Amsterdam

 So, it was time to leave Morocco and after all the drama on the tour with the people on it, I was actually really happy to go. My flight to Amsterdam went well and I had a planned overnight in Amsterdam and was excited for a room to myself and to visit a city I have been to before. When we landed I immediately took myself to the train station and into the city. I didn't do anything special, just walked around and enjoyed the city and the Christmas lights. I then had a wonderful chicken burger, fries and beer before heading to the hotel for a relaxing night of BBC TV and a very comfortable bed.

I had expected to fly home on a direct flight. So, to the airport I went and waited at the gate only for it to be cancelled. Then 4 plus hours waiting to figure out how to get home and then get vouchers for a night's stay. It was a really depressing day and I just wanted to go home. I did take myself into the city though for a visit to MOCO the modern art museum and although it isn't usually my thing it really did cheer me up. The colors the style was all so interesting.

After some drama about which gate, the flight really did take off and I finally got to go home to the dogs.  After this rough trip I am not sure when I will travel internationally again.

Marakech - Mostly just a train ride.

 The main thing from this day was an over 7 hour training ride through Morocco in the hotest train car I have ever been in. It said there was air conditioning but I didn't feel any at all. It was a miserable way to spend the day. 

By the time we got to the city there wasn't time to do anything on our own other then just join the walking tour through the medina. The guide was wonderful but the day had been so rough I didn't feel really into walking and not getting to see anything on our own. 

Ended the tour with dinner together paid for by Intrepid because people had complained about the tour experience. The food was good but it felt really like forced togetherness.

Fes

 Fes was all about the old medina and shopping. This felt like the most tourist heavy stop. We practically ran through the medina then stopped to shop and repeat. The best part of the day was having dinner with friends at a pizza place and going out to the bar. Not sure that I need to visit Fes again.

Volubilis and Meknes

 The next morning we headed to the Volubilis Roman ruins which were close to Moulay Idrisis which is why we stayed there. It felt like all the other roman ruins I have visit around the world so there was something peaceful about it. This didn't feel like culture shock it just felt like stepping back in time. What this one had that the others I have visited didn't is a triumphant arch which showed how respected of a place it was in the Roman empire. Oh and lost of mosaics.

After the ruins we visited Meknes, once again on a walking tour. The part that was most interesting here was all the mosaics where Moulay Idris and his family were buried. Would have loved a little more time here to explore but it is what it is.

Moulay Idriss

A totally different vibe in this city. Smaller, older and of a different size. The B and B we stayed in was also rather unique but the food they cooked was amazing.

Chefchaouen

I truly loved the blue city I can see why do many visit. The dogs are nice the city is painted in shared of blue to help so algea growth and learning about how the community supports each other was amazing.

Tangier

We did a tour in a van spotting for groceries for a picnic in a park. Visiting where the Mediterranean sea and Atlantic ocean meet and a couple of other historic buildings. In our free time Candy and I made our way to Cafe Hafa. It was way farther then we should have gone but it was beautiful and the mint tea was amazing. Sweet and very hot. I could have day there for hours. Instead we got lost in the medina and were late to our van.