Leaving Rabat behind, we travelled to Meknes, another one of the Imperial cities - which means a city that was once the capital. There is so much history shared but unfortunately most of it just zips by - too much information for this old brain. But the sights are beautiful. We drove through one of the many gates to the old Jewish Quarter which at one time was 25000 strong - today there are 20 Jewish people left in the city. We then ended up in the old Medina with its windy, narrow streets.
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| Thursday Gate |
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Shopping for olives in the market
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| Making the silk decorative braids |
A special treat was our visit to Mohammed and Nora’s home for a delicious camel burger.
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| Yes the camel burgers were tasty |
Leaving the medina, we visited the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. The pictures below don’t do justice to the place which has been recently redone intricate cravings, tiles, ceilings and of course royal carpets.
The highlight of this area was definitely the visit to the Roman ruins at Volubilis. These ruins, especially the mosaics are so well preserved. They were constructed over different centuries but the oldest date back to 100 AD. They are just amazing.
The small village on the hilltop above the ruins, Moulay Idriss, is a very authentic place to visit and once again we enjoyed a beautiful meal of couscous, meatball tagine and chicken. My third time at this place and I have never been disappointed. This time we ate in the family’s home instead of the guesthouse.
Fed and happy, it was time to head north and cross the Rif Mountains as we made our way to the Blue City of Chefchaouen. Our group enjoyed a quiet evening at the hotel with a few snacks and refreshments - after lunch no one was very hungry!
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| Traveling through the countryside |
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| The first view of Chefchaouen |
The Blue hotel in the blue city - oh wait it seems like most of the other hotels blue!
How does one describe Chefchaouen? Blue, magical and so much fun especially with a very knowledgeable and funny local guide. We meandered our way through various streets, had pictures taken in many locations, tasted goat cheese, enjoyed tea or coffee and still had time to shop - a very full day!
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| The women are doing laundry |
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| On a list of the 20 most beautiful streets in the world - this is number 4! |
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| An individualist in the blue city! |
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| Just waiting their turn for something to eat |
Our time in Chefchaouen was topped off with another delicious meal in a family home. This time we went back deep into the Medina to a family home to enjoy haira soup, turmeric rice and a goat tagine. The taste buds are experiencing many different spices and dishes and visiting family homes for meals is very special.
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