Volubilus - Meknes - Fes

We left Chefchaouen early for a day of travelling to end up at Fes. Just out of The Blue Pearl,  we stopped and had one finally view of this gem.

We had a 3 hour drive to Volubilus, which is the site of an ancient Roman ruins, abandoned in the 3rd century. The countryside on the trip was like travelling in outback Victoria or South Australia.  Plenty of eucalyptus  trees, reddish soil and a few hills.

The nearby city of Meknes was our lunch stop. In the Medina of Meknes is the largest Medina gate in Morocco,  a royal palace, a royal mausoleum and an ancient underground prison. The temperature was reaching 43C and was getting  very uncomfortable.

An hour and a half later we reached Fes. We are staying a lovely riad in the old Medina. A riad is like a B&B. The 2 we have stayed in have been similar, except the rooms here are bigger. A riad has a central covered courtyard surrounded by 3 levels of rooms. The ground floor is the kitchen/breakfast/recption area. The other floors are the guestrooms.

After a siesta we headed into the Medina for dinner. An Internet search found us a hotel where we could get a cold frothy, which just happened to be on our way to dinner.  We dined at a place called Cafe Clock. The food was good and the crowd was generally young and hip...so we fitted in perfectly!

Cheers,

A & K.

PS had trouble with posting photos, go to my facebook page to see more. https://m.facebook.com/andy.v.wain?id=1379671767&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fandy.v.wain.

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen (or Chaouen), The Blue Pearl is a gorgeous mountain city in NE Morocco. It has a picturesque Medina, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Rif Mountains, is filled with white-washed homes with distinctive, powder-blue walls. As with all Muslim countries a lot of call to prayers throughout the day. The first before 6 am.

After a good sleep and breakfast we went out for an exploration of the Medina. Our first aim was to find the Ras el Maa waterfalls and city walls. A bit of a climb through the narrow alleyways eventually found both. The waterfall is used by locals as a meeting point and also to do some laundry. Andy is a bit of a cynic because he thinks it is impossible for the flow of water to be that strong in the middle of their hot dry summer! Also the presence of an electrical substation next to where the falls start makes one wonder!

From the falls we trekked up the mountain for a little bit until the path became too rocky for our thongs. Great views across the Medina and surrounds from here. Up in the mountains the second major industry ( behind tourism) is situated. .the growing of Marijuana.

We walked back down to the Medina where we had a bit more of an explore and some lovely  freshly squeezed orange juice. It was getting very warm by now.

At the main square there is the largest mosque in the town and the ancient Kasbah. We went into the Kasbah, for small entrance fee (10 Moroccan Dirham ~$1.50). Nothing exciting but good views from the top level of the tower. It also once housed a prison.

It is the start of Ramadan here and there is no alcohol to be seen! But it is ok to smoke hashish in the streets! A bit of an internet search indicated a couple of the hotels will serve alcohol.  Just beyond the main square we discovered one of these hotels (The Parador).
We had a couple of beers sitting by the poolside terrace. Kristin decided she was coming back later for a swim! (And another beer). Which she did!

In the evening we had dinner but unfortunately meals in the last two days have been average at best.

Off to Fes tomorrow(Saturday) via the ancient Roman ruins at Volubilis.

Cheers,

A & K.