A Rainy 24-Hour Interval Inward Meknes

Since I came dorsum from my 2nd trip to Morocco in March, I possess got been having a recurring dream chapeau I plan a new itinerary inwards the country, as well as there's e'er a trip to Volubilis as well as Moulay Idriss that gets postponed or cancelled. As a affair of fact, when I was inwards Fez, I had to cancel my trip there, generally because of the rain that didn't desire to stop.

I did kickoff my 24-hour interval amongst a educate to Meknes, though. In my experience, trains inwards Kingdom of Morocco are safe, comfortable as well as cheap. A trip to Meknes from Fez of virtually xl minutes damage me 20 dirham, less than 2 euro, but the educate was one-half an hr late. Once inwards Meknes I was supposed to accept a cab to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, but the pouring rain  as well as the aggressiveness of taxi drivers inwards this urban heart seat me off the trip. I decided to explore Meknes instead.

Meknes is non every bit touristic every bit Fez, but it is all the same 1 of the imperial cities of Morocco. The most beautiful thing are the gates: totally fascinating, colourful as well as rattling old. Bab Mansour is the most famous, but a trip roughly the urban heart walls yesteryear taxi volition present you lot the others.



One of the gate doors inwards Meknes

Overall, I institute Meknes to go a chip dull, if compared to other places inwards Morocco. The brain square, Place Lahdim, resembles Jemaa el-Fna, entirely without the life that makes that foursquare 1 of the brain tourist attractions of Marrakesh.

Place Lahdim

The souqs hither are rather modern, amongst unattractive wearing clothing made inwards China. I did accept a walk inwards the to a greater extent than traditional parts, but I didn't find the whole experience as alluring every bit a walk inwards the medina of Fez or Essaouira. The irony was that Meknes was my 50th UNESCO basis heritage site, as well as it was overall a chip disappointing.



Moroccan fashion

Since it was raining when I arrived inwards Meknes, I took shelter inwards Museum Dar Jamai. Like Museum Dar Si Said which I visited inwards Marrakesh, it was worth it to a greater extent than for the beautiful palace than for the exhibits. Inside the museum I met a French human who was travelling lonely without a guidebook or anything, picking upwardly advices from other travellers. Somehow he senses that I verbalize French, so I told him virtually the Roman ruins as well as he was rattling happy virtually it.

Inside the museum

Another room of the museum/palace

Meknes is non completely devoid of charm: you lot tin find nice spots hither as well as there, but I wouldn't brand a detour to see this city. The taxi  drivers hither seemed to go desperate to brand to a greater extent than coin out of the few travellers who halt by, which is something that I haven't seen inwards Fez, where I institute it rattling slowly as well as stress-free to accept a taxi.

 

I don't know if it was the bad weather, but fifty-fifty when it stopped raining I didn't run across anything exceptional inwards this city. What the locals referred to every bit peachy views ended upwardly beingness only a glimpse of the hills roughly the city, the restaurants didn't await every bit inviting every bit inwards other parts of Morocco, as well as the urban heart inwards full general seemed a chip lifeless.



Street life inwards Meknes

 





Have you lot ever been disappointed yesteryear a UNESCO-listed heritage site? And if you lot possess got been to Meknes, did you lot possess got a dissimilar experience?

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