Departure from Cardiff

Lottie drove us to Cardiff airport. She kindly got up at 4am on the first day of her off shift which was very kind. We had a good run up and got there in plenty of time just after 7am. There was only a 10min waiting allowance for dropping off so we made it quick.

Lottie checked out the nearby Tesco to see if it had a cafe as she will probably need to wait around when we come back. There is only a 20 min waiting time for arrivals.

Rob and I waited for bag drop to open and once that was done we cleared security quite quickly. The departures lounge was quite small and quiet to start with. We had a full veggie/English to keep us going before waiting for quite a while for boarding.

The flight from Cardiff to Amsterdam was uneventful thankfully.

Flights went ok. Cardiff to Amsterdam, three hours to kill at Amsterdam airport. We found the Amsterdam bread co and had rye bread and smoked salmon sandwiches. I didn’t like the cream cheese/mayo effect with it so ended up not eating some of my bread.

We wandered along to the gate - checking first that we didn’t need to do anything at one of the many self-service transfer stations. Apparently they are only there if you don’t have an onward boarding pass.

Amsterdam to Marrakesh ok. Hour to get through the passport control and then collect bag. The border guard asked rob for his boarding pass - so I got mine ready and he didn’t look at it!

You can only get local currency when you arrive. Not sure if Robert Morgan got ripped off or not when he went to get some - they told him his card would be charged too much commission so gave him part cash part pre-paid card.

Roads are slow here but not as slow as Columbo! People just drive sedately and you can’t go fast.

Hotel is quite nice. Not posh and looks a little run down in places - but it is nice with a charm of its own. You have to buy the drinking water - none put in your room and you can’t drink the tap water.

We ordered a gin and tonic from the bar and the bartender disappeared for ages. Eventually came back with iced glasses and tonic!

Dinner was a nice buffet. I got plenty to choose from - I liked the beef with prunes best. Plenty of couscous for you Lottie!

We met others on the tour and the tour guide. Early start tomorrow. We go up into the Atlas Mountains.

Marrakesh