It Rains in Morocco?

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I woke up in Rabat. It is nice being in a hotel with good AC, but I am glad I sweated a little more for my 1st two weeks in Morocco as it felt more authentic… staying in riads is 1,000 times more special than staying in a proper hotel (even though having a pool in the heat is sweet).

We got in the car and drove a bit until we hit the Roman city of Volubilis; I can’t remember a time in my entire life that I have been somewhere so old! It was recently deemed a world heritage site. They are waiting/seeking funding so they can start excavating more of this ancient Roman city. It was interesting. Our local guide described how the Romans lived. How the choice of this land was strategic. I saw what was assumed to be sun dials, toilets, hot spring spa, etc… The mosaics told stories about the Roman gods and goddesses. We also came across a Buddhist symbol which represented peace. This same symbol was reconfigured into the swastika. I didn’t quite comprehend how a symbol of peace turned into a sign of hate.
After driving through the holy village of Moulay Idriss, we headed to Meknes for lunch. It was supposed to be a Moroccan restaurant, but because it was feeding the masses, there was no comparison to the food Betsy and I ate. There was also some cat poop right next to me on the floor so I sorta lost my appetite. We were about to leave when the sky opened up! It was pouring cats and dogs. It was strange as the temperature went from about 90 degrees to probably 65 degrees in the matter of minutes. I even got goose bumps! We did more of a driving tour of Meknes, through the Jewish quarter and then headed to the royal stables. The royal stables housed thousands of horses and slaves. It was from the 17th century. Thousands of people had died here building the stables (under their ruthless leader, Moulay Ismail who cared more for horses than humans). Call me crazy but I definitely felt the boogeyman starring over my shoulder.

The drive continued to Fez where we stayed for the night. The rain finally let up around 9ish. I am crossing my fingers that the rain is gone for good as I am looking forward to spending a good day in Fez!

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