Volubilis and Meknes

Posted on October 18, 2026 by debbie

The ruins of Volubilis are about 60 km west of Fes. The area was first developed in the 2nd century BC by the Berbers and the Carthaginians. Then around the 2nd century AD the Romans developed more of the area, building grand avenues, large houses, arch of triumph, basilica, forum and many other structures. There are two things that make this site important. It’s located on the top of a small hill, where the breeze is used for cooling and the views of the surrounding countryside are stunning. We saw the same design on Crete at the Minoan Palace of Knossos. The second thing is the number of tile mosaics that have been uncovered. They are intricate, colourful and beautiful.

Volubilis
Volubilis
Volubilis
Volubilis

The other stop on our day excursion is Meknes. It was the capital of Morocco in the late 1600s. There is a grand palace there, along with huge stables thought to have housed 12,000 horses, thick walls, fancy gates, and a mausoleum. We, of course couldn’t get into the palace grounds, or the mausoleum but drive past the stables. Unfortunately, Murray and I take a wrong turn and never find the Medina. We wander down a street of residences and find a real locals market just outside the Medina walls. End up having lunch at a real touristy restaurant that serves tour bus loads of people. So, Meknes was a bit of a dud for us. The one semi highlight would be the main gate that leads to the palace, the Bab El Mansour. We did see our first snake charmer in the big plaza leading to the Medina.

Bab El Mansour, Meknes
Bab El Mansour, Meknes

The drive through the countryside is very much like the prairies and foothills. Large sections of land have been harvested and are awaiting spring. Rolling terrain leading up into the hills. There are other crops too, oranges, potatoes, squash. Rural towns spot the landscape. Murray sees olive trees used as separation between fields rather than fences. Great idea as the olives are harvested also, making two crops for the farmers.

Volubilis
Volubilis

We have noticed that in Morocco the car AC is opening the windows, old school. The Moroccans do not use AC to excess like some other countries. We like this. I’m not sure if they acquiesce and use the AC in the summer when it is 40C plus.

Garbage collection donkeys
Garbage collection donkeys

Donkeys, not mules, are used here for many chores. Carting garbage out of the Medina, hauling cleared brush away and carrying goods and owners. They work on small paths in all terrain. Our driver tells us that donkeys are known as the Moroccan 4 by 4!

4 x 4
4 x 4

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Fes

Posted on October 17, 2026 by murray

Arriving in Fes on Friday, everything is closed for Jumu’ah. It’s dark and spooky – almost scary. There are more hustlers here than other places and they are more aggressive. La Shukran works but they still try one more time. Our riad is down progressively smaller and darker streets. The last few are hardly wide enough for use with out bags on our shoulders. When we finally arrive there is no indication on or near the door to say that this is the riad we want. Three kids sitting near the door insist it is the entrance to Dar 7. We ring the bell and the lady that answers speaks no English at all. An auspicious introduction to Fes.

Saturday morning, breakfast at 8am. Had a short chat with a couple from England who were leaving today. Before we had finished eating another couple from Kentucky sat down and we spent an hour visiting with them. They had travelled quite a bit but were interested in some of the places we had been. It was one of those conversations that make travel enjoyable. Well past the time we had planned on getting out we were finally on the road. We left through the door we arrived to yesterday. The daylight made it much less ominous. A few turns in deserted shoulder width streets and we arrived on a street running full tilt with all the shops open and wall to wall people. After a bit of wandering I realize the crowd is not all tourists. There were a good number of locals out shopping as well. This is the 5th or 6th medina we have visited so the narrow winding streets are quite familiar. There are a few thing a bit different here in Fes. There are a lot more covered streets here. Good for shade and I presume rain but it plays hell on navigation with one’s phone. We have been using off line Google maps to find our way to the places we had listed to see and to return to our riad.

Medersa
Medersa El Attarine

First on our list is the Medersa El Attarine, part of a school for religious studies built between 1323 and 1325. It has been completely refurbished and is quite a nice space, beautifully detailed. There was a 50MAD admission which is not much money and is the nicest example of the architecture of that time. The students residence is interesting but not nearly the same condition as the Medersa.

It took quite some persistence but we finally found the Anou. A cooperative for promoting and selling the handcrafts of the women of Fes. There was a weaving class in progress when we got there. Rookies were learning how to work a loom and weaving their own creation. There are some nice things for sale if you have room for a rug in your luggage. A hint to the location, once you know you are close ask some of the vendors. They do not know of the place by name, Anou, but if you show them the address they all know where the street is. Amazing, hundreds and hundreds of tiny streets in every direction and these guys pointed us right to it.

