Fes - a city with a special flair

08.03.23 Azrou - Fes Last night Ralph found an interesting news article on the internet: The campsite we planned to visit in Fes today, for which Ricci had provided the coordinates, no longer exists. So we had to make a last-minute change before leaving this morning because there was also no confirmed information about the intended parking lot in the royal city. We are in Morocco, in Africa.

The almost 80 kilometers to the million metropolis went smoothly. The landscape changed almost every minute. More grass, more bushes, more trees - at times it looked like the Bavarian Forest near my old hometown of Straubing. We even passed through a place where winter sports are offered, including alpine skiing. The slopes were off our route, but the city with its luxurious houses and parks would have done Switzerland proud.

The closer we got to Fes, the more it became clear that we were on our way to a metropolis. The road became wider, sometimes even two lanes. At the same time, traffic increased. We were already in the urban area when a scooter rider contacted Ricci and offered to lead us to a parking lot managed by his brother. That was a stroke of luck, because there aren't many options here to park ten motorhomes. We found a space for the equivalent of two euros per vehicle. As soon as we parked, two men approached us, wanting to show us their city.

But we had another problem: Angelika and Martin had taken the wrong exit in a roundabout and disappeared. What to do? After several attempts, we reached them on the phone. The two of them were on their way to the new campsite and wanted to wait for us there. However, finding it was not easy either. On the way, they encountered two policemen on motorcycles who asked for their help. "The two men were really nice," Martin says, "they took us all the way to the reception of the campsite and were really happy afterwards that they could help us."

That was not the last proof of Moroccan helpfulness that day. When Angelika wanted to reserve space for ten motorhomes at the reception, she was told that there was not enough space available. But after a short discussion, two or three workers were ordered to lay power connections for ten motorhomes on an adjacent meadow with palm trees. This kind of service would definitely be in vain on a European campsite.

Back to the city center: We let ourselves be convinced to take a city tour for two hours on the parking lot. Cost: 100 dirhams, equivalent to ten euros. But we hadn't even left the parking lot when another man stood in front of us, identified himself as an official tour guide, and persuaded our tour guide to leave with a few clear words. The new price: 300 dirhams. 30 euros. If necessary...

The tour was worth it. We walked through the Medina of Fes. We have already seen several medinas and souks here in Morocco, but this was the most impressive for me. Narrow alleyways, often only three or four meters wide, through which crowds of people pushed and goods carriers fought their way. Stands, shops with all imaginable delicacies and treasures - it was a feast for the senses.

However, it was an expensive experience for Maria. She wasn't paying attention for a moment, and a pickpocket took advantage of that and stole her wallet with 600 dirhams, 60 euros, from a leather bag she wore around her waist. Just before Maria noticed the theft, Hanne noticed a corpulent man who was in a big hurry to get away from our group. Was he the thief? We'll never know.

Tomorrow, we will go back into the bustling city center of Fes. Today's incident will be a lesson for us. We need to be more careful.