FEZ BITE-SIZE BREAK
If you’re looking to buy some ingredients for your Christmas recipes, or just fancy a break from the festive madness, how about a quick trip to Morocco? As Les Dunn discovered, Fez’s medina entices with the aroma of exotic spices and delicious street food. Even in November, temperatures hit the 20s, and this otherworldly milieu is only a three-hour flight away
PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES, OMAR CHENNAFI, LES DUNN
MORE IS MORE Fez’s crowded cityscape is a treasure chest
Chef Hossam makes a mean tagine
Abdullah the tea man
The Palais Amani’s tilework shines by sunshine or firelight
Stalls beckon with fresh ingredients and handmade copper plates glint temptingly in the medina
LET’S (NOT) GET LOST
Fez’s walled medina, with 200,000 inhabitants, is thought to be the world’s biggest car-free zone. That doesn’t mean it’s transport-free – you’re likely to be barked aside by the owners of loaded-up donkeys. A guide is essential to begin with (I recommend Kaoutar – call or Whatsapp her on +212 653 086435). Once you have your bearings, it’s easier to negotiate the narrow lanes unaided (though as they’re mazelike, you may hit the odd dead end). On the plus side, it’s a working medina rather than a touristoriented enterprise, so there’s less of the high hassle-factor you might encounter elsewhere in Morocco.