Meg and Dean in France

​Fri-Sat, January 30-31, 2026 — Marrakech, Morocco to Nice, France We were up early yesterday and snagged a taxi as soon as we left our small alleyway. I’m not sure why the taxi was even in the Medina or if the driver had intended to pick someone else up. He spoke little English or French but seemed in a very good mood. The ride to the airport was 100 dirham so he seemed particularly pleased when I handed him an extra 100. Next stop, France! The plane ride, tram, and train to get into downtown Nice were no problem. It was a beautiful day, and I had completely forgotten what a cool city Nice is. It’s in the tradition of a lot of European cities: stone-lined walking streets, ornate four and five story buildings, red tiled roofs. View outside the train station One of the main thoroughfares  During our ride through Europe in 2016 (with Dex and Kylie) we spent the night here before continuing in to Italy the next day.  Meg and I scouted out the hotel as it was only a few blocks fro...

Wed-Thu, January 28-29, 2026 — Agadir to Marrakech Meg and I, with Margaret and Marcus On Wednesday, our last full day in Agadir, we signed up for a “safari” into the nearby Souss-Massa National Park.  Actually, we had been there the day before because our “buggy” excursion was actually just inside the park! We did get some wildlife shots, but the highlight was our chance meeting of Margaret and Marcus from Brighton, on a similar tour with a different guide. Our guide Our Mitsubishi SUV was full with six guests and our guide/driver. Maiya and Martin from Poland, and Skye and Christian from Manchester, England. Fresh-faced all, they could have easily been our kids, and, like everyone else it seemed, they were there in Agadir escaping the winter cold. Traditional tea at lunch Looking for wildlife Although it had rained earlier in the day and was overcast, we did see dozens of ostriches, lots of small gazelles, and a few larger white addax. Male Ostrich Female Ostrich  Addax in t...

Mon-Tue, January 26-27, 2026 -- Agadir, Morocco We didn't finally arrive in Agadir until 3AM on Monday morning.  We had booked a direct seven-hour van ride the night before in Fez, but it was never confirmed.  So, in the end, we took a train back to Marrakech and then a bus to Agadir. Miles of beach One of the unavoidable hazards of traveling as an obvious tourist here, is that you are a bit of a target and people are not always honest.  As a result, you learn to be a little cautious and suspicious.  However, that too can be a problem. If you get too cynical, you end up not trusting anyone, even when should and need to to get what you want.  Trying to get a bus ticket in Marrakech at 9:30 at night was a bit stressful simply because we didn't really know how the process should work (the normal ticket windows were closed). There were just a bunch of men walking up to us, asking us where we were going, scribbling on a paper ticket pads, and asking for money. Not ve...