Morocco - Casablanca

 Everyone said we couldn’t go to Morocco and not visit Casablanca. We were both a little bit under the weather and tired when we were in Casablanca. We had only stayed one night in each city before moving on and our days were very jam packed. As a result we didn’t see much of Casablanca including touring the Hassan II mosque which is open to non-Muslims one of very few mosques in Morocco which is. This was a huge regret once we were faced with the gigantic architectural masterpiece.

  

We stayed in Hotel Astrid which was average. The room was clean with an en-suit bathroom. There was no breakfast included. I cannot comment on the location as I wasn’t in Casablanca long enough.

Morocco - Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes

We arrived in Meknes from Fez on the train at lunch time. We organised a half day tour well taxi really from our hotel to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss.

On arrival at Volubilis which is less than half an hour drive outside Meknes tour guides approached us offering their service, we declined however which Matthew soon regretted. For me (someone who isn't really that into history well certainly not history that isn't Irish) this was very inspiring. This was build in the 3rd century BC onwards by the romans.

On our way back to Meknes we stopped in Moulay Idriss. We had done little research on Moulay Idriss beforehand and due to little time there, we didn’t get to see the main attractions and as a result I don’t have any noteworthy pictures to share. A guide approached us but as we were so hungry and tired and unsure how much time we had we kindly declined.

Meknes on the other hand we truly enjoyed. Our sunset stroll around the imperial city was a welcoming break from the recent visited medinas. It was beautiful at this time of the night and the people from Meknes were very friendly. It was a great regret that we didn’t have more time in this city.

We stayed in Riad D'or we caught a taxi to the riad. We were dropped outside the medina and we had to take a short walk to the riad which was really well sign posted. The location of riad is ideal if you want to stay in the medina but also access the imperial part of the city as it is just a short walk. The riad organised us a half day taxi to Voulibis and Moulay Idriss for 400dh and we were picked up and dropped off at the medina. The breakfast the next morning was lovely, which included a selection of bread and pastries.  The views from the terraces were beautiful. There was so much rooftop space to lounge around on and if you searched real hard you would find the rooftop pool. The only downside to this riad was the fact our room didn’t lock and although nothing was stolen (we didn’t chance leaving valuables) I still felt a bit uneasy. 

Morocco - Fes

Fes is a very touristy location in Morocco. We hadn't got much time in Fes so we arranged to be picked up from the bus station in Fes and brought to our hotel via a car and then a man and his cart through the riad we were staying at. We had also arranged a half day tour of Fes to see the most see sights in the Medina in Fes.

Our first stop was the Nejjarine Museum of Wood Arts and Crafts. The collection of wood arts and crafts are stored in this well maintained building which offers great views of the city from its rooftop terrace. Unfortunately the posts explaining the different crafts and rooms were only in French.

We also visited a tannery. We saw all their stock. It was a much less pushy place than the souqs in the Medina.

Our next stop was the Medersa Bou Inania. These pictures say it all. It was truly beautiful.

The photos which follow were taken on route on our tour.

The final stop of our tour was Glaoui Palace. It was also my favourite part of Fez and definitely a must see if you are in Fez for a few days. Its designs are based on the Al-Hambra in Spain and although it is needing restoration and it is not as grand as other buildings in Fez, I feel this adds to the quaintness of the place and creating a unique atmosphere. Abdou, a painter, a resistant at the palace gave us a tour and even showed us some of his paintings. His humour and pride made the tour even more enjoyable. 

We stayed in Dar El Menia which was up a really narrow alley (pictured below) one we would have never found if we weren't picked up from the bus station. Graham our host was so helpful organising us pick up and a half day tour around Fez through email beforehand. He had beer and wine in the kitchen which we could avail of at an extra cost. We were also able to help ourselves to coffee and tea from the kitchen and use the amenities in the kitchen. We had our breakfast on the rooftop terrace which was delicious.