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.
