Today we briefly saw the city of Meknes, we walked through the Roman ruins at Volubilis, and we visited the amazing town of Moulay Idriss.
Meknes was merely a pit stop along the way, but it was nice to see another of Morocco's large cities. The drive to Volubilis was two hours, so this was a welcome rest stop. I snapped a couple of shots of a mosque and a busy downtown area...
Then on to Volubilis! This Roman city was abandoned in the 3rd century AD, and has been excavated and maintained by the French since 1915. Like any ruins, its simply interesting to see the layout of the homes, the majestic city centers and, well, they just make for beautiful pictures! Here are some of my favorites.
Our guide, Mustapha was kind enough to show us around the ruins of Volubilis. I have no idea how many languages he speaks (at least 4), but his English was quite good! He then took us to Moulay Idriss where we got to walk around the picturesque narrow streets. These photos are my meager attempt to capture its charm.
We had lunch at a cafe in the city center. I was worried about knowing what to order to eat in this tiny town where they don't speak English, only Berber. But Mustapha took care of us. He simply ordered the same thing for all of us - some sort of kabob with a spicy ground meat - we think it was lamb, but sometimes its better not to know. :-) They also had delicious bread and dipping sauce that had quite a kick!
After lunch, Mustapha was kind enough to invite all 14 of us to his home for tea! Mint green tea... Best. Ever. He and his wife also offered us pastries and breads.
After the long hot return trip, I took a few moments to search around my hotel. I found a tiny grocery stand with fresh fruit and veggies. For less than two bucks, I bought bananas, apples and oranges to last throughout the week!
Really good day.
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