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It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t fe It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t feel like it in Miami, it really never does but that just gives us a reason to explore other states. West Virginia is one of them, fun fact I actually lived here between undergrad and grad school! Here are Things to do in West Virginia (SAVE + SHARE): 

1. Enjoy New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, or visit any of the states 35 state parks as West Virginia has 1.5 million acres of parks and public land. We personally walked the Shavers Lake Trail and canoed on the lake. 

2. Enjoy some serious adventures! We’re always trying something new and West Virginia offers a lot of options from whitewater rafting, to 1,000+ miles of off-road ATV trails, to rock climbing, caving and mountain biking . 

3. Take a train ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad which stops at the Whittaker Camp where those who worked in the lumber and coal industry lived during the work season. 

4. Explore Cranberry Glades Botanical Area where you might just get to see some black bears! 

5. Walk the Falls of Hills Creak trail to get up close to some gorgeous waterfalls! 

This week I’ll be sharing various cities and states you can experience a beautiful Fall getaway. What are some of your favorite places to enjoy autumn?

Tap the link in my bio for my West Virginia blog post and a blog post of the best places to experience Fall in the US!
Still not over our day exploring the waters of For Still not over our day exploring the waters of Fort Pierce. We danced, snorkeled, fished and went tubing. Definitely want more days like this and still pinch myself that this is what a day of work looks like for me sometimes. Thank you @seadoo for the opportunity.
If you know my husband you know water activities a If you know my husband you know water activities are his favorite! Fishing, jet skiing, just being on a boat on the ocean relaxing, name it, he’s there. So we couldn’t be more excited than to not only get the chance to test out the new @seadoo Switch but be the stars of a whole commercial for it. We had entirely too much fun filming this. Of course now he wants to buy one!

Do you like getting out on the water? Favorite activity?
Our 3 Day London Itinerary (SAVE + SHARE): 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 1: Walked across the Tower Bridge (you can take a tour of London of Tower as well), walked along the River Thames and took a make a fascination hat class with @create_your_own_hat! 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 2: Harry Potter walking tour, checked out Borough Market and went on a night ghost bus tour. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 3: Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen, Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guards, and explore Westminster for the infamous red telephone booths, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

If you have more time on previous visits to London we have taken a day trip to check out Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle, rode the London Eye, took a ferry ride down the Thames River, checked out Warner Brother Studios, and did a graffiti/street art tour.

Is London on your list? If you’ve been what did you do that you think is a must for visitors?

Things to do in London, London with kids, family travel
Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are no Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are not babies anymore. Where has the time gone? Excuse me while I go cry in the corner 😭😭😭😭. 

Too in my feelings to provide an informational post, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? List Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? Listen replace husband with whoever you need to but why these ppl keep acting like we can take our money when we’re gone?!? Y’all feel me or nah? 😅😬😩
Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is us Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is usually on everyone’s things to do in London list but since the girls and I don’t eat beef or pork the menus for most places didn’t make sense for us as they are filled with ham sandwiches and other things we don’t eat. I ended up finding Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen instead which offers a tea menu with breakfast items, while not traditional it worked best for us! It cost £35 pp.

For a traditional Afternoon or High Tea Try:

🫖Palm Court at The Ritz
🫖The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
🫖Theatre Royal Drury Lane
🫖The Grill Room Hotel Cafe Royal (has vegetarian an vegan options)
🫖Coronation Afternoon Tea at Cellarium, Westminster Abbey
🫖The Rosebery Coronation Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
🫖The Goring Hotel

Afternoon Teas Geared Towards Families:

☕️Peter Pan Afternoon Tea at Aqua at The Shard
☕️Jurassic Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel
☕️Jungle Book Afternoon Tea at Brown’s Hotel
☕️Secret Garden Afternoon Tea at Taj 51
☕️The Buzzy Bees Afternoon Tea at St. Ermin’s Hotel
☕️Grover’s Children’s Tea at Grosvenor House Hotel
☕️The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
☕️Sherlock Holmes Inspired Afternoon Tea at the Mind Palace
☕️Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych
☕️Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson
☕️Wizard of Oz Afternoon Tea at The Soho Hotel

Have you done a proper Afternoon or High Tea in London before? Was the one you did on this list, if so what did you think of it? If you have additional recommendations please do leave a comment!

