Well today marks twelve days until I am home. How crazy is that! I am really excited to come home, but it is starting to sink in now that it is so close that once I leave I will not be coming back to live……at least not in the plans yet. It is such mixed emotions, I am so happy to come home and see people but so sad to be leaving a city I love living in so much. And it will be a busy next ten days so it is going to fly by. For the past week we have been doing a lot of work. Final jury for studio is in a week and a half, so we have been working on trying to finalize our designs for that. And Monday our last project for our History/Theory class is due. So that has been taking up a lot of my weekend so far so that I can try to get it done. Then, this Tuesday our sketchbooks are due for our sketching class, so there is so much work to do and so little time!
Tonight I am going to a soccer game, FC Barcelona versus Espanyol. I am pretty excited; I have wanted to see a game since I have been here so I finally get to do it! And then Wednesday is another one which I think I will end up going to as well. It is FC Barcelona versus Manchester United.
There is not a whole lot to talk about that is all that interesting about this past week. It has just been a lot of work and classes. So instead of writing, I am going to pick some of my favorite pictures from my time here and post them below. So have fun looking at them! I will see everyone soon!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
What is space?
So this is one of the last blogs that I am going to write here, so I think that it is appropriate to break down what I have found regarding space. What is space within the city? What makes it work? Is all space good? Does “green” or plants always make it a better space? These are all questions I asked myself at the beginning, and now feel that I have enough of a grasp from research and analysis to at least try to answer them.
What is space within the city?
Space is any form of relief from the urban fabric in which people can utilize in whatever form they need. Sometimes it is a situation in which people use as a gathering space to meet and move on to the next event, other times it is somewhere where people can sit and remove themselves from the density and way of life in the city. The first can be such places as the intersections of the Cerda block in Barcelona, which were designed with chamfered corners to create a figural void that can be used for gathering or green space, or even the left over spaces when multiple city grids come together and are combined with a concrete plaza space. The later can be such places as parks, a beach, or large open spaces. They tend to be green, or surrounded by the feeling of nature, as that can engulf the person and make them truly feel like they have left the city even when they are in the middle of it.
What makes it work?
The main thing that makes a space within the city work is merely that it meets the needs of the people who live/work around it and use it. It doesn’t need to have anything in particular, just simply be utilized. That sounds so simple, but as an architecture student I was searching for something, and object or an event, that makes a space work. But there is no overriding object or event that makes every space that it exists in work. It is the people, and an unsuccessful plaza is one in which the people that are around it and using it see no way in which to utilize it and move on to the next space. When the people don’t use it, it goes into disrepair. This is when you see such events and unkempt green spaces, building facades falling apart, and spaces that turn into parking lots because that’s the only thing people will use it for. This is what the space behind the Boqueria has turned into, as well as what Plaza Reial had become before the renewal.
Is all space good?
This question is kind of a double edge sword. In one respect any relief from the urban density is good. It creates at least some form of open space in which the monotony of city blocks can be broken. But space must be planned accordingly with its surroundings. To many open spaces within a small area makes for some bad spaces. Some of the spaces will not be utilized, and fall into disrepair. There are also situations in which it is a poorly planned space or its surroundings. Some spaces I have come across were not thought out with regards to their users, which made them bad spaces.
Does “green” or plants always make it a better space?
This was a shock to me. At first I believed that putting greenery into a space immediately made it better. But in seeing multiple urban spaces, I realized that there are many extremely successful spaces that have no greenery as well as spaces that have greenery but are very unsuccessful. But I also realized that what made the spaces with greenery unsuccessful was not the greenery itself, but the effect that I explained earlier about an unused plaza that falls into disrepair because no one will take care of it. So, again, I found out in my research that it is not about whether the green space is there or not. It is about whether the plaza as a whole meets the needs of the people around it and using it. Sometimes those people need a space with greenery in which to feel a hint of nature within the city, but in other situations they need a place to meet with friends or family and to simply get outside and sit on a bench and watch the people go by.
So it ended up that all of these questions pretty much come to one answer. People the success of a space, the space does not govern what the people do. So analysis of space on a more specific level needs to involve sitting on sites and observing what the people do, and seeing what the area is in need of. It becomes important to ask questions such as what do people do here, and does it provide the situation in which they can do it in. This, as I came to find out, is a very difficult topic to actually study. It has so many layers, one must look at use and then what could further facilitate that. Sometimes it is grass and trees, other times it is a stone plaza with benches and a fountain. It is different for every city block you walk, as well as different by the types of plazas that surround it.
What is space within the city?
