A feast for our senses

Prior to arriving, in my mind Morocco was an enchanting ancient country that was the crossroads of many countries and cultures. This is in fact true, but my version was more like a cross between Aladdin and the Epcot Center's version than what is real. Those of you who have known me for a long time know that I have done my fair share of world travels but my imagination did not come close to how profoundly exotic this country truly is.

Anne picked out 9 different colors of pink thread at the Souk in Fez.  

Royal Palace in Fez

As Tim has mentioned we have been busy travelling through out the country seeing as much as we can with little down time. It is hard to describe the brain and body work it takes to be here. It is as if you must immerse yourself in a way would make quantum physicists proud. We are not here right now in one place at one time. We bounce from century to century. We float in mere meters from poverty to opulence. Color and light are constantly guiding us in and out of emotional experiences and transform our awareness of how Art, Religion, Culture and Economy were once fully intertwined and quite possibly (and in my opinion) still should be. 

I am struck by the ornamentation of all things functional and ritual, and possibly the inability to separate the two. There is no lost space, every corner has a decoration of Islamic geometric art. Having grown up the daughter of an abstract religious contemporary painter my eyes are comfortable with pattern and shape and the painstaking meditation of repetition. However it wasn't until we made it here to Riad Nashira in Marakesh that I realized that it is the surprise of the sacred geometry as it emerges from chaos that makes it breath taking.  Our riad is monochromatic, with little to no ornamentation. This lack of ornamentation is essential for rest, we can not appreciate the color and form constantly. With rest we can see new things every time we step outside the riad.

 

This video is a glimpse at the night life in Djemaa el-Fna in Marrakesh every night for over 1000 years. This is where all of life collides. There is no such thing as a free art here, In fact there is no such thing as a free smile or free hand gesture pointing you in the right direction. Though dinner that night was about $8.00 for all three of us we had to pay over $30 to get directions to our hotel from young men in the alley ways of the medina. Just taking this video was risky. Tim said that if they saw me they would make me pay.  

Tim has said on many occasions to Anne over the last five days that each large piece is made of thousands of tiny pieces hand picked by an artist who had to make each piece the right color and the right shape so that we see the doorway, or wall, or fountain as this exquisite whole. Anne is so good at seeing each piece, experiencing each moment fully that of course it is exhausting for her. But she is a trooper and does all the walking that we do and looks at all the museums and schools and mosques with much interest.

We just wish we could get her to eat!  Most of the time I would not be praising her for eating a whole bowl of potato chips but when its the only thing in three days we didn't have to bargain with her to get her to eat I am pretty excited. There is a flavor or spice that pervades everything. It is a cinnamon, saffron, peppery taste that we can not place. I am determined to figure it out. Without fail Anne does not approve.

Spice Market

I will end with the smells. It has been a long standing joke between Tim and I that he has a superior olfactory sense. Normally I would say this is true. But in the last two months my olfactory sense has surpassed his. Just like how the eye gets tired and can longer see detail, so does the nose here where animal, human, trash and food all coalesce. Walking through souks in Fez were difficult for me. I constantly felt I was going to vomit. It has all been wonderful but it takes a lot more energy to do this kind of trip at 12 weeks pregnant.