At the "source vitel (sic) refuge"

The "wildlife refuge spring" is effectively a city park located just a few dozen meters from the bustling centre ville. As far as city parks go, this is easily prettiest, most secluded one we have seen. We--and dozens of the Moroccan vacationers who visit Ifrane during the month of August, Ifrane's busiest month--have discovered that it is a perfect shady retreat from the torching August afternoon. (August in Ifrane is relatively cool, with temperatures peaking in the low nineties; in Fez just down the mountain, peak temperatures are 120). In the dry, desert atmosphere that predominates even in Ifrane's comparatively high elevation, shade is a guaranteed refuge from a sun that is so bright and hot that one can actually feel, in real-time, the creation of a sunburn in its exposure. Here in the leafy wood, it feels 20 degrees cooler. The "vital spring" amounts to a network of interlocking lakes and ponds formed--by human engineering--along a meandering gurgling stream. The whole system goes on for kilometers, and it is all concealed within a leafy enclosure, so that it is quite possible that one can be walking along a road just a few meters from the water and remain fully oblivious of its existence. All one has to do is descend down into the trees to discover this wonderful "alternative reality."

While some of the springs are favorite swimming holes of the Moroccan vacationers, and hence are teeming with Moroccan picnickers, others remain perfectly secluded, and are the favorite watering holes of frogs and turtles. I was unable to find turtles on the day we brought the camera along with us, but the frogs are always ubiquious (any afternoon dozens can be seen sunning themselves on rocks or lilipads). Below are some pictures we took at the "source vitel refuge."

The Marché

The marché is the traditional, Moroccan-Berber section of town (the "centre ville" being the more picturesque, French part of town). The marché is a network of shops, restaurants, and cafes where one can find butchers (specializing in the various meets: cow, lamb, turkey, and chicken), a creamer, spice venders, legume venders, fruit venders, vegetable venders, appliance venders, hardware stores, and photo shops. While very few Moroccans can be found dining at the more upscale French restaurants downtown (they do patronize the cafes and glaciers), throngs of Moroccans can be found dining at the various restaurants in the marché. The standard fare seems to be roast chicken with rice, fries, and olives. The meal is prefaced by an appetizer of harissa (a mild, salty hotsauce) and fresh bread. While the food is not particularly healthy and a long way from fancy, we have discovered that we are sufficiently embued with "the spirit of anthropology" to find ample pleasure in participating in the local custom; in any case, when prepared well (and we have found a favorite restaurant), the chicken is delicious, the rice and french fries soak up an optimal portion of the chicken fat, and the harissa and olives provide just enough spice, so that on a late afternoon the famished and weary shopper is quite satisfied (lunch is commonly eaten at around 3:00pm here, and as comparatively early breakfasters, we find we are generally quite hungry by this time). Perhaps we should be mindful of that bit of Epicurean wisdom: to the hungry, a bit of bread and water affords as much pleasure as the daintiest, most exquisite dish. Strange, and relieving, how far Epicurus was from being any kind of "epicure." Another pleasure is the mint tea which we take with helwa (sweets and pastries) at our favorite little French café in the marché.

See all the mint in that pot of (green) tea?

These travellers (Erika, Dylan, and Thomas) are tired; we are walking to the marché at 2:00pm, when the sun is cruel. The walk is about two kilometers.

Another view of that pot of mint tea!