Space is any form of relief from the urban fabric in which people can utilize in whatever form they need. Sometimes it is a situation in which people use as a gathering space to meet and move on to the next event, other times it is somewhere where people can sit and remove themselves from the density and way of life in the city. The first can be such places as the intersections of the Cerda block in Barcelona, which were designed with chamfered corners to create a figural void that can be used for gathering or green space, or even the left over spaces when multiple city grids come together and are combined with a concrete plaza space. The later can be such places as parks, a beach, or large open spaces. They tend to be green, or surrounded by the feeling of nature, as that can engulf the person and make them truly feel like they have left the city even when they are in the middle of it.
What makes it work?
The main thing that makes a space within the city work is merely that it meets the needs of the people who live/work around it and use it. It doesn’t need to have anything in particular, just simply be utilized. That sounds so simple, but as an architecture student I was searching for something, and object or an event, that makes a space work. But there is no overriding object or event that makes every space that it exists in work. It is the people, and an unsuccessful plaza is one in which the people that are around it and using it see no way in which to utilize it and move on to the next space. When the people don’t use it, it goes into disrepair. This is when you see such events and unkempt green spaces, building facades falling apart, and spaces that turn into parking lots because that’s the only thing people will use it for. This is what the space behind the Boqueria has turned into, as well as what Plaza Reial had become before the renewal.
Is all space good?
This question is kind of a double edge sword. In one respect any relief from the urban density is good. It creates at least some form of open space in which the monotony of city blocks can be broken. But space must be planned accordingly with its surroundings. To many open spaces within a small area makes for some bad spaces. Some of the spaces will not be utilized, and fall into disrepair. There are also situations in which it is a poorly planned space or its surroundings. Some spaces I have come across were not thought out with regards to their users, which made them bad spaces.
Does “green” or plants always make it a better space?
This was a shock to me. At first I believed that putting greenery into a space immediately made it better. But in seeing multiple urban spaces, I realized that there are many extremely successful spaces that have no greenery as well as spaces that have greenery but are very unsuccessful. But I also realized that what made the spaces with greenery unsuccessful was not the greenery itself, but the effect that I explained earlier about an unused plaza that falls into disrepair because no one will take care of it. So, again, I found out in my research that it is not about whether the green space is there or not. It is about whether the plaza as a whole meets the needs of the people around it and using it. Sometimes those people need a space with greenery in which to feel a hint of nature within the city, but in other situations they need a place to meet with friends or family and to simply get outside and sit on a bench and watch the people go by.
So it ended up that all of these questions pretty much come to one answer. People the success of a space, the space does not govern what the people do. So analysis of space on a more specific level needs to involve sitting on sites and observing what the people do, and seeing what the area is in need of. It becomes important to ask questions such as what do people do here, and does it provide the situation in which they can do it in. This, as I came to find out, is a very difficult topic to actually study. It has so many layers, one must look at use and then what could further facilitate that. Sometimes it is grass and trees, other times it is a stone plaza with benches and a fountain. It is different for every city block you walk, as well as different by the types of plazas that surround it.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Public space is space used by citizens, space that is adaptable and had a changing meaning.
I have been doing some reading lately after seeing the different type of “urban space” that existed in Morocco. After seeing how different space can be viewed and approached, I wanted to find out what exactly a public space is in not only Barcelona but in Western Europe. Rome is littered with plazas, as are parts of Barcelona. But what makes a plaza? What makes it work? And how should it be approached architecturally. With Barcelona being a place where there are recently and currently so many urban initiatives to create these public spaces in the city I felt that it was necessary to try to research and see what I can find to clarify my approach even further to what I need to look for.
Research found
· There are three elements that limit the extent of a plaza: the walls of the buildings surrounding, the area of the ground, and the amount of sky over the plaza. Wholeness comes from the successful combination of the three
· Five types of Plazas (Paul Zucker p. 117-119 Plazas of Southern Europe)
o Closed Plaza: the buildings entirely surrounding the area create a confined space
o Dominated square: Incorporates axis which create unique and effective expanse of space in their direction. A structure at the head is a common occurrence in these plazas.
o Nuclear Plaza: instead of having buildings surrounding it, this type of plaza has a central focus (such as a fountain).
o Combination of multiple squares: This is a situation in which there are two plazas near each other connected by something such as a large foot path that creates a continuous domain.
o The fifth type is one that was constructed in the 18th and 19th century, and contains no recognizable square space among them. These spaces tend to be smaller openings, and reliefs created by left over space or the need for an opening in a dense area that contains no apparent edge or center.
