17th October - Oradour-sur-Glane

Anne and I spent our weekend in the Limousin region, starting in Saint-Junien where we wandered the local markets.  We came across the "Brotherhood of Bréjaude (a soup made of vegetables) and Limousin beef."  We sampled some of their delicious soup before exploring more of the village.

Last year during the 100 year commemorations of the beginning of World War I, there was a news presentation on Oradour-sur-Glane, in the Limousin region.  It is a little town that was destroyed during World War II and has been left as is since 1944.  I asked Anne if it would be possible to go, so we headed off this weekend.

I wondered at the time (mustn't have listened too intently to the news piece) why they preserved this village... after all, there must have been hundreds of villages destroyed by the Germans in World War II.

It wasn't until I arrived at the memorial site that I realised the actual horror that took place in Oradour on the 10th June 1944.  It wasn't, in fact, victim to German bombings but a massacre on an unimaginable scale.

In Oradour, even during the war, life went on and it was a village that experienced little trouble. There were no resistance fighters and no touble between the inhabitants and the occupiers.  But on the 10th of June, that would change.  The village was surrounded by Nazi soldiers and vehicles and the townspeople were rounded up into the town square.  But no one was particularly worried, they thought that their identity papers were going to be checked.

Translation:  In this square the population was assembled. 

In the village green, the population of the town was divided: men on one side, women and children on the other.  The women must have been somewhat relieved when they, along with the children, were led to the church.  The men were split into five groups throughout the village.  Then at around 4pm an explosion in the village signalled the start of the massacre.  The SS fired low at the men's legs until nothing moved.  They then lit fires and the dying and mortally wounded were burnt alive.

From the inside of the church the women heard the rattle of the machine guns and knew their menfolk were being killed, but certainly could not imagine the horror of the scene.  After hours of anguished waiting, the women saw the church door open.  Were they going to be set free?

No, the two Germans that came in had already closed the door. They lit a fire near the communion table and left the building, locking the door behind them. The women and children were burnt alive in the church while the soldiers fired through the windows.

By pure miracle, five men and one woman managed to escape.  Those returning to Oradour from Limoges that afternoon were prevented from doing so.

After a night of revellry, the German soldiers left the village and it was only in the early hours of the following day that people returned to Oradour and discovered the horror that had taken place - 642 townspeople massacred, the youngest eight days old.  Whole families were decimated.  Very few of the bodies could be identified.

I found this visit incredibly difficult.  There were times where I had to just take time to shed a few tears.  The church was particularly harrowing.  How on earth could they commit that horror in a church?  What really moved me was seeing the remains of the pram which, when found, contained the remains of a 10 month old baby.

The charred remains of some of the victims.

No one knows why exactly this massacre took place, the Germans have given many varying reasons, for example retribution for the wounding and killing of German soldiers.  The best guess is that they wanted to make and example and terrorise the inhabitants of this region.

Translation: Here men committed the greatest offence against their mothers and all women - they did not spare the children.

After leaving Oradoar, we headed for Limoges, which is famous for its enamel and porcelain, before heading out for dinner.  We enjoyed a delicious meal of Limousin beef.

Autumn in Vichy

It's only a couple of days ago that I was complaining about the Moroccan heat and now I'm complaining about the cold.  To say the change in climate has been a shock to the system would be an understatement.  I've gone from temperatures in the mid 30s to 5° today in Vichy.  BRRR!!!.

I started my courses at CAVILAM three days ago and I am learning heaps.  Today in class we spoke about my favourite movie "Les Choristes."  I generally  have two classes a day: one that goes for three and a quarter hours in the morning where we focus on listening reading and writing, and one in the afternoon which goes for an hour and a half which is an oral communiciation class.  One of the things I like about CAVILAM is that there are students from all over the world so you get to hear so many different perspectives on different issues.

On Wednesday afternoons, there are no classes so I went for a huge walk along the Allier River for two hours.  I think from the pictures you can see that it was really cold, even in the early afternoon.  It was really pictureque walking through the trees with their falling leaves.

Some of the old houses near the river are beautiful.

The Allier River is blocked off by a kind of dam in Vichy.  This allows the part of the river that runs through Vichy to be more like a lake than a river, making it still and perfect for water sports during the summer.  During hotter months there is even a beach and if the water quality is good, you can swim.

Tanger to Marrakech 8th - 10th October

How sad I was to leave Chefchaouen.  It really was a beautiful town.  To be honest, I was ready to wrap up my tour by this stage.  I had seen the three places that were on my bucket list: Volubilis, Fès and Chefchaouen.  I think once you've seen one souk, you've pretty much seen them all.

