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Recently, Thomas and I spent a week in Morocco – just enough time to give us a feel for it.  Even as soon as I boarded our flight, I knew that it was going to feel different than Belgium.  Unlike the very private, quiet feel you get from Belgians, there were people chatting loudly and wandering the plane aisles throughout the flight.

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We started our Morocco trip in Fez, the religious center of the country and home to the largest and oldest medina (walled city).  We had only one day to explore before our tour of the South started, so we spent it at the medina, exploring the bazaars, workshops, and fruit and spice stalls.

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The medina was great – new sights, new sounds, new smells.  The streets are a narrow maze crowded with people and donkeys.  French and Arabic are the official languages, but many shop owners also spoke English, hoping to lure us to a tannery tour or haggle the prices of carpets.  We also heard the distant call to prayer throughout the day, a calm break from the hustle and bustle surrounding us.

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I’ll admit that I felt a little nervous planning this trip.  I heard all kinds of stories from friends and online – from you’ll be harassed non-stop in the markets, to people will purposely get you lost so you have to pay them to get back to your hotel.  Other than in our final city, Marrakesh, we didn’t find this to be the case on our trip.  Fez was a wonderful city where we felt comfortable wandering by ourselves – a great intro to the beautiful country we were about to explore.

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Next stop..Middle Atlas Mountains and then the desert!

If you’d like to see more of our photos from Fez, I’ve posted them on Flickr:

P.S .  Yes, the Fez hats did originate here, but they were popularized by the Ottoman Empire military.

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