We left our desert oasis behind us and headed out along the Ziz Valley and again through the Atlas Mountain chain. There are several cities of significance we encountered. The first was Rossani, known for its spice market. Carrie and I loaded up on 100 gram packages of fresh ground cinnamon, turmeric, argon and other delicacies, along with a blend of 35 spices perfect for just about any tajine recipe. We can’t wait to get home to try them out!
Another stop we made was in Kalaat M’gouna, famous for distilling oil from roses, products that both smell pleasing and are beneficial to the skin. We also passed through the mountaintop city of Ifrane, which at 5600 ft. could pass for a Swiss village complete with Alpine architecture. When we arrived it was a brisk 36 degrees! We weren’t ready for that, as we had packed for a desert road trip.
Berber Entertainers 
Rossani Spice Market 
Dades Gorge 
“Monkey Fingers” 
Atlas Film Studio 
Kafta 
Bakery
The Unesco city of Ait Ben Haddou sits on a rocky crag across a mostly dry riverbed from our riad just north of Oaurzazate. The old mud built homes and shops are mostly deserted from full time inhabitants, but vendors are plentiful, giving the village a life of its own. This city was a major stop for caravans moving goods north and south and its mountainous location alone made it a formidable fortress.
We drove across the serpentine roads of the High Atlas Mountains to get to our next destination, Marrakech. Our riad is located just inside the medina walls and is the nicest and most charming of all that we’ve stayed at. We rented through Airbnb, and were a little concerned because while the riad looked beautiful in the photos, there were no customer ratings to help us. However, the friendly owners met us when we arrived, helped us relax with cups of mint tea and gave us a tour of their beautifully restored riad, which took one and a half years to complete. The reason for no reviews so far? We are only the second guests to stay here! We will help them along with a good review on Airbnb.
Digital Postcards 