We hopped on a local bus and headed for the coastal city of Tanger.  From this city you can see Spain and the Spanish influence is visible in the buildings.  We wandered around for a couple of hours (more souks), went to a little museum and then headed back to our meeting point where our lovely guide, Saïd had bought us some delicious Moroccan pastries to share.

From Tanger, we took the overnight train to Marrakech.  It was actually quite comfortable - two bunk beds in each couchette which we shared with other members of our group.  And to my surprise, the toilet situation was quite satisfactory.  However, I ask myself why, when I normally only get up to go to the toilet once during the night, I had to get up four times on the train.  And while the toilet situation started off satisfactorily, it didn't end so.  On my fourth visit, I asked myself if I really wanted to go.  Anyway, it was quite pleasant sleeping with the clunkity clunk of the train on the tracks.

We arrived at our hotel in Marrakech quite early and stored our luggage.  Ilona and I got a taxi and our first stop was the palace of Hassan I.  It was quite beautiful.  When we left, we headed into the Jewish quarter (Ilona being Jewish, she was interested in this aspect).  We were shown the way by a young man to the synagogue.  Ilona was shocked when they showed us the Torah behind the alter.  Apparently this is quite a privelige.

After leaving, we headed for the main square.  Well, what a cacophany of noise.  I can't say I really enjoyed it.  There were people in your face the whole time trying to sell you stuff, put snakes around your neck (which I did and they then demanded 300 dirhams, I gave them 20 (about $2.50).  This is one place I felt out of my comfort zone.  We stopped for a break at a little restaurant and had a lovely green tea served in the traditional way by a waiter wearing a fez.

I decided to head back to the hotel and have a nap before going out for our farewell dinner.  With our trusty guide, Saïd, we headed back to the main square where all the food stalls were set up.  We enjoyed a lovely meal of different barbecued kebabs and sausages.  It really was delicious.

Yesterday I rose early and boarded my plane bound for Lyon.  After the steaming heat in Morocco, it was quite a shock to get out of the plane in France.  I think it's time to put away the summer clothes and get out the winter woolies!

Chefchaoen

We had a four hour bus ride to the beautiful Chefchaouen yesterday. Here's the bus I imagined:

What we actually got was a modern coach, complete with airconditioning.  It was a lovely drive through varying countryside. Closer to Fès it was dry but as we approached Chefchaouen and got higher up into the Rif mountains it became much more lush.

Chefchaouen is a beautiful city, much bigger than what I imagined.  The city has the distinction of having blue walls.  This is thought to have been introduced by Jews when they fled here from Spain during the Spanish inquisition.  It is absolutely stunning.  And our accommodation is amazing.  We have spectacular views of the city and the two mountains behind... and to top it all off we have a pool.

We arrived for a late lunch yesterday.  Saïd gave us an orientation of the city and it is really easy to navigate (even for someone like me who is hopeless with directions).  After that we had a relaxing lounge by the pool.

Today was a free day, so after an exhausting 5 days it was nice to have a sleep in and then wander around the city at a steady pace.  I spent the day with Ilona and we took things very steadily.  We started out with a mint tea in the main square then explored the Kasbah.  From the top of the fortress we had a fantastic view of the town and the mountains.

We then explored the shops and bought a few souvenirs.  It was quite funny in the shop we settled on.  I selected a top, a couple of scarves and some leather bracelets.  Bargaining is part of the purchasing process here and I was all ready to start bartering.  But the guy said: "I'm going to give you my starting price, but you won't pay that.  I'll then give you the price you want to pay."  I told him that was no fun because I didn't get to haggle.  So he let me have my fun and I belted him down on the price of my top.

Our next stop was to have a henna tattoo.  The lady who did it was so quick and talented.

We then sat at a cafe, enjoyed our lunch and a mint tea while we people-watched for about an hour and a half.  Now I'm just relaxing by the pool with a coldie.

Fès

What an incredible day in Fès yesterday.  We were up early and greeted by our guide, Haziz, who would take us to the important sites of the old part of the city.

Our first stop was the stunning Royal Palace which was built in the 14th Century.  The seven doors at the front were added in the 1960s.  These are made of brass and were crafted by artisans in the medina (the old city).  Fès reminded me a lot of Paris with its wide boulevards and one of these stretched away from the palace.  As this is an actual residence of King Mohammed VI, tourists are unable to enter inside.

Just near the palace is the old Jewish quarter.  The Jews came here during the Inquisition when they were ejected from Spain.  After World War II many moved to Israel or to western countries.  Those who remained moved to the Nouvelle Ville (the new city).

