It was pouring rain as the train arrived in Fes. We knew it would be a challenge to find our Riad, but we didn’t count on a taxi driver who unscrupulously dropped us on the wrong side of the Medina!

Our second ride thankfully took us close to the gate we had seen on the map and so it was only a matter of time before we found our Riad. Another delight! Riad Scalia is on the edge of the old town and from the rooftop you look across at rolling green hills (and a very nice cemetery!) So it has the best of both worlds, close to the heart of things, but also a peaceful escape.

Last night we headed down the alleys and accidentally found a cafe mentioned in Lonely Planet. I was invited into the kitchen to taste the meat, before choosing what we wanted…there was no menu! The lamb was delicious. It melted in our mouths!

You expect to get lost in this Medina, it is huge. The owner of the Riad showed us a map, and just suggested you keep walking downwards! Which worked fine for a while today…coming back we took a couple of wrong turns and ended up a long way from home.

Luckily google maps has the trusty blue dot to follow, after an hour or so, I saw our Riad in the distance and knew we were on the right road!

Every turn has something interesting, there are donkeys and horses patiently carting goods as they have done for centuries. There are craftsmen weaving, wood turning and carving in hundreds of small workshops along the alleys. The volume of shops selling all manner of goods, especially leather and carpets, ceramics, jewels and nik naks is astounding. So many items produced and waiting to be sold!