We've Landed in Fes

Yesterday, we arrived in the ancient city of Fes, Morocco. Toto - we are not in Kansas (or California) anymore. This is definitely a Muslim country and definitely in North Africa.

The Air France flight to Paris was actually very good. However, Charles de Gaulle Airport must be the worst designed airport on the planet. To get between terminals takes an eternity. I always thought London Heathrow was bad, but CDG is ten times worse. We were amazed that our luggage actually showed up in Fes.


















We are staying at Dar Seffarine - a gorgeous riad (i.e. guesthouse) inside the medina of Fes. 350,000 of the 1.5M inhabitants of Fes live in the medina. It is the largest in North Africa.

Dar Seffarine was an old building that has been magnificently restored by Alaa, an architect originally from Iraq, and his wife Kate (from Norway). It took 2 years for the reconstruction. They have been open for business since July 2006. I had to make our booking back in November. All six rooms are fully booked as a result of its growing reputation from travellers to Fes.

We were picked up at the airport by Mohammed (everyone seems to be named Mohammed) and driven to the Bab Rcif Gate to the medina. From there, a porter took our luggage in a cart and we weaved thru the narrow streets to our riad (no cars, only donkeys and foot traffic). It will be a miracle if we can ever find our way around the maze of pathways in the medina.

We'll try to post some more pictures in the next few days.