moving along to meknes

so we were lucky today that Aziz remembered to feed us at a reasonable hour- and we headed into Meknes after a drive through the village of Moulay Idriss (westerners advised to stay in the vehicle as it is considered a holy city and many of the places do not welcome non Muslims) where people came into the village on Berber taxis (aka donkeys and mules) ---

then on to the restaurant where Philippe welcomed us warmly (especially GA- LOL) - what can I say tall blonds and gay guys just have an affinity- LOL.... the lunch was excellent and our table had a view of Meknes on the hilltop across the valley... so we left well sated-

here is lunch- an excellent veggie quiche to start- then fish en papillotte and then a heart shaped dessert !

above the menu and below the view!

the food-

then off to more touring-

I am so bummed this is out of sharp focus because I was so hoping for a great shot of the shadow of the lantern!

the area of the stables went on and on... that's how you get room for 12,000 horses!

now on to the moulay's masoleum - but on the way a quick stop at one of the gates to the medina-

a large square directly across from the gates- oh did I mention it rained while we were at lunch? timing is everything!

we take the highway back to Fes and decide to dine at the other restaurant in our hotel and have a very good dinner with an EXCELLENT dessert of the b'stillah with strawberries! this concept works much  better as a dessert than a main - despite chicken and powdered sugar being an interesting combination- LOL

the road to volubilis

we left Fes fairly early on the morning of our trip to Volubilis.  it was overcast and rain was predicted.... we did not take the highway but instead took the scenic route through the hills and countryside.  Crops were just starting to green- and the land was very fertile.  along the way we stopped at a roadside stand where GA bought some figs to snack on.  they came in handy as we already know Aziz has a habit of forgetting both bathroom stops and lunch stops until reminded that we need to eat...

here are some photos of the stop along the way and the scenery-

next up the actual Roman ruins- and we didn't even need to use umbrellas!