The Zawiya of Moulay Idriss II is one of the holiest sites in Morocco. It is the tomb or Idriss II, a sharif considered the founder and patron saint of Fes, ruled between 807 and 828. I read somewhere that 5 visits to his tomb is equal to one visit to Mecca, satisfying one of the pillars of Islam.

Mausoleum
Mausoleum

Last stop the Chauara Tannery, one of the places Fes is known for. It is free to visit the tannery so don’t let any of the hustlers tell you any different. You can view it from many different shops and again there is no admission. One fellow followed us and gave us a little speech. I just ignored him. At the end he said how about a tip. I just said no and he was a bit pissed but I did not ask for help and frankly did not want it. Since it is free the tannery is worth a look and it is interesting to know a little about it, which is easily found on line, but it is not worth a whole bunch of time.

Tannery
Tannery
Tannery
Tannery

The day went pretty well. I know that we have travelled a lot but others with travel experience told us we would get lost in medinas. We have had a bit of trouble finding the exact place we wanted to go but honestly we have found our way to and from our riads without any trouble at all. We don’t set the directions option on Google maps we just pin the place we are headed and generally make sure we are going in that direction. So far it has worked every time. Even though getting lost is sometimes the best part of travel we have yet to do so where it suppose to be easy to do so.

Off on a short day tour tomorrow. Ciao.

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Chefchaouen to Fes

Posted on October 16, 2026 by murray

The saying goes ‘it is not about the destination; it is about the journey.’ Today it was about the journey. We are in Chefchaouen, our goal, Fes. We could have taken the bus, inexpensive and fast, travelling along the national highway. We could have taken a Grand Taxi, more expensive but still along the national highway. Or as we did, we hired a private driver, way more expensive but we used the route less traveled and stopped where and when we wanted. It was totally worth it. The landscape was amazing, very diverse, large rolling foothills mostly covered with some sort of agricultural pursuit.

Harvesting Olives
Harvesting Olives

As we leave Chefchaouen there are olive trees dotting the landscape. They look randomly placed not in rows like an orchard. After Bni Armed Gharbia more cultivated land appeared. A mixture of wheat, hay fields and olive trees. There were farmed fields all the way to Fes. The odd thing about the olive trees is the father south we went the more ordered and orchard like the olive trees became. They were in perfect lines and terraced all the way down the hill side. Closer to Fes, orange orchards appeared.

The most unusual crop we came across was marijuana. There are a couple of regions in Morocco the government has legalized the growing of pot for medical and research purposes. We passed through one of these areas and it was harvest day.

Marijuana
Marijuana

A full day of travel and I did not see one fence delineating property. There seems to be tall wild plants that look like bamboo defining a few fields and then there were a few stone walls, like you would see in England or Ireland between some fields, but not fences.

Sheep

We pass by the olive groves and I see that the farmers have been burning the under growth under the trees. It is something I noted in Albania but did not know the reason for it. So, it helps to prevent massive destructive forest fires. It kills the pests that might affect the orchard. Olives are harvested by laying a tarp or some sort of blanket on the ground and beating the branches to knock the ripe fruit into the tarps. Burning the undergrowth allows for a flat surface to lay down the trap.

Harvesting Olives
Harvesting Olives

Some random facts. After olives, marijuana is Chefchaouen’s main economic generator.

Mules or donkeys are a mode of transportation still used in rural Morocco.

The school day here is about 4 hours each day. The schools work in shifts. So some kids start early and end around 11, when they are done another group starts. The teachers work all day.

Sheep walk with their head down like they are embarrassed or something. This is by observation and may not be factual but I have never really noticed sheep before.

The Aloe Vera that grows wild along the side of the Moroccan highways is not really Aloe Vera, it is most like the Agaves plant. It is harvested in Morocco to make cactus silk which is hand spun and used for Berber rugs and textiles.

If you are going to Fes and want to visit the medina do not arrive on a Friday. Friday is a holiday. The whole thing is shut down and really spooky. It is in fact uncomfortable to walk around the empty streets.

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Tetouan to Chefchaouen

Posted on October 15, 2026 by debbie

We decide to try another method of transport. We ride the CTM Bus from Tetouan to Chefchaouen. The bus tickets are 120 MAD ($17 Cdn) for both of us. A taxi ride/private driver would have been much more than that, and the trip is only about an hour. They spoil us by giving us the first two seats so we get a front view. Our route takes us by three reservoirs with hydro dams. The countryside  is fertile, treed, populated by farms, olive groves, sheep, goats and not like we expected. The bus driver keeps to the speed limits and is a careful driver. There are about 4 police stops along the way. We get waved through each time, but they stop cars asking to see the vehicle registration etc. 