Next we headed up a hill to gain a panoramic view of the surrounding area which took in the Rif mountains, the Atlas mountains and the medina.  The medina is a labyrinth of little streets, some of them only just wide enough to fit one person through.  It stretches over 740 acres and has 9400 streets.  Haziz lived in the medina for 30 years and there are still areas he hasn’t discovered.  I asked Haziz if this was where the poor people lived and, on the contrary, he said there are some houses in the medina which could sell for $2 000 000 US.  The streets have homes but also many workshops where artisans work.

The one thing I loved about today was that we learnt about each craft and were lead through workshops and boutiques but each of them assured us that there was absolutely no pressure to buy.  This was a welcome relief after my carpet store experience in Casablanca. All of the places we visited are training cooperatives where tradesmen and women learn their craft.

Before entering the medina, we went to a ceramics workshop.  This is not allowed inside the medina as there is a risk of fire.  They first put the clay into a pit with water and allow it to sit for a couple of weeks.  The next step is for workers to enter the pit and stomp on it.  We then entered the different areas of the workshop to see the process involved in creating ceramics and mosaics.  The potters’ wheels are turned with foot power and it was incredible how fast they worked.  The guy doing eggcups was making one every two minutes.  Next we saw the artists applying the colour.

In the mosaic section, men were sitting on the ground chiselling out shapes from ceramic tiles.  These are then laid out by the artist in a pattern.  The only hitch is, it is all done upside-down, so they have to remember which colours they have used.  Some larger pieces take days to create, so the craftsmen need to have a good memory.  The kiln is fired up once a week and reaches incredible temperatures.  The fuel for the fire is olive pits.

Then we entered the medina.  For foreigners, it is impossible to visit this place without a guide.  I was lost within the first couple of turns (but then that’s no surprise).  This is where we experienced the real sights, sounds and smells of Fès.  Of note was the camel head decoration in front of one of the butcher shops and the donkeys laden with skins fresh from the tannery; now that is a smell that needs to be experienced to be believed!

Our first stop in the Medina was the tanneries.  This was one of the places I was really looking forward to visiting.  While we did see the men washing the skins, unfortunately the tanning pits were closed for restoration.  We were able to feel the different sorts of leather, with goat being the softest.  It won’t burn and is waterproof.  In the shop was a whole array of products – slippers, jackets, wallets, bags and cushion covers.

Next, we visited a metal workshop.  The silver teapots and platters were absolutely exquisite.

On our way to lunch, we visited the Medresa. This was a Koranic school and the building dates back to the 14th century. Around the walls black tiles have been carved with passages from the Koran. Some of the cedar panelling in the Medresa is original while some of it is a result of restoration work.

We had lunch in a beautiful restaurant in the medina. Our meal started with seven different salads; all of them were superb: eggplant, cauliflower, sweet potato, potato, lentils – they were all delicious. As I enjoyed them so much in Moulay Idriss, I once again had kefta, meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce.

Our final stop in the medina was the weavers where they make fabrics out of agave silk, wool, cotton and cashmere. Two of our group were dressed in a head scarf during our tour.

On return to the hotel another lady and I headed for a luxury spa.  I started my treatment in the hammam. You strip down to your underwear (no bra) go into the steam room and lather up with a thick black olive soap. You really can't have any inhibitions; of course this is a women’s only section but it was a bit of a shock (but in a way liberating as well) to be wandering around with strangers just in your knickers.  After a few minutes in the steam, the lady looking after me came and got me for my gommage treatment. These are often poor but robust women with no education, so she obviously spoke no English, but no French either. The gommage entailed me lying on a marble bed then my lady using a mitt with a texture similar to a kitchen scourer rubbing me down all over.  This removes all the dead skin cells; I think she was shocked at how much I was shedding because she kept showing me chunks of skin. This treatment is really not for the faint heart. At times it was like my skin was on fire, but it was a strangely pleasant sensation. She then rinsed me off with a cold shower and the proceeded to wash my whole body with a liquid soap.  After rinsing off, she lead me to a plunge pool filled with cold water.  In the pool, I had a lovely chat with a young Moroccan woman who had helped me a bit with translation during the whole hour long treatment. Next I was lead away to the spa upstairs where I was put in a relaxing room for half an hour, then I was taken to a little room where I was lathered with Argan oil and treated to an amazing ½ hour massage. All of this for around $50.  And this was in a luxury spa complex. End result – I feel like a new woman!  This was certainly a welcome treat after all the walking I've been doing over the last few days.