Fez To Fez

FACING FEZ

Fez from the rooftop of our riad, Dar Seffarine 

Our “six hour” drive from Merzouga to Fez ended up taking ten hours.  Long spells spent behind slow moving overloaded trucks, and military vehicles, and extended periods meandering on twisting roads slowed us down; given that we made a late start to our day, our desire to not have to drive in Morocco in the dark was quickly becoming compromised. We drove with our Swiss friend Marcel and were particularly amused by a fifty kilometer stretch where dogs laid by the side of the road watching the traffic. It seemed that they were positioned at regular 100 meter intervals like road mileage markers. We found out later that drivers sometimes throw these dogs some bread at late afternoon and the dogs gather in hopes of a leavened treat.

It had indeed become dark by the time we arrived at the outskirts of Fez. We were uncertain about directions and were following our noses a bit when a motorcycle pulled up next to us and inquired where we were headed. Hassan then led us through some treacherous urban traffic to our designated parking spot. We were uncertain about the legitimacy of our guide and even our location. Nevertheless we were assisted with parking our car then a cart was loaded with our gear and we were led through a maze of dark sinister streets with shadowy men warning us “Be careful Ali Baba.”  At a dead end of a series of unlit alleyways we were left at a black studded door, which somehow was our correct destination - the Dar Seffarine riad. Inside we were warmly greeted, reassured, and served mint tea inside the courtyard of a palatial haven of rest. I slept well.

The courtyard at Dar Seffarine