· A “square” is a public open space located at critical points in urban areas such as road intersections or in front of public buildings for gatherings, markets, aesthetic purposes, or to ease traffic flow (Kenchiku Daijiten p. 121 Plazas of Southern Europe).
o This definition I do not necessarily agree with for the fact that I feel that spaces within the urban fabric don’t need to be for a physical reason, but can be for the mere fact of green space that relieves urban fabric and provides places for people to go and have some “stretch room.” But, in looking at the definition I feel that is important to include as it is further refining my own definition of urban/public spaces.
Then, after feeling like I have a stronger grasp on how to classify plazas and am beginning to refine my own definition of what public space is, I felt that it was necessary to at least begin researching what public spaces in Barcelona are viewed as and approached as.
· “Percieved space is the materialized, socially produced, empirical space, directly experienced, open, within limits, to accurate measurements and description. It is the traditional focus of attention in all spatial disciplines” (P. 151-152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Conceived Space: a “conceptualized space, the space of scientists, planners, urbanists, technocratic subdividers all of whome identify what is lived and what is perceived with what in conceived.” (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· In Barcelona public space is commonly analyzed as a conceived or perceived space much more than as a lived space. (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Public space is space used by citizens, space that is adaptable and had a changing meaning.
After this past quite, I feel like I can fully define what I feel is a successful public space. I never thought of a substantial space within the city to be adaptable and changing, but that is exactly what it is. Yes it has parameters, edges and is a defined space, but it contains ever changing uses. Uses of a successful public space need to be able to be personally conceived by the person experiencing it. It does not have to have green space, and it does not have to be large, but it has to serve the purpose of the people using it. For example, when you walk into a plaza in Barcelona some people are reading a book, some are walking their dogs, others are meeting people while some are merely using it as a passage to another space. As an architect, to design a space that holds one purpose and one purpose alone would be setting the design up for failure. It needs to have versatility within a prescribed space. A successful urban space has no definition but that which the people tell. If the plaza is being utilized on multiple levels than it is successful.
Placa Reial is a perfect example of this. The designer created a space which brings in multiple streets and blends them together. But there is not a specific program in the space. There is not permanent urban furniture or large expanses of grassy areas for people to sit out and relax on. But it is a successful space. Restaurants have filled in many spaces, expanding out into the plaza with exterior seating. People use this space as a meeting space, as well as a gathering space and a space to relax. The fountain in the middle is constantly in use with people eating, meeting or merely resting. There are shops and places to stop, but people also use it to get from one area to the next. It is utilized on many levels, and that is what makes it so successful. It also contains elements of a couple of the five classifications defined earlier. It is a Combination Plaza, as La Rambla is a large urban space neighboring it with a large connecting path creating what feels like a continuous domain. It also has a nuclear aspect, as the central fountain draws the forms definition partially from its basis around this fountain. Then it is clearly a closed plaza as on all of its sides there are continuous buildings/facades creating a confined space. Also, one of my other notes states that wholeness in a plaza comes from the successful combination of having defined walls by the buildings surrounding it, defined area of the ground, and the appropriate amount of sky over the plaza. Placa Reial is defined by the buildings around it, that define the area of the space while providing a large expanse of light and sky above it. The three, in this instance, are melded together. One creates the other (walls defining area and openness to sky), which I feel is what a successful combination looks like. When in this space, you feel confined yet open to do what you are seeking to accomplish (or even what not to accomplish in the case of just getting away from the business of La Rambla). This I feel, at least in this instance, is what creates wholeness in a public space.
Research found
· There are three elements that limit the extent of a plaza: the walls of the buildings surrounding, the area of the ground, and the amount of sky over the plaza. Wholeness comes from the successful combination of the three
· Five types of Plazas (Paul Zucker p. 117-119 Plazas of Southern Europe)
o Closed Plaza: the buildings entirely surrounding the area create a confined space
o Dominated square: Incorporates axis which create unique and effective expanse of space in their direction. A structure at the head is a common occurrence in these plazas.
o Nuclear Plaza: instead of having buildings surrounding it, this type of plaza has a central focus (such as a fountain).
o Combination of multiple squares: This is a situation in which there are two plazas near each other connected by something such as a large foot path that creates a continuous domain.
o The fifth type is one that was constructed in the 18th and 19th century, and contains no recognizable square space among them. These spaces tend to be smaller openings, and reliefs created by left over space or the need for an opening in a dense area that contains no apparent edge or center.
· A “square” is a public open space located at critical points in urban areas such as road intersections or in front of public buildings for gatherings, markets, aesthetic purposes, or to ease traffic flow (Kenchiku Daijiten p. 121 Plazas of Southern Europe).
o This definition I do not necessarily agree with for the fact that I feel that spaces within the urban fabric don’t need to be for a physical reason, but can be for the mere fact of green space that relieves urban fabric and provides places for people to go and have some “stretch room.” But, in looking at the definition I feel that is important to include as it is further refining my own definition of urban/public spaces.
