The tourist office in Meknes was closed on Friday afternoon - almost everything else was too, either because of the holy day or the heat - so we never found a map of the medina. Rather than wander aimlessly we waited for the temperature to drop below 100° before setting out for the Palais Royal, first palace of Moulay Ismail, the founder of the kingdom. We were shocked that no one could tell us where it was, niether in English nor French. Imagine someone in near Washington, DC not knowing where Mt. Vernon is! But we eventually prevailed, sweaty and a bit disappointed.
Sinbad Suite, Ryad Bahia
The medina of Meknes can’t compare with the one at Fez and our room at Ryad Bahia is a step down from the splendor of Riad des Remparts. The Aladin Suite is pleasant enough but the owners, Abdel and Bouchar, are a treasure in their own right. They speak French and English, are both world travelers and can’t do enough to help make your stay wonderful. (If you are staying here, don’t believe the map on booking.com! Ask the taxi driver to drop you at Place Lahdim, cross the plaza and find your way from there by following signs for Sweet Sultana.)
We are suckers for mosaics
Temple of Saturn
They arranged for a driver to take us to the World Heritage Roman ruins of Volubilis, about 35 minutes from Meknes and our chief reason for stopping here. As usuaul we declined the services of a guide, having seen enough Roman sites to have a good idea of what was what. And we like to go at our own pace. Il fait tres chaud! The temperature was already climbing towards 100°F by nine o’clock and topped out at 107° (46°C), the hottest we have been since Death Valley. We were compensated by having the entire site to ourselves for most of the morning – the columns, arches, temples and especially the mosaics – with no one to get in our way. Volubilis is well-preserved but we can't see where the World Heritage money is going. With some good signage and a little weeding, Volubilis could be truly world class.
