MOROCCO


Our first day in Morocco began in Casablanca and a visit to the Hassan II Mosque, we were fortunate it being Friday the day the  mosque is  open to the public before prayers begin  at midday.. To describe the mosque it was designed simply, but on a grand scale, the materials were predominately from Morocco and built by Moroccon  crasftsmen,  and designed by a French architect. It is situated overlooking the Atlantic ocean giving it a wonderful back drop. We then travelled to Rabat to visit the Royal Palace ,this is a beautiful city very clean and with lovely gardens. Our guide took us to the Kasbah where the walls of the streets and alleys are painted in blue similar to Greece. We then continued to Meknes which was the former imperial city of Morocco with its old ramparts.  A visit to Valubillis was worth the drive as it was the Roman capital of north western Africa and has impressive and well preserved Roman ruins. The fertile lands of the province  produce grain and olive oil, which were exported to Rome, contributing to the province’s wealth and prosperity. The Romans evacuated most of Morocco at the end of the 3rd century, but unlike some other Roman cities  Valubillis was not abandoned. Our accommodation tonight is in a small Riad, on arrival to the area in Fess that we were staying we were a little apprehensive  as the streets looked gloomy and dirty but to our amazement when we entered this magnificent door way we were amazed at the grandeur of the inside of the riad, we were bathed in luxury for the next 2 nights stay.
Filed under: Adventure travel