Meknes, Volubilis, Fes

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This morning we walked to the old medina (walled city) of Meknes. There were many orange trees bearing fruit along the way and we figured out the hard way why no one picked them. Meknes probably has the most number of billboards with pictures of King Mohammed IV. Due to mis-direction by a local we walked through a non-touristy part of the medina before a boy re-directed us back to the central medina. After a quick stop at the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum we got misdirected again and did a round about way to get to Place el-Hedime and the souq (market). I had a nice glass of mint tea at the square before starting to explore the market. Similar businesses are grouped together in a souq. It was interesting to see spices moulded into pyramidal shape and there were sights not for the faint of heart like freshly butchered cows/goats/lambs and buckets of snail - escargot Moroccan style.

We left Meknes in the early afternoon to visit Volubilis, a Roman ruins once the capital of the Roman province of Mauritania. It was Rome’s southwesternmost reach into North Africa and the ruins offered a glimpse into the Roman past. Still visible are the public bath, columns, olive presses and many impressive floor mosaics.

We continued onto Fes for the night.

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Photos

-Meknes
wall of Meknes medina

-Meknes
"special price for you, my friend!"

-Meknes-Mausoleum
Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail

-Meknes
not for the faint of heart!

-Meknes
interesting toy - Osama vs George Jr., made in China

-Meknes
escargot Moroccan style - no, I didn't try any

P1020011-Volubilis
Roman ruins at Volubilis

P1020013-Volubilis
intricate mosaics

-Fes
sunset in Fes