Off exploring...

Holiday time... gone off to experience more great Moroccan foods and bad Moroccan roads, posts to follow. Thanks for checking

Yay! There's pig under there...

Living in Morocco has its own unique benefits. These include endless sunshine, great food and quick flights to Europe and home. Sadly socialising and cheap alcohol are not amongst the benefits. Last week we took a much anticipated trip to Spain on an alcohol and pork run. As I have mentioned before, much to the Moroccans dismay and our delight, Spain has managed to hang on to two small enclaves on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. Although they could do with being a little closer than 450 km away, we appreciate them nonetheless. After our last stressful seven hour drive to Ceuta, for this trip we decided to visit the slightly closer town of Melilla.

Melilla is a 12 kilometre squared piece of land and port which has been part of Spain for over 500 years and is highly contested by most Moroccans. Similar to the other enclaves and all the small islands close to Morocco that are considered to be Spanish, Melilla is somewhat of a sore point with the Moroccan government who believe the areas should be under Moroccan rule and the Spanish should leave. The Spanish are sticking to their guns and are not going anywhere. This decision seems somewhat hypocritical considering their contention over the British rule of Gibraltar.

The drive from Fes to Melilla is relatively easy by Moroccan standards. It is 450 kilometres in sunshine so strong that when experienced in a car without air-con makes you feel like you are being baked in a tin, even in March. However, half of the way you are on a highway that is empty and runs through land resembling the Lake District, and the other half is along a pot-holey but reasonably straight road that is good for overtaking on. Frustratingly, we made it 450 kilometres in four hours and then five kilometres in an hour when it came to crossing the border. It seems that we were not the only people who wanted to go to Spain on a Saturday lunch to do shopping. Surely the cheap shopping isn't cheap enough to warrant an hour border crossing each way? Yes we drove 450 kilometres in search of a Lidl, but we were on a long distance beer and pig mission. The fact that Melilla is one of the most popular places for illegal immigrants to enter the EU added to our queuing time. However, the thorough car checks and six metre barbed wire fences with watch towers seem pointless when people appear to be able to wander through without being stopped.

There are few borders that I have crossed in my travels that give you that feeling of literally entering another world. Obviously you always have that few kilometres or grubbiness and chaos, that seem to occur no matter how wealthy the country you are entering, but usually what's beyond that is reasonably similar to what you have left. Leaving Africa and entering Europe in the space of five kilometres is quite an experience, one that is probably only matched by crossing from Mexico into America. Not only are the streets, buildings and cars smarter, it is almost like the air is cleaner as well. We are perfectly content with life in Morocco, but immediately upon entering Spain you feel you are in a whole other level of civilisation and order. There are road markings, litter bins, long tree lined streets, fountains, parks and ornate buildings, all of them gleaming. You turn a corner in search of a secure underground car park and there one is just where you need it. Amongst all this pristine order stroll stylish families off to meet up with equally stylish friends and spend the entire day sitting at café tables enjoying tapas, wine and beer all the while looking very....well....stylish.

Now I am sure most European countries have there own version of this, but Spain seem to have this one down to a fine art. Long lazy sunny weekend days enjoying small chilled-cheap beers, great table wine and a never ending stream of amazing nibbles that are heavy on the pork. The extent of our longing for pork was such that as a plate of mystery tapas was put down later that day Nick exclaimed with glee “Yay! There's pig under there!” For our first round of tapas we settled in as close as we dared to all the stylish people in a restaurant overlooking a square. Here we were subjected to being taken advantage of as naïve tourists. The waiter, when kindly taking the time to explain the confusing menu to us took our nods not as confirmation of our understanding of product, but instead as confirmation of us wanting to order everything he listed. Unlike the tables around us who were presented with a restrained nibble or two at a time, we were made to look like immense pigs as six large portions of food were brought to our table all at once. While this was all very enjoyable, we hadn't quite been prepared for what was to be the most expensive lunch we have ever had. 

 

 

 

After lunch we went for a short walk before admitting defeat to a full stomach and going for a lie down. In most places going to bed late afternoon is a recipe for disaster, or a missed night at least. In Spain it seems that yet again they have planned for this eventuality. Enjoy your long, lazy and stylish lunch, sleep it off and make your way out refreshed and ready to start your night just about the times pubs in the UK are closing.

Proper Ancient History....

As I have mentioned before, Morocco is a history lover's heaven. Not only are its villages and cities dotted with traces of life from around a thousand years ago, but there are also a scattering of Roman ruins around the country dating back nearly 2000 years. Volubolis just north of Meknes is an archaeological site that boasts the best preserved ruins in Morocco and North Africa. Volubolis was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. 

Unlike temples and ruins that are open to the public in countries not just in the West, but most others around the world, this world heritage site was one that cost about $3 to get in and left you free to roam wherever you liked. With the usual lack of nonchalance it seems that the Moroccans feel that it has managed to last 2000 years so it will survive a little longer. Apart from a few ropes protecting the best preserved mosaics, you can go where you want; clamber down steps and over ancient walls. This combined with the relative lack of tourists made for a far more interesting cultural experience than I expected. I have never had much patience for touring ruins, or I hadn't until someone put a camera in my hand. It's a lot easier to take a real interest in these things when trying to find an unusual angle and you have complete freedom to go where you want. 

The first thing that strikes you about the site is just how big it is. Once one of the Roman empire's most remote outposts, it was the administrative centre for northern Africa, and at it's peak it was a city holding 20,000 people. This was the place where decisions were made and laws were enforced. Now while most of it has crumbled to the ground there are still some amazingly colourful mosaics, pillars and arches to explore.

 

The highlights of Volubolis, apart from the empty space, wild flowers and warm sunshine, was stumbling across the mosaics. Remarkably bright and well preserved, these depicted a variety of scenes; sea monsters, dolphins and other animals (including proof that tigers really did exist in Rome, or Africa at least). One depicted an acrobat receiving a prize for riding backwards on a donkey. A sign of sense of humour that stood the test of time.

With so much space and at $3 a time, Volubolis is a place that can be explored over a few visits. That and the fact that we have discovered a beautiful farm stay within walking distance run by a chef who worked in a Michelin starred restaurant in Holland means that we will definitely back.