Medina Gossip # 3503

Hot news this week is that His Majesty the King will be in Fez for the Prophet's Birthday. From very good sources we hear that among the guests invited to meet the King are members of the expat community. So startled was one invitee that he thought the entire thing was a hoax. Now we understand he is taking a crash course in royal etiquette and hunting for a suitable outfit to wear.

The guide book update season seems to be in full swing with the much anticipated launch of the Lonely Planet Fez Encounter due at the end of the month. The fab little pocket book will be a real winner with tourists as it not only has a great fold out map of the Medina but some very up to date shopping and eating suggestions.

Meanwhile another guide book publisher needs to have a word about ethics to their intrepid reporter who was caught unashamedly seeking free accommodation on account of writing a guide book. Like "hello!" - that is something you simply don't do. Other publishers expressly forbid their in-country people to even flash their business cards.

Talking of visitors, regular people-watchers will have noticed a familiar face back in Fez. Pippa from Dublin has returned to the Medina where she now owns a house. If her plans progress she will be spending more and more time here.


Her plans at the moment involve returning to Eire, but once her renovation is complete she should be back in the Medina for most of next year. In the meantime Pippa (pictured above with Louis) has been enjoying both the city and the countryside with her friend Louis da Fez. On one of her strolls in the Medina Pippa noticed a cow's nose for sale at a local butcher. No, not the complete head, just the nose. She is keen to find recipes for cow nose - and we would love to hear from you with you serious or otherwise response (Nose Tagine?). Maybe the poor cow should have followed the lead of our strange friend Ilja Gort, a Bordeaux wine maker, who has just has insured his nose for £3.9 million with Lloyd's of London. Ilja is Dutch and the owner of Château de la Garde in Bordeaux where he produces Tulipe Wines., Ilya claims his nose is his most important asset, as a good sense of smell was essential to guarantee the quality of his wines. Just for the record ( and coz you are just longing to know) while the tongue has only five areas of taste, the nose can distinguish millions of different scents, he added. But we digress...

Perhaps the most talked about subject in the Medina is the success of Cafe Clock. Mike and his team continue to impress with their hospitality, great food and amazing range of activities. On the day our spy was there the library was in constant use, a Moroccan language class was in full swing, fine art graced the walls and a constant flow of people - local and from around the globe - traipsed up and down the stairs.

Up until now the cafe has been closed on Mondays, but rumour has it that with the advent of the high tourist season that will change. Being closed on Mondays may make sense for the mental health the Cafe Clock team - but we feel sure that they will find a way to cater to the demands of their eager patrons for Clockability on Mondays!

Several people have mentioned that the wonderful rooftop concerts are a real winner - and they are right with one caveat. Sooner or later the cafe will need to install a small sound system so that patrons who have paid for a concert and can't fit on the roof can also enjoy the music. Speakers inside the cafe would be a simple and quick way to fix this. On the day we attended a concert the vocal music was easy to hear but even on the terrace simple guitar work was inaudible.

In the tourist area there is a change taking place - several old shops have been replaced by pretty upmarket establishments including the loss of a traditional bakery in Derb el Hora which now sells reasonable quality interior décor items including lamps and various artefacts. This is a sure sign of things to come and (as one local wit put it) how long until we find a 24/7 convenience store opening in one of the Tala'as?

Also coming along is the work on the Jnan Sbil Gardens. The layout and fountains all seem complete so it is just a matter of time before they will be officially opened. And then, in the new city, the plans are out for a "city centre" development including and convention centre - times are a changing...

Music happenings....

Famous Lebanese singer Walid Tawfiq has received an invitation from the Moroccan Free Musician Union to attend a festival at in Dar Al Bayda (Casablanca). According to our music spy the musician will perform on March 27, 28, and 29 and Walid will be honored at the celebration. A number of music artists from across the Arab world will attend.

Four concerts in Fez will bring a very different type of music to the Medina. On the weekend of May 24/25 Bernard Carney will perform a major concert Riad Zany on the Saturday and will follow up with a smaller event at Cafe Clock on the Sunday.

"Bernard Carney is a great all-round musician in the tradition of the folk troubadour. He has a unique talent as songwriter, guitarist and singer all peppered with passion and humour."
Port Fairy Festival Director Jamie McKew when presenting Bernard with the prestigious Artist of the Year award at Port Fairy Festival
“Songs of love and memory are bitter-sweet explorations of human emotion sung with a kind of melodic elegance that is the hall mark of a good song.” Ron Banks West Australian newspaper review.

On May 30/June 1 Cloudstreet (the renowned Australian folk duo) will perform at Riad Zany along with singer songwriter Rebecca Wright. On the Sunday they will perform at Cafe Clock.
Cloudstreet perform hot harmonies & beautiful ballads. This will be their second trip to Fez as guests of The View from Fez. On their last trip they were impressed by the acoustic quality inside the riad and so are very happy to be returning after a highly successful tour in the UK


John and Nicole's performances (pictured above) are packed with vitality, humour and excitement, as they breathe new life into some of the great songs of the Australian, English and Celtic traditions and carry the tradition forward with original songs and tunes. Driving guitar and Irish flute support their enthralling vocals. Their trademark dazzling harmonies and their impassioned presentation are leavened with humour and great tales from their travels. Cloudstreet makes their audience feel that they are the privileged viewers of something very special.

Rebecca Wright (pictured above) will perform with Cloudstreet as well as presenting some of her own superbly crafted songs. Freshly revealing, bright and beautiful... Rebecca’s songs will stir your heart. Her deftly exquisite arrangements of voice and acoustic guitar, and graceful, grounded performances captivate her audiences and weave connections among people.

More news of this nearer the time. But if you would like an invitation to any of the concerts please send us an email ( see address below) with the name of the artists in the subject line.

China to build Moroccan Roads.

Asia's biggest construction company, China Railway Group, has won a $257 million contract to build two highways in Morocco. According to a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the projects will take 30 months to complete. No starting date has been announced.

And while we are talking about business and investment....


Who are these people? Well, according to our sources, the photograph is from a business forum held last year. So why are we telling you this? Because our usually reliable informants say that the Morocco Business Forum will hold its second meeting in Fez between May 8th and 10th. We will bring you more information on that as it comes to hand. One thing we can tell you is that the American Ambassador will be attending.

All the goss that's fit to print - if you have a story for The View from Fez - email us. fes.riad@gmail.com

Medina Gossip #3502

Medina Gossip #2307

All the goss that's fit to print - if you have a story for The View from Fez - email us. fes.riad@gmail.com

Photo credits: Cloudstreet and Rebecca Wright, Louis & Pippa: Sandy McCutcheon


Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news