Then, after feeling like I have a stronger grasp on how to classify plazas and am beginning to refine my own definition of what public space is, I felt that it was necessary to at least begin researching what public spaces in Barcelona are viewed as and approached as.
· “Percieved space is the materialized, socially produced, empirical space, directly experienced, open, within limits, to accurate measurements and description. It is the traditional focus of attention in all spatial disciplines” (P. 151-152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Conceived Space: a “conceptualized space, the space of scientists, planners, urbanists, technocratic subdividers all of whome identify what is lived and what is perceived with what in conceived.” (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· In Barcelona public space is commonly analyzed as a conceived or perceived space much more than as a lived space. (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Public space is space used by citizens, space that is adaptable and had a changing meaning.
After this past quite, I feel like I can fully define what I feel is a successful public space. I never thought of a substantial space within the city to be adaptable and changing, but that is exactly what it is. Yes it has parameters, edges and is a defined space, but it contains ever changing uses. Uses of a successful public space need to be able to be personally conceived by the person experiencing it. It does not have to have green space, and it does not have to be large, but it has to serve the purpose of the people using it. For example, when you walk into a plaza in Barcelona some people are reading a book, some are walking their dogs, others are meeting people while some are merely using it as a passage to another space. As an architect, to design a space that holds one purpose and one purpose alone would be setting the design up for failure. It needs to have versatility within a prescribed space. A successful urban space has no definition but that which the people tell. If the plaza is being utilized on multiple levels than it is successful.
Placa Reial is a perfect example of this. The designer created a space which brings in multiple streets and blends them together. But there is not a specific program in the space. There is not permanent urban furniture or large expanses of grassy areas for people to sit out and relax on. But it is a successful space. Restaurants have filled in many spaces, expanding out into the plaza with exterior seating. People use this space as a meeting space, as well as a gathering space and a space to relax. The fountain in the middle is constantly in use with people eating, meeting or merely resting. There are shops and places to stop, but people also use it to get from one area to the next. It is utilized on many levels, and that is what makes it so successful. It also contains elements of a couple of the five classifications defined earlier. It is a Combination Plaza, as La Rambla is a large urban space neighboring it with a large connecting path creating what feels like a continuous domain. It also has a nuclear aspect, as the central fountain draws the forms definition partially from its basis around this fountain. Then it is clearly a closed plaza as on all of its sides there are continuous buildings/facades creating a confined space. Also, one of my other notes states that wholeness in a plaza comes from the successful combination of having defined walls by the buildings surrounding it, defined area of the ground, and the appropriate amount of sky over the plaza. Placa Reial is defined by the buildings around it, that define the area of the space while providing a large expanse of light and sky above it. The three, in this instance, are melded together. One creates the other (walls defining area and openness to sky), which I feel is what a successful combination looks like. When in this space, you feel confined yet open to do what you are seeking to accomplish (or even what not to accomplish in the case of just getting away from the business of La Rambla). This I feel, at least in this instance, is what creates wholeness in a public space.
Its starting to wind down!
For the past week has been a pretty laid back week. We have been spending a lot of time in studio, and catching up on work. We had a jury/review for studio for our project yesterday, and its only been a week and a half since we got the project. But it was really good to have the pin up and get other people’s opinions on where we are at. Ours went pretty well, they liked the basis to our project and now there are just a few changes that we need to make.
Also, we had our final exam for Spanish on Tuesday. That was definitely an interesting couple of hours. I think I did pretty well, though there were some difficult parts to the entire thing. The audio part was really difficult though. On top of the fact that the Spanish (in Spain) talk with a lisp, the fact that it was coming out of a tape made it even worse. So basically, I didn’t catch a whole lot of what they were saying in a couple of the audio parts. But I feel like I did pretty well on the rest of the test, so hopefully it balances that out. But, we will just have to see whenever the grades come in!
Other than that I have just been trying to make sure I get the work done that I need to. We have something called an Art Ticket which gets you into six art museums in Barcelona. We have to sketch four of them, but I want to go to them all because they all seem like really cool buildings. The Picasso museum is one of the ones on the list, which I am really excited to go to and visit. So far I have done the CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona) and the MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona). The other two that are required as assignments I plan on doing today, so that I can have them finished and if I do more pages then it is my choice and on my time. Even though I am not much of an art person, it has been pretty cool to go into these places that I probably wouldn’t have gone into had it not been required to sketch. But the Picasso Museum will probably be my favorite one to visit.
