Northern Morocco

Today we drove through several landscapes as we made our way from Meknes to Chefchouen - our home for the next two nights. Along the way we picked up a few things to have a picnic lunch at a roadside cafe in one of the valleys and then on to Volubilis, once a provincial Roman capital in use from about 100 BCE to 300 CE. The structures had remained intact until an 18th century earthquake left most everything plies of ruble. A more recent restoration initiative has begun slowly piecing some of the pillars and walls back together.

There are some lasting mosaic floors in the old homes, an interesting juxtaposition to the Arab mosaics found everywhere in the area. A few of the more significant findings are on display at the Louvre in Paris.

A long, winding drive through the Rif mountains brought us to Chefchaoaen, known for its buildings and alleyways painted in bright shades of blue. Our hotel is built into the side of the mountain with spectacular views of the sunset and the medina of the old city. The next morning was spent on a walking tour with a local guide. The shade of the alleyways keeps it cool among the many little shops and cafes. We were able to walk into a traditional hammam (public bath) because no one was using it at the time. Given the heat and the confined spaces (claustrophobia!), we decided that this is probably not an experience we will need to include on the itinerary. Our walk finished at a cafe where we sampled fresh, local traditional goat cheese. I suspect this was just meant to be a small snack, but we definitely filled up enough to count it as lunch.