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.