Amazing day - but exhausting

Today is Saturday - no classes.  I signed up for the tour of the medina (souk).  We needed to be at the school at 8:30 a.m.  Then we took taxis to the medina.  The guide then brought us through the medina and explained many things.  The medina is a UNESCO world heritage site and was founded in 789.  It has thousands of streets.  Fez is in a bowl.  The center of the souk is the lowest part.  So, if you are going downhill, you are going toward the center of the souk.  If you are going uphill, you are on your way out.  Our guide showed us two types of homes.  They both look the same from the outside.  (You just see a wall and a big door.)  A riad has a courtyard in the center.  It has a big door.  A dar has a roof over the courtyard.  The door is smaller and it has a small door within the larger door.  Originally, stables were kept in the house (in the basement)  If you were entering with a horse, you would knock on the larger door (big noise).  If you were just people, you knocked on the smaller door.  Nowadays, you knock on either door or ring the bell.  There are no cars in the medina.  Donkeys carry everything.  Or people push carts.  We also saw the tannery.  This is what Fez is famous for.  First the hides are put in lime vats.  It cleans them and makes it easier to get the wool off.  (They use sheep and goat hides.)  People who work in those wear boots and gloves.  Then they go in the dye vats.  I think that's where there is also pigeon poop.  It helps soften the hide.  The tannery stinks really bad. They give you a sprig of mint to hold under your nose.

The tour ended around 12:00.  Then Nathan took us (10 people) to his homestay house to meet his family.  They were very nice.  After that we went for lunch - a long walk through the market to find the place.  We went in a tiny door and then climbed many narrow stairs.  It was about the equivalent of climbing to the 4th floor, but small winding steps.  By this time, it was about 1:30.  I was getting very tired and hungry and I thought those steps would never end.  We sat on the roof of the restaurant.  We took lots of pictures of the panoramic view of Fez.  The lunch was delicious.  I shared a tagine avec viande et legumes with Valeria.  By the time we finished lunch it was around 3:00.  Then we went shopping some more.  As we were shopping, we lost the other six and it ended up just Nathan, Danny, Valeria and me.  The merchants want you to come in their shop and let them give you a demonstration.  Valeria and I had bought scarves during the tour and we were running out of cash.  (We had more in our rooms, but not with us.)  We kept telling the merchants that we hadn't brought our money.  We would see their presentation, but buy another day.  They were okay with that.  By the time we got out of the souk, it was 5:30.  We were exhausted.  Valeria and Nathan walked to their homes near the medina.  Danny and I took a taxi back to the villa.
Smile, you're in Fez:

 Shops:

 Camel head for sale in market