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Things to Do in Fes, Our Two Day Itinerary

May 14, 2020      Africa, Destinations, Morocco

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

After spending two amazing days exploring Chefchaouen (read that itinerary here) we made it to Fes. We spent three nights and two days here before ending our two weeks in Morocco visiting the Sahara Desert and Marrakech. Here are the top things to do in Fes and other parts of our itinerary including where we stayed and how to get to Fes from other parts of Morocco.

Things to Do in Fes Inside the Medina

Dar el Makhzen, The Royal Palace of Fes

Unfortunately the palace is not open to the public, however, just seeing it from the outdoors is satisfying. The huge 7 doors that line the building are gold and beautifully designed. While the King doesn’t live here, it is where he and his family stay when they are in Fes. If you don’t want to fight to get a picture along in front of the doors arrive early!

Visit the Mellah

The Mellah is the old Jewish quarters in Fes. It was purposely located near the Kings Palace for protection as most Muslims were against the Jewish people residing in their community. However, they played a vital role in the local economy so the Kind wanted them protected. The two communities were separated by a gate. While exploring the Mellah we stepped into the Aben Danan Synagogue.

Walk Through the Medina and Find Rainbow Street 

Like all cities in Morocco walking through the Medina is a big draw. That’s because you can see every and anything. From the vendors creating their products right in front of your eyes, the hustle of negotiations, to the smells of the various spices and foods it’s like no other place. You can easily get entranced by it all (or get lost) and spend hours walking around. One street tourists love is Rainbow Street. Not as bright as many of the pictures I saw of it online but it made my three year old happy. Don’t want to get lost trying to find it? Here’s the exact location via Google Maps.

Medrasa Al-Attarine 

Medrasas are religious schools and the Medrasa Al-Attarine is located near the Al Quaraouiyine Mosque, the oldest university in the world. The  Medrasa Al-Attarine was ordered to be built by Marinid Sultan Ya’qub Abu Said Uthman II as an annex to Al-Quarauiyine and completed in 1325.

You may be interested in reading: tips for taking perfect vacation photos.

Visit a Tannery

If you do nothing else during your stay make sure visiting a tannery is the one thing you do. There is a reason it’s on everyone’s things to do in Fes list. Tanneries are where leather is dyed and since cow urine and pigeon poop are key components in the process the smell can be upsetting to the stomach. Shop owners will give you mint to hold under your nose while you look out into the tannery to see the process.

The mint wasn’t enough for me during my first visit in 2013 when I was traveling while pregnant. Thankfully this time I was able to endure the smell and really take in the process which is quite interesting. Chouara Tannery is the most popular one which makes sense as it’s been around since the 11th century. While there are tanneries in other parts of Morocco, the ones in Fes are most well known. 

Medersa Bouanania

The Medersa Bou Inania is part of the Kairaounie University and was originally used to house theology students. It started to be built in 1350 by Sultan Abou el Hassan and took 7 years to be completed. It’s the only religious building in Fes that allows non-muslims to enter but still you can only visit the courtyard if you aren’t Muslim. It costs  20 dirham ($2) to enter. Like most places in Morocco the architecture is stunning! This private cultural day tour of Fes takes you through Morocco and its surviving empire, including Medersa Bouanania.

Looking for a guide to show you around Fez? We booked this walking tour on Airbnb Experiences to learn the history through a local.

Things to Do in Fes Outside the Medina

Jnan Sbil Gardens

If you need some solitude from the hustle and bustle of exploring the medina head to Jnan Sbil Gardens. It’s a short 10 minute walk from Bab Boujloud (the blue gate). While it’s nowhere near as extravagant as Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech it does have a river, pond, fountains, and flowers. You can walk around or take a rest on one of the benches. 

Borj Nord

For the best views overlooking Fez we headed to Borj Nord. It’s a 16th century fortress but honestly it’s pretty ruined. Still it offers great views of the city. In addition to the views there is an Arms Museum here. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am-12pm and 2-6pm. The museum has a collection of weapons from all over the world including those used in the Battle of the Three Kings.

The Marinid Tombs at Borj Nord
View of Fes from Borj Nord

Take a Moroccan Dance Class 

My favorite part of our time in Fes was taking a Moroccan Dance Class. I found it on Airbnb Experiences and it was taught in the home of a Moroccan dancer. She’s a stay at home mom to three kids and teaching this class allows her to continue to do so. The class was $27 for 90 minutes and after class she made tea and had home baked goods for us to enjoy together. You can book her class here. 

