Last Things

A couple with a donkey walks down the central street of a town.

This is a place we were to visit one morning, to see the priceless antiquities within. But they hadn't caught all the dogs yet, so we couldn't enter. Caught all the dogs? Yeah. This place is patrolled inside at night by perhaps a dozen of these rather virulent dogs. Note the robust appearance of physical strength. Note also the muscular jaws. I suspect that nighttime trespassing is simply not a problem here. Even if it happens, the same trespasser will not do it twice. This man was taking his dog home that morning.

This is what's left of the Roman city of Volubilis. This place was near the western margin of the Roman Empire. The Romans grew crops around here and shipped the harvest off to Rome.

A Street in Fes

This is the northern side of the street below.

A major street in Fes was very near our hotel. It is a divided street with grass and growing things (including palm trees). Fes was clearly the most beautiful city we visited.

We enjoyed a layover day in Fes, with meals on our own. For lunch, I walked a little south of our hotel (which was two or three blocks south of this photo) and found a pizza place. Different, but excellent! I have now eaten pizza in Fes, in Ha Noi, and of course in the US. All three are different from each other, and good.

Ifrane in the Mountains and Northward Toward Fes

A wall of stones, a fence, and flowers

Leader Rick and tripmember Karen talk. Note Rick's Bike Friday.

On down we rode, past green spots like this one.

In the same town as below

There was a town along the way, probably halfway between Ifrane and Fes. These young men were not models of industriousness but the town looked pleasant.

Kilometer stones in Morocco are very similar to the stones along the highway in Vietnam. Both countries have had heavy French influence.

High country not far out of Ifrane on the way north toward Fes.

My roommate Ernie walks into our hotel in Ifrane. High in the Atlas Mountains, this ski resort town is definitely off the Sahara.

Limited Agriculture in a Dry Land

Both these photos show a small agricultural area on the dry side of the Atlas Mountains.

Lower and lower down the mountain we go. Above, the road is visible at middle-right. Below, a village. This is a snowy place in winter.

Over the Top

From a little farther down the eastern side, looking back toward the
pass which isn't quite visible here.

Looking back at the top of the pass, from the Sahara Desert (eastern) side.

The High Atlas Mountains

The High Atlas Mountains, as seen from the road that will go to Taddart and then cross the pass to Ouarzazate.

Marrakech Streets and Souq

Atop the souq and everywhere else, there are hundreds of storks nesting and multiplying.

Do you know what these things are? I don't know either. They're in the Marrakech souq, which is the very concentrated part of the marketplace with narrow, semi-covered passageways. A large number of small shops are here, and I had the impression that many of the proprietors actually live here. I don't know whether that's correct.

One of several hundred, if not thousands, of shops in or near the souq, Marrakech, Morocco.

Another street in Marrakech, this one a little wider than the one below and lined with shops.

Walking down one of the narrow passageways in the old city of Marrakech. Some of these places date from the 14th Century.