Meknes, Volubilis and Fes

Last weekend was our final group trip. First stop was Meknes, only an hour and a half from Rabat by bus (remembering our four hour drive to Tangier, we had all settled in for a long haul). In Meknes we checked out the medina and an artisans' museum. It was early, so the main square was empty except for a few kids selling candy and a couple of spice/medicine vendors.


The next stop was Volubilis, Roman ruins plunked down right in the middle of the Moroccan countryside. What's bizarre is that the paysage looks absolutely Tuscan, with olive trees and even a few cypresses. We also lucked out and got beautiful weather, unlike just about every other trip we've taken.


After Volubilis it was on to Fes. The city has three parts: the old medina, "New Fes" which is actually old, and Ville Nouvelle, which is actually new. Fes's medina is unlike anything I've seen so far, and unfortunately it doesn't look like I managed to capture it in pictures - probably because it's entirely made of narrow, winding streets that are full of people. Every couple of minutes you have to duck out of the way of a donkey, and you're either climbing or descending a hill the whole time.


There are amazing monuments sort of embedded in the medina though, including the sanctuary of Moulay Idriss, a Muslim saint and the founder of Fes. The streets around the sanctuary are lined with vendors specific to the tomb, selling all sorts of candles, incense and Fassi specialties which include nougat and sesame candy.

I also got it into my head that we had to find a place in the medina to have b'sara, bean and garlic soup. Our mission was successful, thanks to the trusty Lonely Planet guide - and a compass. I never thought I would actually use it to navigate! Oh, and the b'sara (served out of a huge vat with cumin, hot pepper, and olive oil, and eaten at a tiny table outside the stand) was delicious.


Formatting is screwy, but here are pictures of the Zawiya Moulay Idriss, Medersa Bou-Inane, and a blurry street.