The first day of the trip we landed in Fez. Entering the country took longer than we planned with multiple lines, many passport checks, and an extended process for picking up rental cars. The weather was also much colder than we planned and we were chilled and impatient by the time we hit the road. Then, the drive through the mountains brought us an unexpected surprise - snow! True winter driving conditions with drifts and limited visibility. But despite it all we saw some stunning landscape and monkeys!
Day two of the drive took us over more mountains and out into the Sahara desert.A quick reduction in baggage (down to just our back packs) saw us leaving the cars behind in favour of dromedaries. The ride through the dunes and into the sunset later we were at out camp. With the sun gone the temperatures dropped and we bundled up. There were many warm blankets but restless kids meant multiple times we awoke to replace blankets and warm chilled kids. The first night, the tents dropped to 3 degrees! But all that was worth it with unbelievable stars, incredible sunrises and long days playing on the dunes,
After two nights in the desert we drove back to Fez to explore the old medina. Maze-like alleys and limited landmarks made a guide essential. Fez is a crafts city with more than 75% of its inhabitants making artisan goods. The tour took us to the tannery, the weavers, the embroiderers, the potters...and more. There was more shopping than planned but it was all fun.
Overall, our expectations of sun and warmth were replaced with cool temperatures and life designed to hide from the heat of the summer sun, but the richness of the experience can not be understated.