The Blue City
The Blue City

Never trust Google Maps! I check how far from the Chefchaouen bus station to our riad and it says a 15 min walk. We can do that, easy! It would have been 15 mins on the flat with not bags but it is straight up most of the time, with our bags on our backs! I mention to Murray that I think we are having trouble realizing we are getting older and shouldn’t try to do what we could do at 40. Take a Petit Taxi for $2, for Pete’s sake!

Chefchaouen is the Blue City. There are a number of stories about how it came to be. It may have started in the 1930s when Jewish Refugees painted the walls blue to remind people of heaven, but more recently it has been a tourism decision. Chefchaouen is one of the most photographed cities in North Africa. I love the place, blue is my colour!

The Blue City
The Blue City

We spend the afternoon wandering the lanes taking photographs everywhere. There are various shades of blue used, which gives the Medina a unique look. The stalls are open for business and wares are on full display. We climb to the higher lanes where there are not so many tourists – it is good conditioning for backcountry skiing. By late afternoon, the day trippers are gone and the lanes are quieter and the stalls are closing their doors.

The Blue City
The Blue City

We have noticed that the wind has been quite strong since Rabat, through to Tangier and in Tetouan. By Chefchaouen it has lessened. Apparently, it is a common occurrence, an easterly wind funnelled through the Strait of Gibraltar, that blows across the northern coast of Morocco. Chefchaouen is sheltered by the Rif Mountains, so does not get the same wind intensity.

Our room!
Our room!

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Tangier to Tetouan

Posted on October 14, 2026 by debbie

We are on the move today and for the next few days. Aymen, a private driver, meets us at 9:00 and we are off to Tetouan. Tetouan is called the White City and it was recommended on one of the travel websites I viewed, so we thought we would make a stop.

The White City
The White City

The drive is about an hour long on a two lane divided highway. Wasn’t expecting that. The view out the window was of rolling hills, farmland, goat herds and small towns. Not dissimilar to the Balkans. 

Looking up to the Medina
Looking up to the Medina

Tetouan is indeed the White City. All the buildings are gloriously white. It is very steep here. The Medina is built on a slope and we get a workout climbing towards the top. Again, people are so helpful! We stopped at one point and were wondering which way to go and a fellow just points us in the right direction without us asking. We Canadians are so polite, we wave and say Merci.

Steep Stairs
Steep Stairs

We have embraced French, as much as we are able to. In Tangier, French was used but here it is more Spanish. Whatever language there is a lot of hand waving and pantomime happening.

I mentioned riads in the last post. The one in Tetouan is wild in its colour choices. Here is our room.

Our room for the night
Our room for the night

Tomorrow, on the the Blue City!

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Tangier

Posted on October 13, 2026 by debbie

Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams and even the Rolling Stones hung out in Tangier at some point. It drew these artists for its cosmopolitan vibe. I was expecting a city and Medina grittier than what we discover. 

The city has street cleaners and maintenance workers, armed with brooms made of branches or whipper snippers, cleaning the streets and parks. It cares about the city’s presentation. The buildings are bright white and well kept (for the most part). We stop to look at one “condo” building where it is obvious people are living, and there are windows in units that are boarded up, and we ask ourselves Why? It was the exception rather than the rule.

Up and up and up
Up and up and up

One of our first stops today is a viewpoint over the ocean. Tangier is the spot where the Atlantic Ocean and Strait of Gibraltar meet. Can you see the water colour change? We can see Spain from this point as it is about 15 km away. 

We walk to the Royal Palace and Murray offers a “Bonjour” to one of the guards. We realize we can’t go into the palace grounds, so we turn around and the fellow stops us to chat. We chat about Canada and Morocco and French vs English, how old we are (it’s kinda weird how many times we get asked our age) and travel plans. A very friendly fellow.

Tangier

It is very hilly in Tangier and we are surprised by the steep ups and downs. We wander the avenues working our way to the Grand Socco, a square with a large fountain. Parking ourselves on a bench, in the shade, allows us to people watch. Tourists, locals, grandpas, children, the first stray dog complete with ear tag, young families and tour groups.

I am now resting at the riad. A riad is small boutique hotel, built in an old house or palace, inside the Medina. They have a central courtyard with a fountain. Our room is two floors up and there is a roof top sitting area above us. These unique accommodations are throughout Morocco so we will be staying in more of them.

Murray writes

I haven’t notice any mosquitoes here but the flies are extremely annoying and are a good insect replacement for human irritation.