Monday we get to do something so incredibly cool! We are getting a private tour of the Sagrada Familia by Gaudi which is under construction. We will be taken through the entire construction site and hopefully up into the scaffolding and see things that most people will probably never get to see. I am so excited, I can’t wait! I will have a blog post next week full of pictures and telling you guys all about it!
So the time is counting down, three more weekends including this one and then I am home! I just found out that I got the job at the architecture firm that I applied for. If anyone is interested in looking at who I am working for the website is www.burthill.com . You can look in their portfolio, they have some really cool work that they do so I am really excited to go work for them.
Other than that, I guess you will just have to check into the blog next week!
Also, we had our final exam for Spanish on Tuesday. That was definitely an interesting couple of hours. I think I did pretty well, though there were some difficult parts to the entire thing. The audio part was really difficult though. On top of the fact that the Spanish (in Spain) talk with a lisp, the fact that it was coming out of a tape made it even worse. So basically, I didn’t catch a whole lot of what they were saying in a couple of the audio parts. But I feel like I did pretty well on the rest of the test, so hopefully it balances that out. But, we will just have to see whenever the grades come in!
Other than that I have just been trying to make sure I get the work done that I need to. We have something called an Art Ticket which gets you into six art museums in Barcelona. We have to sketch four of them, but I want to go to them all because they all seem like really cool buildings. The Picasso museum is one of the ones on the list, which I am really excited to go to and visit. So far I have done the CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona) and the MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona). The other two that are required as assignments I plan on doing today, so that I can have them finished and if I do more pages then it is my choice and on my time. Even though I am not much of an art person, it has been pretty cool to go into these places that I probably wouldn’t have gone into had it not been required to sketch. But the Picasso Museum will probably be my favorite one to visit.
Monday we get to do something so incredibly cool! We are getting a private tour of the Sagrada Familia by Gaudi which is under construction. We will be taken through the entire construction site and hopefully up into the scaffolding and see things that most people will probably never get to see. I am so excited, I can’t wait! I will have a blog post next week full of pictures and telling you guys all about it!
So the time is counting down, three more weekends including this one and then I am home! I just found out that I got the job at the architecture firm that I applied for. If anyone is interested in looking at who I am working for the website is www.burthill.com . You can look in their portfolio, they have some really cool work that they do so I am really excited to go work for them.
Other than that, I guess you will just have to check into the blog next week!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
With respect to my topic of study, Fez (or Morocco as a whole) is a place completely unique in itself as compared to any other place I have gotten the chance to study. There are three areas of the city and they are (in order of oldest to newest) the Medina (the Muslim quarter), the Jewish Quarter and the French Quarter. All but the French Quarter are the same type of urban design style. The Medina and Jewish Quarter contained, for the most part, no urban space……at least not to the public eye. These parts are a series of dense labyrinths only braking building mass for another alley way or street. But, as we were told by our tour guide, Fez is a city that hides its beauty. Urban space does not occur in this city in the open public form, but rather in the semi-private form. “Fezians” bring public space indoors in the form of interior courtyards. Their architecture is internally based, a big contrast to much other architecture that is very externally based. This gives the first impression that the city is extremely dense and lacking any ornamentation, but when you look further there are many relief spaces that not only contain green areas but also contain much of the architectural style and ornamentation that these people are so well known for. These spaces are just maintained within the home. And not do you see these courtyards in homes, but also in schools, religious spaces, and businesses such as tanners, weavers, potters, etc. Around the palace holds the major exception to this “rule” of spaces, because around it are open areas where the density of the city gives way and provides relief and space around that of the government.
When one moves outward to the French Quarter you can see the change of influence of design. Houses become more modern, and are in more of a neighborhood setup much like suburban United States. It is also very apparent that it is the wealthier district with the restaurants and large modern homes that line the streets with ornate gateways and mosaic designs. You can also see the more European influence in the architecture in the externally based designs and modern style (as it is an area built by French when Franc e moved into Morocco). Green Space Is prevalent here, and the main road is much like La Rambla with the large pedestrian center and vehicular traffic on either side. This pedestrian area is lined with trees and has many grassy areas forming walkways and gathering spaces and benches for people to come and relax, gather and enjoy the outdoors. This area was very full with people every time I passed it. Children were playing, adults sitting and talking and people strolling the walkways. So it seemed, to me at least, that this space is very successful and much used.
