The trip to Morocco was our first family trip overseas albeit without Alethea. I had not traveled overseas since '86. Karen and Matt had never been anywhere outside the US but the Caribbean (basically a US beachfront) and Mexico or Canada.

For me it was a big challenge in being a non-Euro-centered country. Although there is a lot of influence from Europe there it also has a huge Arab/Muslim influence. French is the lingua franca. English comes in 5th or 6th.

I had attempted to prepare myself for all the challenges we would encounter upon arrival in Africa culturally, communications-wise, etc. I was not able to really relax until about a week into our two week stay.

You can get lost really quickly in the medina (or Arab quarter). I walked for five minutes taking pictures at every intersection and decided if I went any further I'd get lost. Even with the pictures it was a challenge to get back. If the owners of our riad had died we would have struggled for years to find our way out. The alleys that make up the map of the medina vary in width. Some are covered. Some go under buildings. There are courtyards. It makes me think of the meandering trails and paths of a shepherd memorialized for centuries bounded by buildings and walls. I found it fascinating. In fact, as I think back on the experience in the medina, it was quite claustrophobic. Most of the alleys which make up the travel areas through the medina were like a single lane road. There were always people with tables outside of stores selling goods. Then on the main alleys, there was a lot of foot traffic plus the occasional motorbike, donkey or camel. It was hard to know if you were at a deadend or just a busy area. These alleys didn't have markings about the shoulder or dividers showing lanes.

There are several main entrances to the medina in Fes. Each has its' own color gate as you see in the photo below. I'm guessing the walls were designed for protection. All the residents were close together in this small area to be protected from the wandering bandits from the desert. There is so much history in the medina. It looks just like a biblical scene as you walk along. There are lots of food markets, restaurants, mosques, lodges, furniture makers, etc along the alleyways and outside the medina gates.