Morocco.... A love story - (day 4 - Rabat to Fes)

Leaving our hotel was tough. It was such a beautiful place. However, we all were exited to continue our journey. I don't think i have mentioned much about our group as of yet so I must mention them now. This was what Gate 1 calls a "Small Group Tour" or "Discovery Tour". The tours are limited to no more than 20 people so you are able to visit places that a large group of 40 would not be able to visit.

Our group was amazing. We had many solo women travelers, a few couples traveling together and a single man from Jamaica. A lost of the solo women had traveled together previously. I totally admired them! And their husbands for that matter for being okay with them traveling like this. We got to know them all quite well and totally enjoyed each of their personalities. Barb, from Michigan was a riot and has the same personality as Jim. (a little frightening! ) We actually had a blast with her. And then there was Jan! Jan was an outspoken ray of sunshine. Such a joy!

We had special moments with everyone and I can't imagine a better group of people to travel with!

So off we go after breakfast headed to yet another unknown, Fes. After all the surprises we had encountered already, there was no way anyone could guess what today would bring.

After breakfast we all hopped on the bus. We knew we had a couple stops to make along the way and we all were eager to get going! Our first goal for the day was to drive to Meknes to visit the Bab Mansour gate. This gate is known to be one of the grandest gates of Moroccan gateways. The gate was commissioned in the early 18th century and completed in 1732. Stunning does not begin to describe this masterpiece. The mosaic tile built into the gate is so beautiful. My photo does not do it justice. Not even close. But trust me, it blew me away!

As we were leaving Meknes, I tried to take in all sites along the road. I realized taxis are a big thing in Morocco. They are everywhere. And wide open areas for markets. And of course the people. People watching is my favorite. What did that woman buy at the market? Does she have a family at home waiting for her? Is this something she does every week? What are those young men carrying on that cart? How much money will they make selling what it there? How large is the family they are trying to support? I have so many thoughts going through my mind as we drive by in this huge air conditioned bus with water and snacks available at any time. I think about how different our lives are and how blessed I am.

And then I think, maybe they are the blessed ones. They all seem happy. I'm sure they have stress in their lives but do they have the pressures we do. Do they even want to travel anywhere. They are so close to their families and they take care of each other. Sure, there is poverty but people seem to take care of each other in Morocco. Even people outside of their family. I admire these people and feel a love for them.

Another thing I noticed was the police presence. They are on the side of major roadways randomly stopping people. They seem very friendly but are definitely armed. I feel safe in Morocco. I don't feel there is a lot of crime other than petty theft. There are also a lot of radar traps and they are not afraid of hiding so you can't see them!

Our next stop was the UNESCO World Heritage site of Volubilis. This site was a Roman city that was the capital and a hub for trade. They are still digging in this archaeological site and finding more and more. It was founded in the 3rd century B.C.. The site was a reminder of how young the U.S. really is.

After visiting Volubilis, we are ready to continue our trip to Fes. On the way, we run into a pomegranate stand on the side of the road. Most people would drive on by. But not our tour manager. He asks the driver to stop and he gets out and buys us pomegranates. Abdel is a wonderful tour manager and we all have learned to appreciate him so much. As you can see, we are in the middle of nowhere.

As we get closer to Fes, the scenery becomes even more beautiful. We stop before we get into town and take photos overlooking the old town.

We arrive at the hotel and once again, are shocked at the quality of places we are staying. The people greet us and provide us with, as you would expect, mint tea.

We are actually staying in what is called a Riad. A Riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an indoor courtyard. So we are all staying in a "house" with enough rooms for all of us. After being shown to our rooms (which were like mini palaces themselves) we all meet in the main room for a dinner of couscous. Now I have had couscous before but I have never experienced anything like this. They set huge bowls in the middle of the table and told us to dig in. The joke was, our table had to eat everything in the bowl or we were in trouble. Out of the 5 tables we had, no one was able to finish the meal. It was enormous!

After dinner, a lot of us went up to the roof, which overlooked the city. We had realized how important the cats were to Moroccans and saw them everywhere. Including the rooftop. The cat was immediately on Jim's lap.

The most divine part of the evening was hearing the call to prayer (Adhan). For those who are not aware, Muslims are called to prayer by the Adhan, five times per day. There were many mosques throughout Fes and being on the roof was the best place to hear multiple calls to prayer. It was a very moving moment for all of us that were on the roof. It sent a chill through my body and I felt so much emotion I almost cried. When you think about the importance of these "call to prayers" and the dedication the Muslim people have, it almost made me want to become a Muslim. Abbye and Jim both recorded it with their phones. I just listened. This was the highlight of my day.

After an amazing day, we said goodnight to everyone and headed to our amazing room to get a great night sleep. We went to head exhausted and amazed, looking forward to the next day.

And oh, by the way, I was already falling in love.

Peace out everyone!

Ruthie