Meknes and Fez, 6th December 2023

Breakfast in the hotel (not quite as large breakfast as the previous hotel, but absolutely okay) then off to meet my driver Mounis for the drive to Fez via Meknes. The landscape was a lot more interesting on this leg - mountains, fields of olive trees and even a break in the clouds later on.
Meknes was a nice break on the journey. Clearly it was an interesting place architecturally in years gone by. Sadly, the mosaic-covered gates and impressive square that they're so proud of were closed-off for renovations.
After a bite of lunch in a not-very-salubrious fast food emporium, it was on to Fez. The city's a lot more hilly, butting up against what seem to be the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.
The hotel is again a 'riad' (a family-run home turned hotel), snuck away down alleyways between shored-up walls and renovations to larger buildings. The riad manager is a bit officious but the place inside is again a gem.
I spent the afternoon doing more wandering down alleys in the (very old) walled city. Mounis the driver tells me it's the oldest city in the world where motorised traffic is forbidden. Horses, donkeys and carts seem to be the thing they opt for to get things about. The opportunities for photos are plentiful but the people are reluctant subjects.
(Fortunately?) I get persuaded to sit down at a grubby restaurant and plied with bean soup, bread and mint tea (the only thing on the menu). It's not exactly delicious, but it fills a spot - and it's what my 2 ladies dinner companions are having, and they look okay on it. To be truthful, this evening is feeling a lot more like 'travelling' than mere tourism, which suits me pretty well.
On the way back to the riad I spot a cafe with some footie on the telly. It's the Spain v Morocco World Cup qualifying match, so I stop for a coffee and a watch. The standard of play is poor - a nil-nil draw with Morocco eventually winning on penalties. On this evidence, England have a fairly good chance of making progress when it comes to penalties ;(Read more