An early start for the 07.40 train (which was 20 minutes late!) and it was raining quite hard. We arrived to blue skies and dry warmth. The guide book put petit taxis between 10 & 15 dh depending on distance. We never paid less than 20 dh! That said we did manage to find the Riad where we were staying. I’m always pleasantly surprised when I find a jewel amid general mayhem. We checked into a warm welcome from the manager Hassan (who also provided us with mint tea a street map and ideas for sights to see) and set off for a wander. The map was helpful for streets (sic) but fell short for the hundreds of Dars– alleyways. The first task was to exit the Mouassine area to the first main road. This was quite a feat in that even the smallest alley took motor cycles, larger ones had hundreds of shops (a souk area) which meant wares on show outside which slowed the traffic down. Here amidst the pedestrians were donkeys pulling cement carts, hand carts over laden, bicycles, cars, taxis, and the frequent beggar sitting in any space available. We were so concerned about not getting lost we failed miserably to take snaps of these areas. Jemaa el Fna square above looks quite empty by comparison.
We did manage to find La Koutoubia 70m high. It is interesting that it is the oldest of the three Almohad towers built. The others being the Giralda in Seville, and the Hassan Tower here in Rabat. All have been visited on our travels.
Next stop via another souk and the crowded bus station was the Saadian Tombs. This was the burial site for the dynasty of the same name, who, ruled Morocco from 1554-1669. They lay unforgotten until the French did an aerial survey in 1917 and were then restored for viewing. The site is quite small and we had to queue to see the interior tombs .
The El Badi (Incomparable) Palace It is mostly ruins now but in its heyday must have been astounding. The shear size parallels places like Dover castle but was far more than defensive. Rooms for receiving foreign diplomats with sunken pools, summer pavilions and a large central pool with fountain. Around the ramparts storks now nest. We didn’t have time to do it justice having been misled by the guide book which said it was open ’til 17.45 when it actually closed at 17.00!
We wandered back to the Riad through Jemaa el Fna Square to see snake charmers and monkey handlers foot painters and food stalls.
Dinner that night was a typical Moroccan meal at the Riad and quit delicious!
Images are in Picasa.
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