tea.

The Fez Medina oers something that no other place else can - anexperience that can change your life.

The Fesval

Each aernoon and evening on this magical trip you will be enchanted by music from all over the world. The FezFesval of World Sacred Music is held each year in June. This is a music fesval like no other. In the aernoons youcan listen to these world-renowned musicians beneath the shade of an oak tree in a former palace, while the eveningconcerts are held in within the towering walls of an ancient armoury. Late into the night, Su groups perform at atradional riad.

Started as a peace inave during the rst Gulf War, the Fez Fesval of World Sacred Music has become a majorevent on the internaonal arts calendar. Now in its eighteenth year, it stages astonishing performances of musicfrom all the world’s great religions: from Su trance dancers to black American gospel arsts; from Eastern Orthodox

polyphony to ancient Hassidic and Hebrew songs. Arsts from previous years include Ben Harper, Jordi Sarvell andSalif Keita.

The theme for 2012 is Re-enchanng the world: a homage to the grand poet Omar Khayyam.

The Tour

While at rst glance the Medina may appear exoc and mysterious, take me to study it and it does becomeknowable. This tour will give you the opportunity to explore as as well as learn something new, from Moroccancooking to travel photography.

You will also get the chance to travel further aeld to the port city of Casablanca; the Andalusian Gardens of the Moroccan capital Rabat;

the Roman ruins at Volubilis; the sacred city of Moulay Idriss and thecedar forests of the Middle Atlas.

What is included:• 11 nights of accommodaon; one in Casablanca and 10 in Fez.• Half board (breakfast and either lunch or dinner. Alcohol

where noted).• Land transportaon and transfers in an A/C chaueured

vehicle.• Services of experienced English speaking guides and tutors.• Season cket to the Fez Fesval of World Sacred Music.• A choice of ve morning workshops.

• Entrance fees to monuments and museums.• Hotel taxes and service charges.



Day 1 – Wednesday 6th June 2012

Casablanca

You will be greeted at the airport and taken to your comfortable hotel. Aer rest and refreshment, a tour of the

major sights is on oer. In the evening, a welcome dinner awaits at Rick’s Cafe, a clever interpretaon of the famous

restaurant Humphrey Bogart’s character ran in the movie Casablanca – complete with Issam at the piano.

Welcome dinner and accompanying drinks provided.

Day 2 – Thursday 7th June 2012

Rabat & Fez

Aer a buet breakfast, we will depart at 9am for Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Rabat faces the Atlanc Ocean.

Spanning centuries and dynases, it has a rich architectural legacy. We will walk through the Oudaya Kasbah, through

the Andalous Gardens, before having lunch.

In the aernoon we will drive to Fez, where you will check into your riad accommodaon. The late aernoon is yours

to sele into your unique Fez accommodaon, and to start soaking in the beauful ancient surrounds.

Dinner is at Ryad Salaama, where a superb French chef will prepare a three course Moroccan-style meal.

Breakfast and dinner provided - alcohol at own expense.

Day 3 – Friday 8th June 2012

Volubilis & Moulay Idriss

Deparng Fez around 8.30am, we arrive at the Roman ruins

of Volubilis mid-morning. This is the ancient Roman capital

of Africa where you can see history and mosaics under your

feet. Then it is a short drive through the olive groves to the

holy city of Moulay Idriss – the centre of Su culture – where

we will have lunch at Scorpion House, while enjoying the

spectacular view.

We return to Fez mid-aernoon when you are free to explore (with a good map of the Medina!!) or relax unl dinner

and the opening concert of the Sacred Music Fesval at Bab Makina at 8.30pm.

Breakfast and lunch provided - so drinks and coee/tea included.

Detailed Inerary



Day 4 – Saturday 9th June 2012

Fez

At 10am we set o for a tour of the Fez Medina - the most famous

ancient walled city in the world and the last one to remain intact. A

visual and sensory explosion!

We have lunch at the Berada Family Restaurant, deep in the Medina,where the hosts are friendly and the food is authenc and delicious.

The aernoon concert begins at the Batha Museum at 4pm and the

evening concert is at 8.30pm at Bab Makina. Aerwards, you can opt

to go to Dar Tazi to see a Su group perform.

Breakfast and dinner provided - drinks at own expense.

Day 5 to 9 – Sunday 10th June to Thursday 14th June 2012

Fez

Oponal acvies will be held in the mornings on these days - Interest in acvies will need to be given before arrival.

Acvies include:

The aernoon concert is at 4pm – Batha Museum

The evening concert begins at 8.30pm – Bab Makina

Su concerts begin around 11pm – Dar Tazi

Breakfast and either lunch or dinner will be provided on these days - alcohol at your own expense.

