This morning we left the hotel after breakfast to tour Rabat. We had a local tour guide, Ikram, a woman who is also getting her PhD in business. She brought us first to the administrative royal Palace which is a huge compound where the king has official meetings. We were able to see the entrance to the palace and the surrounding grounds. The king was not present. He has 15 palaces in Morocco.
We then saw a few areas outside the walls of the casbah including a new office building and opera house that will open next year. The opera house was designed by Zaha Hadid, a famous woman architect. It is fashioned to look like the head of a cobra.
We then visited a tower built for a king who died before the whole structure was completed in the 15th century. At the same site was a burial site for the grandfather of the present king. It was impressive, surrounded by guards and beautifully constructed.
We moved on to the Medina which has the usual small winding streets that led us to a view of the ocean and then down to a jewelry museum that had one of the oldest known necklaces that was made of shells. There was also a huge range of bead necklaces and traditional dress on display.
We had lunch at a restaurant where we had hand washing with warmed water as we entered. A huge array of salads was followed by various chicken and beef dishes. Then we had tea and cookies. So much food! As we left we washed our hands in rose water.
Afterwards most people chose their own activity. I went with Patricia, who taught French literature, to visit both the contemporary art museum and the archeological museum. Both were fascinating. The contemporary art museum had shows about artist and movements about which I knew nothing. The archeological museum had displays of things from a dig where we will go in a few days. When signs in French were beyond my comprehension, Patricia was able to explain.
We returned to the hotel to join a wine shopping expedition. Many places either don’t sell or allow alcohol but we can have drinks privately so we stocked up! Fes and the desert part of our trip will not be places where we can buy liquor.
Dinner was in a nearby Moroccan restaurant. Lamb with prunes and figs was tasty and a bit sweet. Several of us ended the evening in the bar discussing the lives of women here and at home. It was a great end of the day.
Tomorrow we go to Fes- we say Fez.
The Adventures of Anne 