Islam is based “on the act of surrender and submission….. In Islam, the individual is not asked to surrender to a figure of a godhead but to a way of life, and it is for this reason that the Muslim does not look for a temple to worship at, but a “place” to demonstrate his capacity for hit faith.” This shows in every piece of architecture that we got to study, observe and sketch. They believe that the outside is the unstructured world while the inside is structured. It is apparent that this is why one must go through a series of corridors to enter the interior space in every building, especially homes. Everything is based around a clear center, and it is unmistakable in most, if not all of the spaces, what the center is and the division between the spaces that are considered sacred and those that are considered profane. Not only do the buildings follow these design standards, but the designs in mosaic and painting contain obvious centers, distinct edges, and obvious differentiation of space. The exterior space contains very few windows, and appears very bland. It is a stylistic design that takes that further investigation into the deeper layers to truly understand the design styles and incredible intricacies that are in everything. The center, that deeper layer, is not just rooted in design; it goes further into their beliefs. “He who resides nearest and closest to the “inside” is therefore a complete person.” This center created organization in life and design.
The house being based around the courtyard is also something that is so incredibly prevalent that one needs to know the reason. The Quran says in translation that “the inside of your house is a sanctuary; those who violate it by calling you while you are inside do not keep the respect which they owe…”, and this explains why no matter what door you come in, you can never see into the house and the courtyard. You remain around corners and in hallways until, after being guided in, you are opened up into the much protected personal space of the home and the courtyard.
Overall the architectural style, both urban design wise (with respect to narrow roads and alleyways and dense city blocks) and in individual building design, is so incredible to study and has so much basis and reasoning that it is impossible to truly understand everything in such a short amount of time. Studying urban space as my topic lead me in this city to studying and observing the interior spaces and the edges and centers that occurred. Everything is interwoven, and revolves around the way of life that they live and the laws of their religion that guide them. I can’t wait to go back to cities like this and get to further explore the reasoning behind the designs that occur.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Fez: A City That Hides It’s Beauty
I have never heard a description that rang so true as this. For the last six days I have been in Morocco, and it was an experience different than anything I ever expected. From the moment we landed it was apparent that it was going to be a country completely unlike anywhere I have ever been. The airport was a small building that could only have two airplanes pull up at a time, even though only one was ever there at once. We were picked up by two small buses, and driven to our Riyad (our hotel). When the bus stopped to drop us off we were in a dense street area and saw nothing that looked like a hotel. There were people all around the buses and we all got a bit nervous to get out of the car. But we did, and about a block up the small alley we got to where we were staying which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. You walk into a little corridor, and then into an interior courtyard. All the doors to the room opened up off of the courtyard, and there was stained glass, mosaic work, and carved plaster everywhere. From here on out we were not really nervous about anything. Well, until we dropped off our bags and we walked out around the city to find a tomb and a higher view of the city without a tour guide. But once we started walking I realized that there wasn’t really anything to be worried about. It was weird walking around, though, because we were definitely in a more third world city and I have never been in a place like this. There were lots of alley ways and narrow streets, and cars were not anywhere to be seen since they were not allowed to drive in this area of the city. Donkeys are the mode of transferring materials from one place to another, and the smells were something quite …… unique. We walked around the main cemetery of the city and got to a high point where we could see a lot of the city and some areas around it. I can honestly say that Morocco looked a lot different than I expected. I expected sandy areas, desert, and kind of barren land. Instead there were mountains around, and it was very green. From here we continued to walk and saw some ruins, and then walked back into the Medina (oldest part of the city) and stopped for dinner at a restaurant that we were told was ok to eat at, since it is a huge worry of eating something that would make is sick for the rest of the trip. The food was amazing, I had shish kabab and rice and we had some local appetizers and for dessert their very good and popular green tea with mint and local cookies. Then it was an early night, we went back to the Riyad and I drew a cover page to the Morocco section of my sketchbook SKETCH HERE
Every day we got breakfast at the Riyad, so day two started out with our first Moroccan breakfast. It consisted of Marmalade, Strawberry Jam, Honey and lot s of types of bread and ended with green tea with mint ( as we began to find out that every meal ended with green tea with mint). We then met our tour guide, and were off to explore the city. We started by going to an old Palace that is now the Museum Dar Batha. We sketched here for over an hour (SKETCH HERE) and then walked up to the old city gate and had a little bit of time to sketch here. Then we went back to the Riyad for a four course Moroccan meal that was so good. For the rest of the day we got to walk around the city and go into a couple of buildings with large courtyard areas such as the schools which are called Madressa’s. In these buildings we had some time to sketch what we are learning about in school such as the difference between sacred and profane. It is interesting here because even in the schools there are sacred spaces for worship. We also, during the day, got to see how different mentalities are in a place like this under not only different lifestyles but also strongly different religious beliefs.
We had to dress covering most of our arms and could not wear anything above our knees and especially not stuff that was very snug fitting. In restaurants that had a lot of locals, there was pretty much no women, and many women had head scarf’s and wore robes called Kaftans. Being a blonde I got a lot of looks and guys trying to grab my attention. And honestly I could just feel and tell that it wasn’t in a good way. It really felt like women were not at the “same level” as men here and it was a really weird feeling to be a woman visiting a place like this. I didn’t feel unsafe at the slightest; you could just see and feel the difference in opinion of status I guess I would say.
