tannery

love his hat!

 Although the leather tannery of Fez is almost at the centre of the medina, you will never have trouble finding it. As you get closer, you will smell the unmistakable odour, simultaneously besieged by any number of people wanting to take you to their father/brother/cousin's shop. The leather shops are all situated close by -most with a birds' eye view of the dyepits, which is where these photos were taken, and where I saw the skins being dyed for the yellow baboosh.

A small girl aged about 10 years followed us there, in spite of us telling her we were not going to give her any dirhams-  all the way being told by stern Moroccan men that she should be at school. Unofficial tour guides are actively discouraged by the authorities, and any one caught is in trouble with the police. We had first hand experience of this, after we met an entertaining young man with terrible dental hygiene, speaking excellent English, while standing hopelessly lost in the street looking at a map. We followed him for an energetic, interesting 45 minutes through narrow twisting alleys far from any known route, when quite suddenly he was pursued at high speed on foot by two uniformed men while standing talking to me. We never saw him again, but hoped he got away as we had really come to enjoy his company.

the yellow baboosh

Sometimes you see people who make you look, for whatever reason. This man caught my eye, and not for the obvious - the vivid yellow of his djellaba. No, he had a strong presence in the way he mindfully walked along radiating great dignity. The hooded djellaba is a traditional garment worn by many men in Morocco, which is simply thrown on over their usual shirt and pants. They usually wear a pair of traditional pointy toe leather slippers also, called 'baboosh'. You can see them for sale in many market stalls, rows and rows of them in any number of colours.  Moroccans have a love affair with the colour yellow- specifically a shade produced by turmeric. As well as being a favourite colour to paint exterior and interior walls of houses, it is the colour du jour for the baboosh worn by trendy young guys in Fez and Marrakesh together with regular tshirts and jeans.

butcher

Imagine walking in a city where the streets have no names (well no streetsigns anyway), and there are no maps. But all the locals know exactly where they are going because they grew up there, and can find their way like a blind man. You must just walk in the general direction of a mud map and rely on asking directions (if you speak Arabic!) That's when your instincts kick in- it's fun! The alleys- souks- are all about 2 metres wide, and only wide enough for a donkey or horse as transport for the huge amounts they carry to the stalls. I was enchanted by the tiny Fassi cats that seemed to be everywhere they could get a free feed, particularly at this butcher right next to the bread sellers' table, who threw scraps now and then.

Fes

From Marseilles, Morocco is only 2 hours by air. To arrive in such a different culture- north Africa, is the just the best experience. The sounds, the heat, the smells.... a step back in time to a place that has not changed in centuries. I practiced Arabic phrases on the driver of the ancient faded beige Mercedes which wait en mass outside the airport in Fes or Fez. We were dropped at the 'Bab R'cif' one of the entries to the alleys of the medina- the Old City, where a fellow was waiting with a cart to take our luggage the 15 minute walk around narrow cobbled alleys to deposit us at the riad we stayed at for 6 days- Riad Le Calife. Alexandre, a Frenchman and his lovely Moroccan wife Yasmine were waiting for us with cold drinks in the cool and groovy bar where, over strains of jazz, he told us fabulous life stories with the genuine warmth and hospitality that is revered in the Islamic culture.
Way to go.

j'adore

 It's no secret- I love doors. There is so much you can do with a door, they really lend themselves to decoration.  You could say they are the windows to the soul of a home. They can make you want to enter, or stay away.

I loved that people were living behind those doors, just going about everyday life. Each one is different and they are so dramatic. I am sure they take them for granted, the same way anyone does when you see it every day. 

Provence

Get this straight- the French do markets. You do not need to go to a supermarket. We went to this gorgeous country market in a Carpentras in Provence, it runs every Friday morning. I had no idea there were so many varieties of tomato....there were stalls selling fruit, vegetables, fish, cheese, charcuterie, bread and any number of other things you might not know you needed- including those great cotton espadrilles in a huge variety of colours.  In any town or village in France, there will also be markets selling similar stuff- the farmers of France have worked out how to sell fresh and direct to the customer. There are similar suburban markets in Paris on several mornings a week- there was a market in the street outside our hotel three mornings a week. Food is generally quite cheap compared to Australia and of a high standard. You can buy alcohol and organic skincare at the supermarkets at less than half the price I am used to paying.


We stayed at a fabulous 'bastide' - A Cappella a converted farmhouse with a pool in the countryside outside of Carpentras in the vineyard district. They have three rooms and our hosts Remy and Christine were wonderful. Christine recommended a couple of restaurants to us. We drove our rented car to a gorgeous little village nearby- St. Didier, and the other was simply eight tables in the courtyard of a family run vineyard in Pernes Les Fontaines which we visited the next night.

