Our first hotel was right across the street from Parliament. While we couldn't go in, it's still a gorgeous building. We also heard (during a security briefing) that all sorts of protests go on right in this area, and we have seen a few now.
We then (I say then- this is really in no particular order) made our way through the Old Medina en route to a few other places. The Medina here is wonderful. It's much smaller than the one in Fes, and there are significantly less tourists, so no one was hassling us into buying anything. It's also got wider lanes and more distinguished sections (go straight for food, go right for clothes, etc). We've eaten in there a number of times now and will continue to do so on Rabat trips.
(Okay so I apparently forgot to take pictures of the more bustling part. But you get the idea.)
This is one of the outside walls of the Old Medina, but it's also a way to show that the tram system is above ground. Portland- we miss you!
After looking up what a Kasbah was, we decided to walk through the one here. It might be the most beautiful part of the city, honestly. It's up on a cliff, jutting out over the confluence of the river and the Atlantic, and it's all sorts of majestic. It used to be partially a fortress, but now it's pretty residential and touristy. There are big gardens, a couple tea shops, places to buy crafts and legit Argan oil, beautifully painted walls, and overlook points along the back.
It would have been silly to go to the Kasbah without stopping by the beach, and what else are two red heads to do on a sunny day. The water was surprisingly warm (not enough to go swimming, but I could still feel my feet after walking in it for 10 minutes sooo....). And! Because it's still not considered beach or tourist season here, it was pretty empty and easy to find a really good spot for sitting. The Pacific might be the prettiest ocean, but the Atlantic seems the most friendly (at the beach).
(If you look closely, you can see the sun laughing at our spf 50)
We also had an opportunity to visit the Old Medina of Salé. I'm not sure of all the history here, but Rabat and Salé were two cities for a long time, then became one, and now there are two medinas. The medina was also great. We didn't see as much of it, but we liked what we saw. Including, but not limited to, these strawberries that go around around 10 dhs a kilo (or roughly $1.10 for 2.2 lbs).
As it turns out, Morocco is covered in all sorts of Ancient ruins that are still in great shape. Conveniently, there are some right near downtown Rabat. The Ruins of Chellah- look them up! They have a really cool history that I am not knowledgable enough on to repeat.
The grounds include an old cemetery, a number of big gardens, a really old mosque, a school, a bath house, and a ton of other stuff. And what might be the best part is that you can walk in and around the whole place! There are very few sections roped off from the public, and the rest is free reign. Are you, too, thinking ACK won't stupid people break them?!?! Nope. Good architecture lasts, man. I would also be remiss to not mention the huge storks that are nesting all over the tops of the buildings. They're huge. In other cities, they're usually just on cell phone towers and the tops of mosques, but they seem to run Chellah.
Ther Mohammed V Museum of Modern Art reopened just before we got here, so we decided to check it out. It's a gorgeous building with an impressive collection.
Potentially the most well-known sites in Rabat are the Tour Hassan and the Mausoleum Mohammed V. The Tour (giant tower) is currently undergoing renovations, so it just looked a lot like the Washington Monument did for the last year. We're excited to come see it later during our service. There's also a big plaza and the mausoleum, which are both phenomenal. We've seen the mausoleum on the news a number of times when foreign dignitaries visit Rabat and pay their respects to the past kings. The building is only open to the public occasionally, so we consider ourselves very lucky for getting to see the inside.
Architecture nerds out there: here's your moment.
And finally, our glorious Peace Corps Morocco headquarters. Not only is the compound ready to handle all of our lives (I think there are around 225 volunteers in country right now), but Morocco is also the hub for the region (the whole Middle East/North Africa region, which is just Morocco currently, as well as most of the rest of the African countries) for all of the important stuff (medical, safety and security, etc). We also happen to have a gorgeous compound, and a library significantly larger than expected.
And here's just the travel section of the library:
It's a big deal.
Alright. While Rabat has been great, we're stoked to finally head off to site on Friday afternoon!
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