Bab Boujloud

The Western entrance to Fes el Bali (Old City), the Bab Boujiloud is the iconic blue gate of Fes. While Bab Boujiloud is often referred to as The Blue Gate once you get to the other side look back and you’ll see it’s green. Green is the color of Islam!

tourists walking through the blue side of Bab Boujloud which is one of the most popular things to do in fes

Where to Stay in Fes

After staying at Le Riad Yasmine in Marrakech and an Airbnb in Chefchaouen we were ready for the amenities of a hotel. We booked our three nights at the Fes Marriott Hotel Jnan Palace which was outside of the Medina unlike our other accommodations. It was a nice change of pace and plenty of space! Our room was nice, clean and had a balcony, check out the video of our room tour below.

 

If you’re a Bonvoy member you’ll be able to use and/or collect points towards free future hotel stays at Marriott properties. We also have the Bonvoy Marriott Chase credit card so we got even more points and perks. This included receiving complimentary breakfast each morning, saving us $20 per person per day (sign up here for a special bonus). The buffet includes cold and hot foods like pancakes, waffles, bagels, fruit and an omelette station.

Besides the breakfast buffet in the Marriott Cafe there are four other places on site to dine. We loved Dolce Vita which serves Italian cuisine. It’s open for lunch and dinner and we ate there three times during our stay. Everything we had was delicious!

In addition to Dolce Vita there is another sit down restaurant, Mont Liban. They serve Lebanese and Moroccan food and are only open for dinner. We visited during the slow season so we were able to get a table without a reservation but during the high season reservations are required. During dinner there was a live band playing beautiful music throughout the evening.

There are also two casual dining areas, the Piano Bar and the Pool Bar & Grill. You can get mixed drinks, finger food and typical bar food at both. Just be aware smoking is allowed in the Piano Bar so if you need a snack and want to avoid the smell order your food to go. Besides the bars everyday we walked into the hotel we were offered the infamous Moroccan tea. The staff was so welcoming and accommodating, we couldn’t have asked for a better stay.

If you’re visiting during the summer months there is a pool on site you can enjoy. There is a gym and and a spa you can get traditional services and a hammam. The hotel is just a short drive to the Medina and cost 20 dirham ($2) in the small red taxis.

How to Get to Fes from Marrakech or Chefchaouen 

Unlike Chefchaouen, Fez is one of the more easily accessible cities in Morocco. You can get here via plane, train or bus. Still there are only 8 airlines that service the Fes airport (FEZ), flying from only 33 destinations. This means if you’re coming from the US you will have a layover in another city before arriving in Fes. During our trip we actually arrived and departed from Fez by plane, bus, train and taxi!

We came to Fez from Marrakech by plane, a short 30 minute flight on Air Arabia Maroc. The pilot let my daughter sit in the cockpit before we took off and she was so excited. The flight cost me $77.42 for two tickets! The airport is small but you can exchange money and there are two restaurants to get food. Outside there are endless amounts of taxi drivers willing to take you to where you need to go, for us that was Chefchaouen. 

When returning to Fez from Chefchaouen we took the CTM bus. The ride was four hours and cost $7.50 per person along with an additional $1 per suitcase. The bus was very clean and made two short stops for bathroom breaks. At both stops there was a place to purchase snacks and drinks.

When we left Fez to return back to Marrakech we took the train, ONCF. There aren’t direct flights from Fez to Marrakech daily and the day we needed to leave there weren’t any. For the number of stops and layover length it just made more sense to get on one train and go straight to Marrakech. There are While there were multiple stops on the train, a 6 hour total ride, we didn’t have to get off at any time. For our two tickets the cost was $30, we bought them at the train station two days prior but you can purchase them online here.

Be sure to book a first class ticket for assigned and comfortable seating. Each car is broken into little compartments of 6 seats. Someone walked down the car selling snacks and drinks but I didn’t see anywhere to make full meal purchases so pack something with you.

When we got to Marrakech we spent five days there (read that itinerary here). We had a great time in Fes and I hope our list of things to do in Fes helps you plan your own trip. If it does, please share this article to help others!

The Traveling Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

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