Fez, Morocco and Homeward Bound

Our last stop on this fantastic journey was Fez, Morocco. We arrived late in the day after a long flight, but were able to enjoy the sights of the city as we drove to our lovely hotel on the edge of the Medina, the old city. We were looking forward to a light sightseeing day before heading home, so settled in for a good sleep before our last day. Fez is a city of old and new areas and we spent the morning wandering the narrow streets of the Medina and viewing some sights with spectacular architecture and mosaics. We loved seeing the markets with small open shops selling olives, fruits and vegetables, grains, spices, meat and fish. Our morning ended with a visit to a pottery factory where we watched artisans create large mosaics for tables and outdoor fountains. Some of the men sat all day cutting tiny pieces of tile for these mosaics while other young artisans painted pottery for sale in shops all around the city.


In the afternoon, after a lovely Moroccan lunch, we visited a tannery. We had seen donkeys on the road carrying large loads of hides on their way to the tannery, and now were able to see the huge vats of dye where the hides were colored before being made into soft leather goods. Next we visited a weaving shop where several men sat at large looms and produced beautiful silk bedspreads, tablecloths and scarves. Our small group wanted to visit some shops, so we wound our way through the small streets and alleys of the Medina stopping at tiny little shops selling jewelry, antiques, rugs and leather goods. It was fascinating seeing the difference between life in the Medina and life in the modern city.

We returned to our hotel to relax and enjoy the beautiful gardens before we ended our expedition with a farewell cocktail party and dinner. We’ve made some wonderful friends and will be sad to see them return to their homes all over the country.

This has indeed been a once in a lifetime experience. We were on the go for three weeks, sometimes starting as early as 5:30 and often crossing time zones so we ended our days with well over 24 hours. Our traveling group has been marvelous – all on time, upbeat and eager for the next stop. Our itinerary brought us wonder after wonder – each stop being a surprise and a treat. We’ve been asked which country we liked best, and that’s a hard one to answer. There are parts of each country that were very special and some of the people we met so endeared us to their homelands that we didn’t want to leave them. We’ve been well protected wherever we traveled, with local guards riding our buses and following along on our walking tours.

We’ve been pampered and cosseted by our wonderful expedition staff, and the ease with which we entered and exited each country put the commercial airline system to shame. Our plane was extremely comfortable and we had the best crew we could ask for. It was always a pleasure to board for our next journey and have a few hours to recharge our batteries. The on board lectures always prepared us for the next part of the trip and were given by one of the five lecturers who traveled with us.

Tonight we overnight in Ft Lauderdale and tomorrow will make our last flight back home. Thanks to all our friends and family who traveled with us via our blog. It has been fun for us and, we hope it was for you too.