Day 10 - Friday 15

th

June 2012Sefrou and the Middle Atlas

An oponal day trip to the ancient Jewish city of Sefrou in the mountains is available. More than a thousand years

older than Fez, Sefrou was once an important stop for sub-Saharan caravans taking goods to Europe.

We will have a picnic lunch in the cedar forests nearby and on the return trip to Fez, we’ll visit the village of B’Halil;

renowned for its unusual troglodyte dwellings.

Aernoon concert at 4:00pm – Batha Museum

Evening concert at 8:30pm – Bab Makina

Breakfast and lunch provided.

• Moroccan cooking classes

• Souk tasng

• Bread making

• Street cooking

• Yoga

• Photography • Travel wring and blogging your journey

• Henna designs

• Architectural / design talk

• Fez download - cultural talk

• Guided shopping

• Hammam

• Jewlery design and assembly

• Impressions of the Medina• Arabic calligraphy



Day 11 - Saturday 16th June 2012

Fez

A treasure hunt through the Medina – your last chance to explore the city (alone or in a team) as you nd your way

to a pre-determined point. A reward awaits the rst of those to make it.

The aernoon is free to relax, take care of last minute shopping, or enjoy a hammam.

Final aernoon concert at 4pm – Batha Museum

Final evening concert at 8:30pm – Bab Makina

Breakfast and dinner provided - drinks with dinner included.

Day 12 – Sunday 17th June 2012

Casablanca

7:00am departure from Fez for Casablanca airport in our chaueured air condioned van.

Please note, if there is sucient demand, the smaller classes can be run again on dierent days.

Moroccan cooking class - 10am to 3pm(maximum 10 people)

From souk to kitchen to plate, chef Souad will share the secrets and mysteries of authenc, local cuisine. The

workshops start with choosing your personal menu then shopping for ingredients in the souk with your chef and then

learning to prepare your feast in the kitchen of Café Clock. Enjoy the fruits of your labour in the spirit of hospitality

which is at the heart of Moroccan cuisine. This is suitable for chefs of all levels.

Souk tasng – 10am to 1pm(maximum four people)

Culinary anthropologist and owner of Fez Food, Gail Leonard, will take you exploring the souks, showing an amazing

array of Moroccan ingredients and where to nd them. You get to taste as you go – everything from honey to spices.

Bread making and souk tasng – 10am to 1pm(maximum four people)

Learn how to make tradional Moroccan bread and take it to a local wood-red bakery. Aer cooking, Gail will take

you to a special souk where you can taste a variety of Moroccan honeys and choose one to eat with your bread.

Oponal acvies



Street cooking: make your own tanja – 10am to 1pm(maximum six people)

Tanja is workers food; a slow cooked stew tradionally made by Moroccan men.

In the souk, Gail will help you gather the meat, vegetables and spices to make your own tanja. Aer preparaon

on the street, the ingredients are baked in a ceramic urn for several hours in the furnace of a local hammam (bath-

house). The result is a rich and delicious stew you can eat that evening, along with salads and bread.

Yoga – 9am to 10:30am(Maximum of eight people)

Under the sky in the garden of a riad, stretch those ght muscles and work your way towards tness under the eagle

eye of Belgian-trained instructor Serge Bukasa.

Photographing the Medina – 9am to noon(Maximum of four people)

Get ps to improve your travel photography from professional photojournalist and author Suzanna Clarke. The

Medina of Fez is incredibly photogenic and this workshop will help you to capture some iconic images.

Travel wring/blogging your journey – 10am to noon(Maximum six people)

Ever wanted to share your travel experiences with others and found it dicult to put them into words? This

workshop gives you techniques to do so eecvely. And if you would like to start your own blog, Sandy McCutcheon,

who runs the most widely read blog on Morocco, The View From Fez, can help you to do so.

Henna designs(Maximum six people)

Sip mint tea in the courtyard of a riad with local women, as they draw tradional decorave designs in henna on your

hands and/or feet. The nished eect looks as if you have a temporary taoo.

Architectural/design talk – 10am to noonLearn about the design and construcon of tradional Moroccan houses and the decorave elements that the

World Heritage listed Medina of Fez is famed for. This talk by David Amster will give you an insight into some of the

extraordinary crasmanship used in some signicant examples of architecture.

Fez Download cultural talk – 10:30am to noonWhen visitors rst arrive in Morocco, they are oen curious about the dierence in cultural expectaons. Khalid, a

Moroccan who formerly worked with the Peace Corps, talks about food and feasts, marriage, Islam and the rituals

around going to the hammam, among other local pracses. It is also an opportunity to ask quesons about any

Moroccan customs you nd puzzling.

