Our first impression of Fes was that it was a more laid-back city than Marrakech. The narrow streets were less congested, and the hawkers less aggressive, while our riad appeared to be run by young, hip college kids. After a good night’s rest, we spent our first day navigating sites along the major thoroughfare, including the Medersa Bou Inania, Nejjarine Museum, Medersa el-Attarine, and Karaouine University. The mosques were closed to non-Muslims, so we were only able to sneak peeks from outside the doors. We completed our city tour at the Chouwara Tanneries, where we were led through the heavy stench of processed cowhides to one of the shop’s rooftops for a view of the dyeing process. After spending much of the afternoon web-surfing back at the riad, we dined at Cafe Clock’s rooftop terrace on couscous and a camel burger, rinsed down with delicious warm almond milk. The next day, we awoke early to catch a train to the ancient capital of Meknes, where we hired a cab for a half-day tour of Volubilis and Moulay Idriss. While our early arrival allowed us to enjoy the intricate mosaics at Volubilis ahead of the tourist crowds, we got distracted by shady street kids at Moulay Idriss and lost our way to the panoramic viewing sites. After lunch at a sandwich shop, we watched a stray cat make its home at the Dar Jamai Museum, then shopped for sunglasses near El Hedim Square before returning to Fes. Tired of all the tagines, we followed signs to a Thai restaurant for dinner, where the owner/chef explained that he had opened the restaurant for the same reason. A 4-hour train took us to Casablanca the next day, where we snacked on fried seafood by the sea before the last guided tour of the Hassan II Mosque, the third largest in the world. Despite the cliche, we dined at Rick’s Cafe with a pianist playing As Time Goes By for our last meal in Morocco. We returned to Sacramento exhausted and jet-lagged, but felt it was well-worth our one last adventure before the baby arrives.