Old Stuff

I know it has been a while since the last posting, but hey life gets busy in Africa too. We took a trip to some very old places a few weekends ago, Fes and Volubilis, Morocco. Volubilis is a 1200 year old Roman city, or it used to be anyhow; it is a ruin now, although very cool to wander around in. It is not really regulated liek other ancient sites, so the girls had a great time walking on the old wall, making them a little more ruined than before. Now before yo condemn me as a terrible father and an even worse historian, once I saw them they did get the old lecture about preserving history and not destroying, so they did be more careful. It was well preserved, despite the lack of security, and we had a very friendly and knowledgeable guide take us through the exhibit. Definitely worth the visit.

The second place was a city nearby called Fes. Apprently, according to our guide, it is the most densely populated place in the world. Now, you know it alls, let me clarify. In every city is an old city, called a Medina. It is a walled city, very old, and it is an original medeival city in Morocco. The city has grown up and out over time, but it is the Medina city of 47 hectares containing 350,000 people that is the most densely populated place in the world. It certainly felt that way. We spent the night in a Dar, not a Riad but a Dar. A dar is a house, with a courtyard but no garden. The house has a number of room, which the owner rents to visitors like us. A Riad is the same as a Dar, however, in order to be classified as a Riad it has to have a garden (among many other requirements for that classification). The next morning we wandered the Medina, and experience much like traveling through the human body, around the blood vessels, with "millions" of other red blood cells, only I was a white blood cell. (I did see some other white blood cells, who probably looked as touristy as me.) It was crowded, busy, colorfull, smelly and generally a great experience; the people are friendly and accepting, the vendors were aggressive and persistent, and I still have my wallet. We had a guide, which is the main reason I am not still there, trying to find my way. If I remember correctly there are over 9000 streets in the Medina. It felt like it anyhow. The picture is from the top of a Dar, where friends stayed. looking over the Medina and beyond.

Cynthia

Well in this life sometimes it is the simple pleasures that make it all worthwhile. Today was a good day for the girls. They had there regular school day but after school they have choir, which they get to perform Jungle Book the musical and after that they have Tae Kwon Do. It was an exciting day in Taekwondo because they got their uniform (sorry we do not know the official name for the yet). Emma got hers and wore it home, but unfortunately Hannah will have to wait for a smaller one.

When we got home we unpacked out stuff, settled in, started dinner and made the usual pee stops. I heard a "Daddy come here!" from the bathroom, so I rushed over. It was one of those excited come heres, so I was expecting a cockroach (they fly here by the way) or a rhinoceros beetle, both of which Hannah tells me deserve to live because all God's animals deserve to live. Instead it was the largest gecko we have seen so far. Of course the girls, Hannah in particular, captured him and the proceeded to share the holding of and then releasing to the garden of Cynthia the gecko.

Cynthia explored the armpits of Emma for a while, crawled over both of them and at one time leaped for freedom from Emm'a shoulder. The proportional drop would have killed any human but he scampered away intil the girls recaptured her. She is now free to roam and I must go as the girls are playing different songs on their recorders and it is giving me a headache. Why they do it next to me I will never know. Ah, they just played together. A symphony of recorders. Beautiful!