The third day we ate breakfast and were picked up again by our tour guide. We started by walking through a different area of the Medina, and went to another Palace that family of the Prime Ministers lived in. It is also where a part of the movie Jewel of the Nile was filmed. We found out this day that our tour guide had also guided Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and a lot of other famous people. In the first place we got to sketch, and my fascination with the patterns and designs took over and I sketched a design on the ceiling (Sketch here). Throughout the day we drove and went to see the view from a fort over the city, and went to a town and saw the potters and the process of making Fez pottery and go to buy some of their work. I bought a Tagine (a baking dish for a typical Moroccan dish) and two plates. I also got hit on and given a name to call to get any help that I need if I wanted to order any more stuff. It became a joke that I made a boyfriend at the pottery place. It was pretty funny. Then we went back to the town and had lunch and then went to see a weaver, where we got to watch them make blankets out of Moroccan silk, cotton and wool. I bought one of their blankets and two scarfs. They are so beautiful and cant wait to put them up at home. Then it off into the city, and into a courtyard/house where we spent some time sketching before we went home. It is so cool each time walking into these courtyard houses and seeing the different type of architecture and the way that they preserve these spaces form the public eye. You have to walk through a series of corridors to even get into the spaces, and I find that to be really cool because they preserve their personal space. Then it was an early night, and we got to finish up our sketches and get a good nights sleep.
Day three started again with breakfast, but then consisted of no sketching throughout the entire day. We got picked up by a different tour guide and were taken out into the towns about an hour away in and around the Atlas Mountains. We got to see the way they lived in the country side and in the smaller towns, and it was even more obvious that we were in a third world country. In the first town we went to there were cave dwellers. They dug into the rock and lived down in caves. More recently they have built above the caves, to the caves are summer dwelling and winter dwelling is in the above houses. Our tour guide took us down into a cave below a house and drank some green tea with mint and he told us that in the winter the caves stay around 17 degrees Celsius and in the summer around 20 degrees Celsius so it was natural cooling and heating. Then we went through a couple other towns and then into the wooded area and got to feed monkeys! Well they called them Bourbor apes, because we were in the bourbor area, and they were some pretty big monkeys and we got to feed them bananas and oranges. It was pretty cool, something I have never done before. Then we drove back to Fez and some of us did a local Turkish bath. Let’s just say that was really interesting, and anyone who wants to know the details can just ask me and I can explain.
The last day we spent a lot of time sketching the architecture and really observing the places that we had been. We went into a couple of places that used to be inns for people traveling, and got to sketch one that was restored and now turned into a wooden goods museum. Our tour guide knew a lot of people, so he also got us into a Medressa (school) that was not open to public yet because he knew the guard. We got to walk around and look at all of the rooms and classrooms in it and what not. Then he took us to a house of a friend of his that was a carpet salesman and we got to eat lunch here and see some of the local carpets. We also got to go up onto the rooftop and see another wonderful view of the city. We also got to go to a tanner and watch how they prepare the leather. The place smelled awful because of the materials they use to clean and dye the skins, but it was really cool to see and we again got to buy stuff directly from where it is prepared and made and what not. I made my biggest purchase of my study abroad time here, but at least it is the last real purchase I am making until after I get home.
I enjoyed this trip more than I ever expected. It was probably one of my favorite places I have ever been and I believe firmly now that you have never really traveled until you have gone somewhere that takes you completely out of your comfort zone and makes you see things that truly open your eyes. Between forcing myself to bargain because it is part of their culture, and really getting down into these places that still use donkeys for transport and the need to be careful of everything you eat, I feel like my eyes have been opened up and I cant wait to go back and go to other places like it. The architecture was so phenomenal, and after learning about it for so long it was really cool to actually get to see it and be put into places to get to observe and sketch it. It is an experience I will definitely recommend to everyone to try at least once.
Every day we got breakfast at the Riyad, so day two started out with our first Moroccan breakfast. It consisted of Marmalade, Strawberry Jam, Honey and lot s of types of bread and ended with green tea with mint ( as we began to find out that every meal ended with green tea with mint). We then met our tour guide, and were off to explore the city. We started by going to an old Palace that is now the Museum Dar Batha. We sketched here for over an hour (SKETCH HERE) and then walked up to the old city gate and had a little bit of time to sketch here. Then we went back to the Riyad for a four course Moroccan meal that was so good. For the rest of the day we got to walk around the city and go into a couple of buildings with large courtyard areas such as the schools which are called Madressa’s. In these buildings we had some time to sketch what we are learning about in school such as the difference between sacred and profane. It is interesting here because even in the schools there are sacred spaces for worship. We also, during the day, got to see how different mentalities are in a place like this under not only different lifestyles but also strongly different religious beliefs.
