Early but not too early (8:30am), we all piled into the bus to head towards Volubilis, the largest of the Romans' 17 colonies established in Morocco between the 1st century BCE and the 2nd century CE. The colorful mosaics, which are a famous feature of these ruins, provided a fitting pairing for the cheerful wildflowers sprouting between the rocks. I was struck by how green it was: last time I was in Morocco, I was in the desert to the southeast and in the heavy heat of August summer. It was breathtakingly gorgeous this time, but in a totally different way: delicate and verdant vs. bold and stark.
After our hike in the crisp morning air, I was ready for lunch. We were in for a treat: situated in a riad with soaring walls and bright natural light, I was about to taste the best couscous EVER. Light and fluffy, topped with sauteed sweet onions with garbanzo beans and raisins, this dish tasted like the happiest marriage of entree and dessert. Chicken legs were tucked into the mouthwatering topping underneath toasted almonds, but I could have totally skipped this protein because the topping was so delicious. Dessert was a refreshing plate of juicy oranges sprinkled with cinnamon. What a great idea to dress up fruit in this way!
Our post-lunch destination was Meknes, Morocco's newest Imperial City and a UNESCO World Heritage site. During the 55-year reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail, one of Morocco's most powerful leaders, this hamlet was turned into a capital with enormous ramparts, gates, and over 50 palaces. He was busy!
We stopped by the square, which was much smaller and quieter than I remember the Marrakech square to be. But we were not disappointed by the wares: there were tagines galore! I've never seen Mohamed smile so big; he was definitely a kid in a candy store. I had told him before leaving on this vacation that he'd want to buy a tagine from Morocco because it's the land of tagines, and he demurred -- understandably, since we have so many at home already and because they are very awkward to bring back in one's luggage. But I could see that we were going to have a new addition to our kitchen quite soon! Even the kitties love tagines. :)
We then headed to our hotel, where we'd be staying for the next three nights. The Hotel Sahrai is brand-new, and I thought it was very tastefully decorated. The bathroom was huge, with dramatic glass walls on three sides and a curtain that pulled across for modesty reasons, I assumed. The bed was expansive and very comfortable. In fact, I had to stop myself from climbing underneath the covers because dinner was just around the corner.
Dinner was downstairs at one of the hotel's two restaurants, and I was struck by how good the food in all of the hotels was. Unlike in the U.S.,where hotel food is expensive and dismal, hotel restaurants in Asia, Europe and the Middle East are, in my experience, so good they're worth taking a special trip for.
