This morning we tackled the narrow passage ways of the medina by ourselves, enroute to see the Medersa Bou Inania. It differs to the other medersas we have seen, in that it has a prayer hall, which we were not allowed to go into.
It also has a minaret, because aside from being a Koranic school, it was a mosque! The tile work on the minaret was particularly spectacular, especially having seen yesterday, how each individual tile piece was cut for this type of zellij work.
We have become enamoured with the green glazed tiles on the religious sites here, clearly grasses blown in the wind appreciate them too!!
This is the carved screen above the entrance door. Beautifully carved wood adorned this medersa.
Getting there had been one thing, getting back to our Riad was it's own challenge! We did fairly well, with a few minor meanderings!! We saw this sign & as soon as Jeff had taken the photo & turned the camera off, we turned around to see a donkey coming towards us!!! Rules are there to be broken!!
We needed to get back to our Riad for our 11am cooking class! Three Americans & us, were donned with aprons & introduced to Fatima, the Chef, who very quickly set us all to work!
We started with dessert, which wasn't very Moroccan...but delicious looking...a lemon meringue tart, & then we went onto some Moroccan pastries very similar to samosas.
These involved some seriously thin filo pastry & a bit of a knack making them into neat triangles. There were three fillings; cheese & herb, meat with herbs & a bit of spice, & mixed vegetables. We were offered a glass each of Moroccan wine as we were working &...how could we refuse!! It wasn't a Spanish Rioja but it was certainly a drinkable drop!!
Alas we didn't stay any longer than samosa making, because we had finally managed to book a session in the Riad's own, very popular, Hammam. The 17th century hammam was restored by the current owner & is a FANTASTIC experience. We lay on heated marble benches...just room for two people only...in a darkened steamy room with a domed ceiling. After being thoroughly sweated out, we were sluiced down with bowls of warm water, which has to be one of the most lovely sensations ever! Black eucalyptus soap was slathered over us & we were scrubbed down removing all the oil & gunge. More sluicing & then a face mask & resting in the steam, until we finished with a shower to remove the residue. Fabulous experience, which I followed up with a very firm massage using orange blossom oil from a masseuse with magic hands! Very relaxing way to spend part of the day!! After this I had an hour to get my energy back up & the oil out of my hair before...
...our calligraphy workshop. It all looked very promising when the tub of bamboo brushes came out.
They were not easy to use at all & even the simplest forms took a lot of practise. This experience did highlight the incredible skill of calligraphy artists & we could see why it takes years of practise & study to become proficient.
Our instructor Mohammed is passionate for calligraphy & it showed in the enthusiastic way he talked about the history of Arabic script & all it's variations & the guidelines required to produce it effectively. Unfortunately, Mohammed hasn't learnt yet, that when someone is visiting & books a 2 hour workshop, they want some small project to DO, not an academic lecture for 95% of the time! I found this very hard going, which made me feel guilty, because he is a sweet & earnest man & was sharing what he loves. I'm going to have to be a bit diplomatic when I write feedback on this experience!!
Tonight, we leave the safety of the Riad again & seek out Café Clock for dinner!
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