We started our adventure in Morocco with a bus journey from Casablanca to Fez. Half way we got to stop for a guided tour around some Roman ruins at Volubilis. Volubilis was hotter than the sun and Debbie felt like she was going to melt!!! Temperatures soaring up to 44 degrees, it was unlike any heat we had experienced before. The ruins were amazing, especially the monazite tiles on the ancient house floors which told of ancient stories long gone. Imagining the area during its prime, palm tree lined streets where the chariots would ride down to the imposing Roman Arch, overlooking the Moroccan hills. It really was breath taking…. And not just because of the ridiculously hot weather. Our guide told us it had been an unusually dry winter and therefore a lot of crops had failed. Where in the Roman ruin there would have once been fountains, and ponds from clever Roman engineering, now ran dry and was dusty.
After the tour, we boarded the bus again for a few more hours. Fez was much a more authentic and inviting atmosphere compared to Casablanca. Upon arrival, we we were desperate to relax in our air-conditioned room. As the saying goes, “Only English men and mad dogs stay out in the midday sun.”
Later that evening, we had a lovely meal at a local building, which also offered live entertainment. The building itself was fantastic, and the rooftop seating area provided a stunning view of the city.
The local entertainment, featuring a belly dancer (who got female members of the crowd up on the stage to partake in a bit of a dance off….Debbie decided this was her forte and pulled a back muscle!!), local music, and a magician (Debbie also loved this!!). To top it all off, they ended the evening with a traditional wedding celebration, where the bride was placed in a chair and carried around on stage, there were several women keen to have a go at this until they realised it was three older women who had to carry the chair and then decided better of it!