Guided Shopping(Maximum six people)

Over the seven years Sandy and Suzanna have been in Fez, they have come to know the best local arsans and

merchants. Whether you want carpets, leather goods, ceramics, jewellery, anques or ironwork, they can take you

there and help to negoate a beer price. If you would like to have something specic created, they can point you in

the right direcon.

And more...



Addional acvies can be arranged at an extra cost, including:

Hammam - price depends on the services you choose

You will be taken to visit a local hammam or bathhouse, where you can have a tradional gommage – a full body

scrub that leaves your skin feeling like a newborn baby. It is also possible to have an argan-oil massage if you wish.

Jewellery design and assembly 10am to 1pm500 dh per person includes base materials/souk purchases an addional fee

(Maximum four people)

Be taken through the souk in the Fez Medina to select beads, trinkets and other elements for a session with visual

arst and jewellery designer Jess Stephens. She will then guide parcipants through the process of design and

assemblage of necklace making. Creators take their unique piece of Fez jewellery away with them.

Impressions of the Medina 10am to 1pm500 dh per person, plus materials


Take a closer look into the Medina of Fez and create your own unique art piece, using the media of drawing, collage

and rubbings. Visual arst Jess Stevens will take you to fascinang locaons to make discoveries into the surfaces,

textures, icons and Arabic designs that may not have been obvious at rst glance. Parcipants do not need an arsc

background for this exploratory venture.

Calligraphy600 dh per person


Cost includes materials and a small calligraphers kit containing a modern and a tradional pen, an image and the

parcipants name wrien in Arabic script to take away.

This workshop oers an introducon to the art of Arabic calligraphy. Discover its importance in the ancient medina of

Fez with arst Jess Stevens and praccing calligrapher Adbellah. Plasterers, woodworkers and ceramicists connue

to use this ancient pracce, along with script illuminists and script writers. Workshop parcipants will have the

opportunity to use the tradional materials of calligraphy to gain an insight into the pracce of this spiritual cra.



Tutors

SuzannaSuzanna Clarke has been a professional photographer and writer for more than two decades – most recently as Arts

Editor for The Courier Mail newspaper in Queensland, Australia. Her book, A House in Fez, has been published in

Australia, the US, UK, Korea and Poland. She can help you capture enduring memories of your Moroccan trip with

some insider’s photo ps.

SandyWell known in Australia as the former presenter of the radio show Australia Talks Back on ABC Radio Naonal, Sandy

McCutcheon has published ten books he has authored and had numerous plays performed. He is also the main writer

and editor for A View From Fez, the top English language blog on Morocco. Sandy can assist you to hone your wring

skills or even set up your own blog.

GailCulinary anthropologist Gail Leonard runs Fez Food, which oers cooking classes and gourmet adventures in the

Medina and further aeld. She has taken celebrity chefs such as Heston Blumenthal on her foodie walking tours of

Fez.

SouadA renowned chef in the Fez Medina, Souad is now in charge of the kitchen at Cafe Clock. Last year she made lunch

for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and 50 of her closest friends. Souad was largely responsible for turning Cafe Clock

into what Footprint’s Morocco Guide 2009 labelled, “probably the best cafe in Morocco”. She has grown up with the

secrets to tradional Moroccan cooking and is passionate about keeping them alive.

DavidThe head of The American Language Center and Arabic Language Instute in Fez, David Amster is extremely

knowledgeable and passionate about the ancient architecture of the Medina. He gives yearly lectures on the subject

to visitors from the Smithsonian Instute in Washington. David’s tour of the Medina will give you an insight to the

superb crasmanship required to construct signicant buildings in the World Heritage listed Fez Medina.



Serge Originally from the Congo, Serge Bukasa trained and taught yoga and tness in Belgium. He gives regular classes in

the Medina and is renowned for his rm but humorous atude to teaching. In fact, “I can feel the Serge” is a saying

oen used by his students when they return to his classes aer holidays.

JessJess Stephens is a visual arst and events coordinator who has enlivened the creave life of the Fez Medina. As well

as doing costumes and set design for stage shows, she also designs jewellery collecons and gives workshops to

those aspiring to enhance their creave side.

KhalidFrom the Middle Atlas town of Sefrou, Khalid completed a university degree in English in Fez and then worked with

Peace Corps volunteers in the region. He says he sees the need to give visitors to Morocco a beer insight into the

culture and language from an insider’s point of view. “I tell tourists to greet people in Arabic, even if they don’t know

them,” he says. “It makes Moroccans smile and feel good and then they smile with them.”

Fez Tour June 2012

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