In Fez, and going to the Moroccan Switzerland, Ifrane

I'm sorry for the picture-less post here. I'm trying to leave bookmarks so I can come back and fill in later.

The purpose of our trip to Ifrane is to meet a history professor at the University there who was born and raised in Provo, but seems to have crossed over to Moroccan. He has welcomed us warmly in his emails.

Fez is such an interesting city designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site. It has worked hard to retain its culture not only in the architecture of the walls, houses and shops, but also in the lives of it's inhabitants and craftsman. There are 350,000 people living in the compact old town, over 800 mosques, but no high school. What's the meaning of that? The little kids were very cute coming home from school happy and friendly.

John and I rented a Peugeot in Rabat and are on the road. It took some doing, but the effort has been a big success. We are staying in a riad (google it until the pictures come) that was a mansion for a wealthy family once, covered in mosaics and stone-trimmings carved like lace. Now it is a guesthouse. We are sitting in the garden-like central courtyard having breakfast, blogging and emailing!

Let me say one more thing, about the food. It is so delicious to us because it is so normal to our tastes. It isn't chili hot like Mexican or Pakistan and it isn't full of rare spaces like Indian. It is mild like Spain and served with delicious French sauces. We mostly eat chicken and beef from Moroccan cattle ranches (who knew?). It is roasted with vegetables and served with French bread. We won't be losing weight here.