Domaine de la Camarette is a restaurant run by the family who grow all the produce used and bottle the wine served. The chef was picking herbs in the garden next to where we pulled up. He came to the table and lovingly explained the four courses of the set menu, his charming wife served the meals while their toddlers played with their cat near the tables. There are also a couple of rooms for guests. This visit was a highlight of our stay in Provence, however a booking is definitely required.
ps. Do not miss a day wandering in the atmospheric Pannier quartier in Marseilles - not on the map now, but not for very much longer.

mon bon ami

Much is made of the topic of Paris and doggie doodoo. However I personally never had any unfortunate incidents between my tootsies and dog merde. I did see many adored pooches with their owners in the streets, at cafes, restaurants or being carried, much as you would in Melbourne, being another very dog friendly city. Most Parisians live in apartments, and so does Pierre, in fact he is one of the family. This means that he is a very pampered pet used to living in confined spaces and not a smelly uncultured creature like one would have living in the backyard like we do in Australia. Hmmm, they say dogs are just like their owners....

City of Romance

You can walk from the Louvre across the Seine to the Left Bank on a bridge called the Pont des Arts. There are quite a few ancient bridges crossing the river, however this one piqued my interest as it had lots of padlocks attached to the wire on the sides. It was only later that I thought to google this phenomenon and found the story behind them. It seems that about two years ago it became a trend for lovers to come at sunset, lock a padlock onto the bridge and throw away the key. Sighhhhh.....
(It was reported recently that city hall has decided they are an affront and want to get rid of them.)

Jardin des Tuilleries

A day at the Louvre museum was high on the list of must sees. If I lived in Paris then I would be there often, it is just amazing to be in a palace that was built in the 13th century. And the first Sunday of each month is free entry.  I could really feel all lives of the many people who must have lived there. At one time the 1st floor was apparently home to artists and craftspeople until Napoleon moved in and wanted it all to himself and Josephine. I went twice. I don't know how many kilometres you can cover in a day there, but at the end I was definitely ready for a lie down and a cup of tea. Well you don't have to go far, because just 5 minutes walk away is the lush grass of Jardin des Tuilleries just behind that hedge, and at lunch time -everyone else had the same idea.

Loving this Sara Tavares clip

Boulangerie

You do not need to go far to find a Boulangerie (bread shop) or Patisserie (pastry shop) in Paris.

In fact, you will find it hard to choose, as they are nearly as plentiful as cafes. The French create the most beautiful concoctions ever, and they taste as good as they look. They are treated as works of art and are packaged just as respectfully -often wrapped in waxed paper printed with a crest of the shop. Every afternoon I eagerly anticipated a new selection, however my favourite would have to be a 'fraisier' -strawberry tart. There was an excellent boulangerie across the road from our hotel which often had a queue out the door, their croissants were to die for. The French are quite fanatical about their bread and will have a favourite that they frequent on a daily basis, and it is a common sight to see happy customers walking home with a couple of baguettes under their arm, munching on another.
And remember the cardinal rule when shopping- you must always address the shopkeeper with a 'Bonjour' when you enter, and 'merci, avoir' when you leave. It's just good manners.

Le Marais

 Did you think I forgot about shopping?? Not a chance- I made sure to
take in the gorgeous district of the Marais (it's original meaning is 'the marsh') -an area full of tiny streets and beautiful old buildings undergoing gentrification. Many of these buildings have fabulous chic boutiques, cafes and a lot of unique accessories and individual designs. My very favourite is at 47 Rue Saintonge- Isabel Marant. Loved the window display of a cactus garden and the design of the store. Across the street I spotted a tiny boutique which was closed on Saturday (many are) -where this simple, soft leather bag caught my eye in the window. You will also find  the oldest food market in Paris here- 'Le Marche des Enfants' built in 1615, a good reason to stop for lunch. I would really recommend a visit to this area starting at Bastille station, walking along Rue de Rivoli, taking the 3rd street right to the lovely Maison de Victor Hugo, and continuing through to the garden of Place de Vosges, then walking north towards Rue Veille du Temple and just get lost!

Bon Marche

Another great Parisienne thing to do on a weekend is visiting a flea market. There are several large well known ones around, however this one is quite a casual relaxed affair south of Paris near Porte de Vanves station. Unlike other markets I have been to, they hardly notice you, in fact it is fairly hard to get their attention if they are deep in discussion. I suspect it is just as much an social occasion for the stall holders, who seem to really enjoy themselves conversing with each other. Check out these dudes -they are seriously into debate (notice the hand gesturing- a lot of that goes on when making a point) and have a platter of cheese, bread and red wine set up behind them on a tablecloth no less. They are selling pewterware (not cheese) and this is 10am in the morning. Now to me, that is the is doing it in the style that the French are renowned for.