Hello Meknes...
We leave Fez by train for Meknes.
The Fez train station is modern, clean and sleek.
The interior has a bit of old world Moroccon charm like this amazing wooden ceiling in the centre of the station. Glass, marble finish with plenty of shops to help pass the time while waiting ...
Our train leaves on time. Service including food and drink can be purchased by stewards walking through the cars. Seating is very comfortable. Too bad the trip only lasts 20 minutes.
This is definitely the way to travel through some regions of Morocco.
We arrive in Meknes, one of the four imperial cities of Morocco, get to our Riad (house) Felloussia in the Medina. Wonderful room, quiet and safe with Gravois hosts. It's just a few steps to the alleys of the Meknes Medina.
Our room with 16' ceilings.
A shower with enough room for the whole family!
A welcome mint tea starts our stay here.
We head out to see the famous Bab Mansour Gate finished in 1732. This gate is one of the best preserved of its kind in Morocco. Although, the palace grounds are closed for renovations, there's plenty else to see in Meknes.
Across from Bab Mansour is the giant plaza. Once, it was the site for royal pronouncements and public executions centuries ago. While that has been done away with, it is still a place to gather, to sit, to buy.
Snake charmers continue their centuries old entertainment; while story tellers weave astounding folk lore tales and magicians delight and mystify the children and families that stroll through the plaza.
People gather to meet, talk, eat snails or check out the 'flea' market goodies.
Inside, the Medina is less frantic than in Fez. Shopkeepers work, plying their handicrafts. Many of these thread shops turn their spools of gold, silver and magenta into glittering gowns for festivals and weddings. What Rumpelstiltskin would have done with these treasures.
The handiwork is evident everywhere.
And, we encounter little pressure to shop or buy. Much more laid back in the Meknes Medina, than in Fez.
We come across a rug, blanket, curtain auction. We step inside to watch. Seems the women down the middle are selling their handcrafted goods. Men carry each good from one end of the hall to another, bids are offered and sales are made.
A timeless tradition still carried on to this day.
We never did find out if the sales were for personal use or to be sold in someone's shop with a bit of a mark up.
Our Riad Felloussia has a perfect terrace overlooking the plaza. We sit in the warm afternoon sun and watch the crowds build for the nightly fun.
Of course, a brilliant Moroccon sunset over Meknes ends the day (with a stork gracing the sunset).
The souks in the Medina carry a wide range of fruits and vegetables.
There seems to be a vibrant agricultural scene in Morocco. Soil is rich, land is tended and worked.
Soon, it is time to head on the road again. After, a wonderful breakfast at our Riad we prepare our packs and head to the bus station for a 7 hour journey south and the desert.
On the Road to the Atlas Mountains and the Desert.....
We leave Fez by bus on a bright, sunny morning and head south towards the town of Merzouga; the gateway to the Sahara Desert. This is a big travel jump. The 7+ hours journey should get us to the town of ErRachidia, where we will spend the night before moving on the next day.
South of Fez the bus rolls through the fertile plains that extend far in all directions. This region looks to be able to grow a wide range of crops. Tidy homes and farms dot the ever increasing rolling hills.
We start to climb into the forested hills surrounding the Atlas Mountains. Sheep, goat herds are tended to under the watchful eye of the herder.
As we pass from range to the plains, the terrain changes. Growing more and more desolate and stark, the last landscape takes on a Martian-like panorama.
The views are impressive. The distant Atlas Mountains still carry snow. There are ski areas, alpine towns done in a Swiss theme.
We pass through quiet towns with the ever-present mosque, and, to eat at roadside grill stands. Grilled meat, onions and tomatoes wrapped in bread.
We motor on. The scenery now begins to look as if it could be a backdrop for those westerns filmed everywhere.
It is a gorgeous, stark terrain.
We get fleeting glimpses of old/new adobe Berber settlements.
Rugged, lonely but so beautiful. This is a vast, striking country in its variety.
We push on through the Atlas Mountains until we descend into the Ziz Gorge and into the valley.
We stop for the night at the Auberge Tinit in Errachidia.
We order dinner and are served tea. Poured the old way!
Tomorrow, we head into the desert for several nights from Merzouga. A chance to ride camels, follow a bit of the Spice Trail and sleep in a Berber home.
Can't wait.....
Additional Random Photos...
The Super Moon
Traditional shop
Beautifully tiled fountain in our Riad but also seen everywhere in towns where people get their drinking water, wash hands or fruit.
Tea set in our room
Baker baking bread for shops. Can you see him?
Tea break
Not my favourite bathroom !
WOW!!
Cheers until the next post after our desert trek...🐪🐪
Awesome adventure! Looks like chill architecture and modern train system. Happy trails.
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