Morroco: On the Road Again!

Day 3 En Route to Fes

After getting up early, we had breakfast on the rooftop terrace and then took a few minutes to soak up the medina before leaving. The roads were pretty quiet and the vendors hadn't started setting up their shops yet.

After our peaceful stroll, we grabbed our packs and wound our way down the medina and back to our car.

Eddie heading to the car

The night before Eddie made a trip changing discovery - the Morocco app he had downloaded before we left had GPS! This ended up making all of the distance. We were on the road with ease. We stopped for one last look back at Chefchaouen.

The countryside was beautiful. There were lots of olive groves and citrus farms with little roadside stands. We made a stop for some fresh oranges. I made an enormous mess with the juice but our car smelled like yummy oranges for the rest of the trip!

Fresh oranges

Roadside fruit stand

Our first stop was Volubilis, a ruin of an ancient Roman town. This town was founded in the 3rd century BC and remained in use until about the 11th century AD. Following that, the sight has apparently been looted and suffered a major earthquake. However, the architecture is still preserved and it is a UNESCO sight today. There were a few other tourists including local Moroccans. We had an enjoyable and quite visit.

At the last minute, we made a detour to Moulay Idriss for lunch. Like Chefchaouen, this town was once closed to non-Muslims.

Just outside the medina of Moulay Idriss

Cat of Moulay Idriss

The central part of town is the mosque where the town's namesake is buried. Moulay Idriss is the great grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. We took a peek at what we were allowed to see. There is a point where no non-Muslims are allowed to go.

Next up, a local offered to take us the overlook of the town. It was well worth the walk. The view was beautiful.

Route through the medina

Mosque in the medina

View of Moulay Idriss

We didn't negotiate the price beforehand and were lacking change so of course we paid more than was reasonable. It was our fault so it was hard to be to mad. We had a great lunch at the square and were back on the road again to Fes!

We finally arrived in Fes. We found parking without a problem and quickly got directions to our riad, Riad Layalina, which was right outside of the medina. The Riad Layalina was fantastic. The architecture was lovely and the people working there were beyond kind. We immediately were served cookies and tea which was followed by a tanjine of tomato and egg. We were stuffed!

Courtyard

Courtyard

Our welcome meal

We set out to walk off some of dinner in the medina of Fes and get the lay of the land for exploring the next day.

As was typical on our trip, we were off to bed so that we could get an early start the next day.

Morocco: Where The Streets Have No Name

Day 2 Chefchaouen

We arrived in Tangier safe and sound and got our rental car. The only ones available were stick shifts. Luckily, we knew this and Eddie brushed up on his stick shift skills on my car before we left. We were off! Kind of. All of our printed Google maps did little good since the roads were not marked! After getting a bit turned around, we returned to the airport for a fresh start. Still halfway guessing, we finally got to a toll highway. We were going somewhere! It just ends up that that somewhere was not toward Chefchaouen! With the help of some locals, we were soon on our way.

It was smooth sailing...until we actually got to Chefchaouen. We ended up turned around trying to find the correct gate to park at outside of the medina. A medina is the historic section of town that consists of a walled off area of narrow streets. As is common in the medinas, we paid a local to show us where to park and walk us to our guesthouse. Chefchaouen is built on the side of a hill so our hike from the car was excellent cardio especially with our packs. The guesthouse, was extremely odd due to the disorganized owner but it had an amazing rooftop terrace. Completely tolerable for a night!

Rooftop View

Rooftop

View Down Into the Neighborhood

Chefchaouen is an absolutely lovely town that is completely blue washed. Until the 1950s, as a general rule, non-Muslims were not allowed. I read somewhere that of the three non-Muslims that had made it there before the ban ended, one was poisoned. Chefchaouen is now completely open for all tourists. We headed out and walked around in awe of the serene blue beauty.

Chefchaouen street scene

Cats of Chefchaouen

Another beautiful sight

Fountain

So much color!

Dyes

Another narrow blue street

We finally arrived in a main square and settled down at one of the outdoor restaurants overlooking the Kasbah. We ordered a pizza and our first tanjine - lemon chicken. The tanjine dish is named after the pot in which it is cooked. While not our favorite tanjine in Morocco, it was a good start.

Square where we had dinner

Mosque in the square

Kasbah

Typical olive appetizer

We headed back to our guesthouse before dark in anticipation of our early start to Fes the next day!

First Post: Morocco Bound!

I've wanted to write a blog for some time. I quit my job several months ago right before my wedding and so, I really have no excuse not to start now. Eddie and I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Morocco so I'm inspired to start there. I hope to add some blogs on prior trips as well.

DAY 1 - Miami!

We were in a rush to catch our early morning flight but thanks to the small size of the airport and the lack of any lines, we breezed through to our gate and were on our way. Our end destination was Tangier but we were flying via Miami and then Madrid. Our layover in Miami was around eight hours - poor us! We had no choice to but to store some of our carry on luggage and grab a cab to South Beach. Eddie had been through Miami before but had never ventured to South Beach. It was fun playing tour guide and showing him some of the sights. We ate at News Cafe. Somehow, it was my first time there and it was fantastic! How do you make eggs so yummy!?

News Cafe

After our late breakfast we wandered the beach and then over to Lincoln Road and Espanola Way. We ended our little South Beach tour appropriately on the beach. Eddie napped while I waded and frolicked in the gorgeous water. This is my ideal. Calm, warm and clear water.

South Beach!

And then it was back to the airport to catch our flight into Madrid.

Goodbye Miami!

Thankfully, we both slept very well and spent a groggy couple of hours in the Madrid airport the next day before heading to Tangier!! Up next...driving challenges in Morocco and the beautiful town of Chefchaouen.