The Thrill of the Chase

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While Logan was heading to the airport to start the next phase of his life, Rory and Robert were heading there to begin their summer vacation before Rory started her summer internship, and Robert started his career. They managed to get a flight that flew directly from JFK to Casablanca. As the flight landed in the early evening the couple went straight to their hotel to check in, then because they were still on US time, they were wide awake. Thankfully the hotel concierge was able to direct them to a local rooftop bar, it gave them an awesome panoramic view of the city.

The first morning that they woke up, they decided to go on a tour having heard it is one of the best and safest ways to get to know the iconic Casablanca. During the tour they marveled at the Art Deco buildings and the Dar El Baida White House before visiting the Mohammed V Square and the upmarket Anfa district. The tour guide did take them to a souk but they had heard that you get worse deals when with a guide, so while they saw multiple exciting things, they decided not to purchase anything until they visited another later in the trip.

From Casablanca, they headed in the direction of Rabat to visit the Kasbah of the Oudayas, a citadel that is located to the north of the city. It was full of Arab character, narrow alleys with white and blue façades that led to incredible views of the Atlantic coast. They visited the astounding Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. The day seemed to fly by with them eventually arriving in the bustling port-city of Tangier by bedtime. They checked into their hotel for an overnight stay in Tangier.

They started the next day with a panoramic tour of the city, before heading to the Rif Mountains and to the blue city of Chefchaouen, one of Morocco's most photographed cities. Chefchaouen reminded Rory a lot of Greece, except little blue houses instead of white. Afterwards they continued to Fez to check-in to their hotel in time for dinner. That night they decided to just eat in their hotel. They were tired after all their traveling and they wanted to have energy for the next day. They had booked a luxury Riad located in the ancient Medina of Fez, an emblematic 19th-century building, in the Arabic-Andalusian style.

"This room is amazing," Rory said as she spun around the room trying to take in all the details. It was a vast suite with a living room, and a king size four poster bed. The walls were covered in intricate tile patterns. They were overlooking the courtyard and the pool of the Riad.

"It's pretty awesome, good choice babe," Robert said, placing their suitcases down. They had more luggage than normal as Rory had to cover up a lot more so as not to cause offense, but due to the heat it was easier to layer.

"I'm so excited to tour the city tomorrow!" Rory said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"I'm excited that you are excited, but I am more excited for our camping trip."

"I want to camp but the idea of no air conditioning in the middle of the Sahara scares me a little, I'm not afraid to admit."

"So we better appreciate the A/C while we have it here then."

The next day they went on a guided tour of Fes. The guide started by taking them to one of the hills surrounding the city so that they could get a panoramic view. Then they visited the bronze doors of the Royal Palace and walked into the medina to visit Medersas, the center of Koranic studies. They wandered through the artisan neighborhoods watching some of the workshops. They walked along the broad Boulevard of Mohamed V and strolled through the endless streets of the world's largest medina. Rory was enjoying immersing herself in the culture, and made sure to get her Grandpa and her Mom both a distinctive red Fez hat.

The following day the young couple left Fes, road tripping through the Middle Atlas mountains until they reached their campground in the Sahara. It was already late by the time they arrived so they were shown straight to their tent. Robert had been in charge of this part of the trip and Rory was happily surprised by the luxury of their tent. It was a dome, with a clear wall on one side which was where the bed faced, each dome also had its own bathroom, and a portable A/C.