Journeys with Johnny

After a big breakfast at our Riad, Mohamed and Hakim, who Pete nicknamed “The Rock”, met us at our hotel. We then spent all morning walking and exploring the Medina of Fes, winding our way in and out of a variety of souks – from vegetable markets through the street of butchers, alleys of Harira soup cafes, weavers, carpenters and so much more. We also passed many bread ovens that continue to be so much a part of daily medina life. We also visited two Universities, one of which started in the 9th century, which, according to Mohamed, is the oldest in the world. One University, the Medersa Bou Inania,…

When I awoke in this beautiful city of Chefchaouen on Day 6, I went for a run/walk up to the Mosque on the top of the hill overlooking the city. At that hour I only saw two old men walking and some stray dogs. When I got to the topI realized that this spot had the best views of Chefchaouen below. After breakfast, we left this magical blue city nestled in the Rif Mountains and took a 45 minute shuttle into a beautiful valley for some hiking. On the way to our car, we saw some Muslim women selling some mint and other fragrant plants outside of the cemetery. On…

A post from Day 5 of my 2022 Trip to Morocco

On Day 4 I had written a great post during my 7-hour car ride from The Atlas Mountains to Meknes. It covered how the palaces and museums I saw related to French colonialism in Northern Africa, and how Yves-Saint Laurent, as a French citizen, got drafted into the Algerian War for Independence, and how that almost destroyed his brilliant career. But how persevered and founded arguably the most successful design label during the 60s, 70s and 80s. I discussed how African nations have a distrust of the West, and deservedly so using Morocco and Algeria as examples. This is part of the reason that half of African Nations, including Morocco,…