Weekend in Rabat

Inside the mosque...believe those are little praying booths (I don't know the correct term) behind me.
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So I have spent all my time since spring break on campus, due to various reasons, until last weekend when I was able to make a trip with Gina, Caitlin, and Tessa to Rabat, which is the capitol of Morocco.  The city was really beautiful.  We found a room in the Old Medina for 200 Dhs, equaling out to less than $20 per person for 2 nights.  The first night we went to a TGI Friday's that just opened there (it's the first one in Morocco).  It was really enjoyable to have some real American food!  We really pigged out on wings, fajitas, chicken, mashed potatoes, quesadillas, broccoli cheddar soup, and more.  So good!  Except it made Caitlin pretty sick for the rest of the weekend.  Saturday, we visited the Chellah, which is the location of some ancient Roman ruins and some other ruins, from the Almohads I believe.  They were really interesting, and we basically just walked among the ruins, free to sit on them or whatever we wanted to do.  It was also my first (and probably only) experience in a mosque, although unfortunately the mosque hasn't been used for hundreds or thousands of years.  But at least I got to see the structure of it, and the minaret is still standing, with a stork nest to crown it!  I probably won't go in any other mosque unless someone I know takes me because I would feel uncomfortable, not knowing what to do, and women have to cover their hair to go inside.  Inshufu! (We'll see!)

Lighthouse with crashing wave...I have no idea how I captured that with a broken camera.
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After we left the ruins, we went to the Kasbah, which is the fort thing.  (Excuse my terminology).  We had an excellent view of the ocean from here, and of some surfers and other locals chilling at the beach.  There weren't many (if any) tourists on the beach, but that was expected since the weather wasn't great, and it wasn't quite the most attractive beach, with debris on the sand, ect.  But we saw the ocean and chilled at a cafe on the beach for a little while, deciding what to do the rest of the day.  We decided on heading to the Marjon (Moroccan Wal-Mart) to get some necessaries, then headed back to the hotel.  At this point, Caitlin and Tessa left to go shopping in Agdal, the nicer part of town with class shops, while Gina and I planned on walking around the Medina.  Unfortunately, we decided to nap instead.  I wish we had had the energy to walk around because what I saw of the Rabat Medina I really liked.  It was much more relaxed and open than other one's I have been to.

Chinese! Wasn't that great...
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For dinner, we decided on Chinese, but it wasn't that great.  I'm sure it sounds like we were really avoiding the Moroccan food, and we were, but with good reason, we eat it all the time.  In Ifrane, there is no such thing as American, Chinese, Japanese, or anything besides Moroccan.  The food is really good in the Marche in Ifrane, and I eat it all the time, so we were definitely craving something different.  So, that is basically a sum of our weekend, we rode the train back to Meknes the next day, after grabbing the irresistible McDonald's, and were back in Ifrane around five, time for studying, and time for Gina and I to hang out with our Moroccan boy toys.  :)

the ancient minaret
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This weekend, inchaallah, I will be going to Meknes with CJ, which is where his family lives.  If I'm lucky and all goes well this week, I will get to stay at his house and meet his mother and brother, and maybe father, too, if he is there.  If all doesn't go as planned, then we're going anyway, but I will stay somewhere else and not have the privilege of meeting his family.  I think everything will go well, though.  And I will get to experience Moroccan life in Meknes, with someone who grew up there.  Can't wait!!