We had to dress covering most of our arms and could not wear anything above our knees and especially not stuff that was very snug fitting. In restaurants that had a lot of locals, there was pretty much no women, and many women had head scarf’s and wore robes called Kaftans. Being a blonde I got a lot of looks and guys trying to grab my attention. And honestly I could just feel and tell that it wasn’t in a good way. It really felt like women were not at the “same level” as men here and it was a really weird feeling to be a woman visiting a place like this. I didn’t feel unsafe at the slightest; you could just see and feel the difference in opinion of status I guess I would say.
The third day we ate breakfast and were picked up again by our tour guide. We started by walking through a different area of the Medina, and went to another Palace that family of the Prime Ministers lived in. It is also where a part of the movie Jewel of the Nile was filmed. We found out this day that our tour guide had also guided Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and a lot of other famous people. In the first place we got to sketch, and my fascination with the patterns and designs took over and I sketched a design on the ceiling (Sketch here). Throughout the day we drove and went to see the view from a fort over the city, and went to a town and saw the potters and the process of making Fez pottery and go to buy some of their work. I bought a Tagine (a baking dish for a typical Moroccan dish) and two plates. I also got hit on and given a name to call to get any help that I need if I wanted to order any more stuff. It became a joke that I made a boyfriend at the pottery place. It was pretty funny. Then we went back to the town and had lunch and then went to see a weaver, where we got to watch them make blankets out of Moroccan silk, cotton and wool. I bought one of their blankets and two scarfs. They are so beautiful and cant wait to put them up at home. Then it off into the city, and into a courtyard/house where we spent some time sketching before we went home. It is so cool each time walking into these courtyard houses and seeing the different type of architecture and the way that they preserve these spaces form the public eye. You have to walk through a series of corridors to even get into the spaces, and I find that to be really cool because they preserve their personal space. Then it was an early night, and we got to finish up our sketches and get a good nights sleep.
Day three started again with breakfast, but then consisted of no sketching throughout the entire day. We got picked up by a different tour guide and were taken out into the towns about an hour away in and around the Atlas Mountains. We got to see the way they lived in the country side and in the smaller towns, and it was even more obvious that we were in a third world country. In the first town we went to there were cave dwellers. They dug into the rock and lived down in caves. More recently they have built above the caves, to the caves are summer dwelling and winter dwelling is in the above houses. Our tour guide took us down into a cave below a house and drank some green tea with mint and he told us that in the winter the caves stay around 17 degrees Celsius and in the summer around 20 degrees Celsius so it was natural cooling and heating. Then we went through a couple other towns and then into the wooded area and got to feed monkeys! Well they called them Bourbor apes, because we were in the bourbor area, and they were some pretty big monkeys and we got to feed them bananas and oranges. It was pretty cool, something I have never done before. Then we drove back to Fez and some of us did a local Turkish bath. Let’s just say that was really interesting, and anyone who wants to know the details can just ask me and I can explain.
The last day we spent a lot of time sketching the architecture and really observing the places that we had been. We went into a couple of places that used to be inns for people traveling, and got to sketch one that was restored and now turned into a wooden goods museum. Our tour guide knew a lot of people, so he also got us into a Medressa (school) that was not open to public yet because he knew the guard. We got to walk around and look at all of the rooms and classrooms in it and what not. Then he took us to a house of a friend of his that was a carpet salesman and we got to eat lunch here and see some of the local carpets. We also got to go up onto the rooftop and see another wonderful view of the city. We also got to go to a tanner and watch how they prepare the leather. The place smelled awful because of the materials they use to clean and dye the skins, but it was really cool to see and we again got to buy stuff directly from where it is prepared and made and what not. I made my biggest purchase of my study abroad time here, but at least it is the last real purchase I am making until after I get home.
I enjoyed this trip more than I ever expected. It was probably one of my favorite places I have ever been and I believe firmly now that you have never really traveled until you have gone somewhere that takes you completely out of your comfort zone and makes you see things that truly open your eyes. Between forcing myself to bargain because it is part of their culture, and really getting down into these places that still use donkeys for transport and the need to be careful of everything you eat, I feel like my eyes have been opened up and I cant wait to go back and go to other places like it. The architecture was so phenomenal, and after learning about it for so long it was really cool to actually get to see it and be put into places to get to observe and sketch it. It is an experience I will definitely recommend to everyone to try at least once.
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