Hi all from the Imperial City of Meknes!
We arrived here last night after a rather entertaining train ride. The train was delayed, and Dani – my Australian roommate – took advantage by leading lessons in basic Arabic in the train station. Loudly. Needless to say, we got a few stares. The train was crowded and it took a bit of time before we managed to find seats. But some very nice local women offered us candy.
We arrived in Meknes and dumped our bags in the hotel before heading out to dinner at “the best chicken place in all of Morocco”. Well, it turned out to be a hole-in-the-wall fast food place, and we ate out back with the company of stray cats. But I have to say, the chicken, accompanied with fries, rice and stuffing, was some of the best I’ve ever tasted.
This morning, an early start as we headed out to discover the sights of Meknes, one of Morocco’s famed Imperial cities. We began at the graineries, which I couldn’t help thinking would likely make for a great event venue. From there, we walked along the walls of the palace to the Medina, and spent some time in the souk. Unfortunately, the market was a bit disappointing compared to the one in Rabat. But it was interesting seeing the craftspeople at their jobs. Everything from dying sheep’s wool to slaughtering chickens to making wooden tables was done out in the open.
I got a bit turned around in the souk and ended up on the opposite side of the Medina, inadvertently. Oh well, no big deal; I caught a taxi back to the hotel. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to try a burger made of camel’s meat. Then again, I never had any intention of trying it in the first place. The others tell me it was quite good, mind you.
In the afternoon, we headed out to visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis, located about 45 minutes outside Meknes. It was an important city in the Roman empire, and has been largely excavated – though not completely. We had a guided visit of the ruins, getting impromptu lessons in the tile patterns, the social hierarchy, and “slowly, slowly” or “click-click” from the local guide.
After a couple of hours at Volubilis, we were all feeling pretty tired, and were ready for our next stop: Fes.