The journey from Fes to the edge of the Sahara felt less like a drive and more like a slow unfolding of landscapes—each one more unexpected than the last. We had one more delicious breakfast at Riad Dar Bensouda and set off early, leaving behind the maze of the medina with the help of the hotel porter (check out the video and see how lost we would have been without him!) and climbing into the cool air of the Middle Atlas Mountains. Our first stop was Ifrane, a place so surprising it hardly felt like Morocco at all. With its alpine architecture, and crisp mountain air, it resembled a European ski town.