We have really enjoyed the difference of not being in Europe though next time we come here we will make sure to come either earlier or later in the year and also ensure that it is not Ramadan either. The difficulty in getting food at lunch time makes day trips a bit of trial for us though it does fill us with admiration for the practising muslims here!
Consequently we have not done as much travelling around as we would have wished. At least we made it to Mohammedia a few miles down the coast today and had lunch in a beachside cafe! Below is a description of our visit to one of the major attractions of Rabat.
One of the atractions of Rabat and indeed a lot of the towns along the Atlantic coast of Morocco is the long history that these places have. Rabat for instance, was first settled by Phoenecians thousands of years ago. Their settlement was known as Sala Colonia and was subsequently taken over by the Romans. The roman town has been preserved even though it was also used by the Merenid dynasty during the twelth century. Now known as Chellah it sits just ouside the city walls of Rabat and well repays a visit being both fascinating and good value at only 10 Dihrams.
Probably one of the best aspects of it from a European's perspective is that you are free to clamber over all the ruins without being roped off. I expect that this will accelerate the damage to the remains of course but it makes for an immeasurably more immediate experience. You can really imagine what it must have been like for the baker when you can walk into his building and touch the grindstone. Once we had identified the forum we were all beset with images of Frankie Howerd even if we weren't looking at Pompeii. Another observation that forces itself on you is how much smaller than us were the ancients. I suspect that we would all tower over them given the size of their rooms and how low the ceilings were.
I'll do some more photos when we have more access to wifi!
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