Tangier

As we find our way through the Medina the cruise ship tour groups are passing by us. All groups of 4o or more. One group after another group after another at infinite m. It is so crowded we have to pick our way along the narrow pathways.

While resting in Marchan Park on the way to see the royal palace, Debbie notes the trees that populate the park are gum trees. We look but there is not one Koala.

Tangier

Debbie also mentioned the hills. After we got back I rested for a short while and went wondering again. I don’t think there is any down here. Think Escher.

We stumbled upon an interesting historic site. High on a cliff above the ocean there is small park with what looked to me like graves chiselled out of the stone. Turns out they are graves from the time the Phoenicians occupied the area in the first millennium BC. So they are pretty damn old. It must have taken a bit of work to chisel out a rectangular prism big enough for a body, in sandstone.

Grave site
Grave Site
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Rabat to Tangier

Posted on October 13, 2026 by murray

I said the customer service in the Balkans was a little lax and that could be explained because tourists are somewhat new to them. Here in Morocco, I think customer service is even worse. I am standing at the counter in a hotel and the person at the desk is dealing with me. Suddenly something happens and the other desk person says something. My helper drops me like a piece of lead and is off dealing with the other problem. When he comes back I ask the question I had on my mind and he seems annoyed. Friends and workmates take priority over the customer. Yesterday I was buying a train ticket. A person, that all the agents knew, shows up and all work stops. They are all talking to the new young lady and the lineup for tickets waits. When I finally get to an agent I am ½ way through my request and her phone rings. She just picks it up and starts in on a conversation. It may have been work related but still, I was there and part way through a transaction. When she got back to me it was as if nothing happened.

Kasbah of the Oudayas
Kasbah of the Oudayas

We have visited 2 cities in Morocco and we have not seen one feral dog. Loads of well-fed feral cats in good shape but sans dogs. I’m guessing they have some sort of program to keep the dog population in check. The cats seem to be well loved. One of the cats we passed several times even had its own dish up against a concrete wall, not in a residential area so I am quite sure the cat is homeless. Since they are cared for, they are really no bother at all.

Kasbah of the Oudayas
Kasbah of the Oudayas

We were in the Mohammad VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. A very good gallery if you have the chance to visit. There were some photos of Morocco in the early 1900’s. I realized it is photos from that time, maybe 1850 to 1950, that draw me to countries like Morocco or Singapore or any other country really. Then when I arrive in the country, no matter which one, is full steam ahead into the 21C. I’m just a hundred years too late, I guess.

When travelling in SE Asia and you walk into a public building the AC is cranked to the max. The difference in temperature inside and out is actually uncomfortable. Morocco does not follow suit. In fact they could maybe turn the AC dial down a bit. I am pouring sweat and I walk into a building and the cooling effect is nonexistent, hell on us temperate climate animals.

Kasbah of the Oudayas
Kasbah of the Oudayas

Debbie mentioned yesterday how quiet the city of Rabat is. Hardly anybody out and about and the traffic was minimal. That was Sunday. It’s Monday morning and the change is dramatic. There are people everywhere and the roads are congested.

A short taxi ride and we are at the Kasbah of the Oudayas. It is a lived-in fortress and completely reconditioned. Not really touristy but there are a lot of tourists there having a look. On the way back to the hotel we stroll through the Old Medina. It is quite a bit different than Casablanca’s sequel. It has been renovated, not to the same extent as the Kasbah but upgraded for sure. Whereas Casablanca’s Medina was a locals market and crowded, the one in Rabat is oriented towards tourists and easily navigated.

Kasbah of the Oudayas
Kasbah of the Oudayas

We picked up our bags at the hotel and head to the train station. A short wait and we are on the train winging our way to Tangier at (the fast) 303 km/hr. It is so smooth you cannot even tell we are moving. Except the movie is flying by very quickly.

We pass so many towns and villages. Real working places, I would love to visit a few but I don’t think the train driver would stop for an hour while I wandered around and try to get the feel of the place.

Tomorrow Tangier.

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Rabat

Posted on October 11, 2026 by debbie

Casablanca and Rabat are like night and day. Where Casablanca is noisy and dirty and crowded, Rabat is quiet (although it is Sunday), the buildings are clean and cared for and the streets and sidewalks are empty (again, it is Sunday). Rabat is the capital of Morocco, so it has the ministries and government buildings along with the palace of the king.

