Fez and Meknes

We didn't have much time left on our vacation so we could only make one more destination before heading home. We decided against the seashore and chose to go to Fez instead. It turned out to be a wonderful choice! The guidebook states that Fez is just like Marrakech only without the hordes of tourists and it was exactly like that. We strolled in the medina and around the markets where we saw an amazing collection of old and new, all thrown together. There was a modern bank branch with marble counters and glass doors on the same narrow winding path through the market where an old lady sat on a crate selling live chickens.


We had lunch on a rooftop terrace, overlooking the old city. We stayed at a hotel in the new city where it was also quite lively, especially in the evening. Not far from Fez is another small city, Meknes, also pleasant and not too touristy with another old medina and palaces to explore. From Meknes we made a trip to the site of ancient Roman ruins at Volubilis. The ruins indicate that this was one huge city a long time ago. There are so many ruins and some of them quite well preserved that it took us over an hour to stroll around.


We took a taxi to get us there and this was probably the only time on our trip that the vehicle was old and tattered and it made us wonder whether it wouldn’t fall apart (the driver stopped once to check the engine which was making funny sounds). The rest of the transportation in Morocco is modern and well maintained.

And that concluded our two week vacation. As I mentioned at the beginning I was quite impressed with how modern Morocco became in recent years. It could easily pass for any European city. But still, it has the easy flow of the Arabic culture, where one could sit for hours, drink tea and relax among the friendly local people.