Well you know spring is here when Louis da Fez packs his bags and heads to the hills. In this case the hills are the twin peaks of Chefchaouen. Now, not content with just taking a break while his major domo -Mouaniss runs the renovation and restoration project of his unusual and interesting house, Dar Mernissi, Louis da Fez is actually seeking to increase his property portfolio.
Louis has been down this track before and goes into the deal with his eye wide open: My experience with an ex partner before should have warned me about getting involved in another project of that type but hey ho you only live once, and people over here leap into projects with such abandon and spirit of adventure that its refreshing although probably not rational.
The story seems to be that the last time he and Aussie Pete and Karen were in Chaouen, they had a high old time and fell in love with a house. So, if you are in the mood for a bit of "what the hell - let's do it" investment. Make contact with the big man.
Over at Dar Rouah, Jenny and Jon have started the long hard slog on renovation of their really cute little house: The courtyard is a real mix of traditional beldi (traditional) and romi (new) Moroccan decoration. The walls and are highly decorated with carved plaster, carved and inlayed wood and zelij (mosaic) however all of the plaster has been painted over in thick white paint. The wood was covered in thick brown paint but this has since been removed by us. Unfortunately the courtyard floor has modern tiles.
And while we are talking of the renovation crowd, mention must be made of the Dar Mystere blog, which has also sprung back into life after the recent rain.
Something that struck me on my last visit to Morocco was the apparent drought. When I had visited Fez for the first time almost exactly a year before, I travelled down from Tangier with Louis on the train and was pleasantly surprised at how verdant the country appeared. The meadows were awash with wild orange, yellow, white and blue flowers and the fields green with what looked like broad beans (or fava beans). It turned out they were to, and my first dish at Riad Norma that night was a broad bean soup. Good stuff - apparently broad beans help your body produce serotonin, the chemical that keeps you happy, also the chemical that us old ravers may have depleted slightly in the 90s having too good a time. Anyhow, this year things were looking browner in the campo and there has been much less rainfall.
It seems things are getting better, or wetter in the past few weeks, and that must be relief for the farmers.
The crew from Dar Mystere also report on a trip to Sidi Harazem to "take the waters."
Now for a hot rumour!
There has been much disquiet about the rules and regulations concerning rental properties in Fez. The short term holiday rental market has been on hold until the overly restrictive situation changes. Well, we are happy to report that our spies suggest a change is soon to be announced. We will keep you posted.
Bringing your kids to Fez.
Three recent emails asking us about how safe it was to bring children to the Medina seemed a bit of a worry. I'm not sure where the idea came from that it might not be safe, but I can assure you from experience that children love Fez and Fez loves children.
Over the past few years when I have been with families that have young children they have all been astonished at how warm the locals are to their children. The downside? Well, your kids had better enjoy being kissed, cuddled and given treats.
By the way, Dar Mystere is actually planning to have a child-friendly and child-safe guest house.
Mouaniss with Nathan & Nisha (photo credit Mark Siung)
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Louis has been down this track before and goes into the deal with his eye wide open: My experience with an ex partner before should have warned me about getting involved in another project of that type but hey ho you only live once, and people over here leap into projects with such abandon and spirit of adventure that its refreshing although probably not rational.
The story seems to be that the last time he and Aussie Pete and Karen were in Chaouen, they had a high old time and fell in love with a house. So, if you are in the mood for a bit of "what the hell - let's do it" investment. Make contact with the big man.
Over at Dar Rouah, Jenny and Jon have started the long hard slog on renovation of their really cute little house: The courtyard is a real mix of traditional beldi (traditional) and romi (new) Moroccan decoration. The walls and are highly decorated with carved plaster, carved and inlayed wood and zelij (mosaic) however all of the plaster has been painted over in thick white paint. The wood was covered in thick brown paint but this has since been removed by us. Unfortunately the courtyard floor has modern tiles.
And while we are talking of the renovation crowd, mention must be made of the Dar Mystere blog, which has also sprung back into life after the recent rain.
Something that struck me on my last visit to Morocco was the apparent drought. When I had visited Fez for the first time almost exactly a year before, I travelled down from Tangier with Louis on the train and was pleasantly surprised at how verdant the country appeared. The meadows were awash with wild orange, yellow, white and blue flowers and the fields green with what looked like broad beans (or fava beans). It turned out they were to, and my first dish at Riad Norma that night was a broad bean soup. Good stuff - apparently broad beans help your body produce serotonin, the chemical that keeps you happy, also the chemical that us old ravers may have depleted slightly in the 90s having too good a time. Anyhow, this year things were looking browner in the campo and there has been much less rainfall.
It seems things are getting better, or wetter in the past few weeks, and that must be relief for the farmers.
The crew from Dar Mystere also report on a trip to Sidi Harazem to "take the waters."
Now for a hot rumour!
There has been much disquiet about the rules and regulations concerning rental properties in Fez. The short term holiday rental market has been on hold until the overly restrictive situation changes. Well, we are happy to report that our spies suggest a change is soon to be announced. We will keep you posted.
Bringing your kids to Fez.
Three recent emails asking us about how safe it was to bring children to the Medina seemed a bit of a worry. I'm not sure where the idea came from that it might not be safe, but I can assure you from experience that children love Fez and Fez loves children.
Over the past few years when I have been with families that have young children they have all been astonished at how warm the locals are to their children. The downside? Well, your kids had better enjoy being kissed, cuddled and given treats.
By the way, Dar Mystere is actually planning to have a child-friendly and child-safe guest house.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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