Hassan Tower
Hassan Tower

The Mausoleum of Mohammed V was commissioned by Hassan II for his father’s tomb. Hassan II also commissioned the mosque in Casablanca. The mausoleum sits at one end of a square and on the other end is the Hassan Tower, a minaret of an unfinished mosque dating back to the 12 th century. The buildings are majestic and peaceful. There are ceremonial guards at the four doors to the mausoleum and also inside at the four corners. Oh, and there are guards on horses and the entrances to the square. The men could use lessons from the British about standing at attention and not looking so terribly bored.

Inside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V
Inside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V
Horses at entrance to square
Horses at entrance to square

We take a taxi to the Mausoleum and then walk back, stopping at the Modern Art Gallery, a fancy gate and getting refused entrance to Royal Palace Gardens because we don’t have a guide. It is hot and the humidity is about 90%, so we start to drag about 2/3 of the way back. Lunch and Coca Colas revive us enough to get back to the hotel. Speaking about humidity. I am sitting in bed as we have the AC cranked to dry everything out. The clothes are damp, the bed is damp and the towels are damp. Yuck!

Rabat
Rabat
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Casablanca to Rabat

Posted on October 10, 2026 by debbie

We are taking the El Boraq fast train this afternoon to Rabat, but we have time this morning to visit a couple of places.

The Hassan II Mosque is our first stop. We decide to take the bus there to save some time and Debbie’s feet. Tourists don’t take the bus! But we do! Locals are so helpful. One fellow directs us to the correct bus stop,  and almost the whole bus tells us when to get off the bus. It’s rather comical as one lady is saying get off here and a couple of men are saying get off further up the road. The bus stops sorta half way, we wave, thank everyone and hop off.

Hassan II Mosque
Hassan II Mosque

Hassan II Mosque was built by King Hassan II between 1986 and 1993. In order to complete the project in six years, it was worked on 24 hours a day. The architect was French and the thousands of workers and artisans were Moroccan. The mosque is 200 meters long, 100 meters wide and 65 meters high. Added together, these dimensions equal the days in a year. The mosque holds 25,000 people inside and the plaza around the mosque holds 80,000. It only fills up on very special occasions, such as Ramadan.

Hassan II Mosque
Hassan II Mosque

We don’t normally take tours, but we decide to do the tour of the mosque and we are very glad we did. The inside is filled amazing details, marble floors, handcrafted wooden accents, marble hand and foot washing stations, titanium doors (to resist rusting as the mosque is by the ocean) and a retractable roof. 

Hassan II Mosque

As we wait for the English tour to begin, we watch large tour group after tour group enter and comment that it will be very crowded in the mosque with all these tourists. But, it is so vast inside that all these groups get swallowed and they are hardly noticed.

After the mosque we wander through the old Medina working our way back to the hotel. I had gotten used to the tourist old towns of the Balkans and am surprised by this one. It is run down, dirty and busy. This is a working class Medina. It is Saturday and the market is going full blast. Tiny old ladies with pull carts are doing their shopping. The popular stalls have a group of shoppers at them. Pretty much all the stalls have at least one customer. I think it is the only market I have ever been to that is busy enough that the vendors can make a living. The human traffic ebbs and flows down the very narrow lane, no one getting worked up about getting around a cart or old woman. 

Old Medina

By 3:00 we are sitting on the fast train moving north east towards Rabat, the capital of Morocco.

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Casablanca, Morocco

Posted on October 9, 2026 by debbie

We enter another portal and a couple of metal tubes and after 12 hours emerge in Casablanca!

Art Deco, Casablanca

Due to the French influence here, there was a huge Art Deco Movement here in the 1920s and 1930s. The buildings have a blend of Deco and Moroccan details. We wander the avenues, getting totally lost at one point, picking out Deco buildings and details. Some building have been restored and are gorgeous but others are falling into disrepair. The area must have looked grand in its prime years.

Friday Prayer Meeting, Casablanca

Walking to the train station, we come across a Friday prayer meeting. There are so many men that they have spread down the steps of the mosque, onto the sidewalk, across the street and into the park. I make Murray walk behind everyone as I did not feel comfortable cutting through on the street as the only other woman in sight was a little old grandma all dressed in black.

Art Deco, Casablanca

Right away we notice people are not as friendly here as in Albania. We also realize that we need to work on our French! Crossing streets is, once again, an art. We attach ourselves to locals and cross when they cross, or wait patiently for a break in the traffic. 

Casablanca is a big city, but downtown is walkable and safe. In spots we are the only tourist types on the street. Men are loading trucks, fixing car engines, washing windows and selling housewares and fish and shoes and fabric. The city is noisy, dirty, busy and sometimes smelly. It’s Casablanca!

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