Why am I in Morocco?

We boarded a train bound for Meknes. It promised air conditioning. It didn't deliver. So it was a hot, stuffy 2 hour ride from Rabat to Meknes. When we arrived in Meknes we managed to hail another petit taxi. We rode from the newer part of town into the old town, another medina. Our room this time was in a dar, off of the town square. We followed the signs through the twisting paths. In the medinas, the walls and doors are very old looking. We were told by our guide in Fez that the people who live behind the walls save the "wow" for the inside, and keep the outside of their places very plain, so as not to make anyone jealous.
When we got inside, we were invited to sit down for tea on a comfortable sofa. Our hostess spoke English fairly well. She told us that the weather here has been unusually hot for October. It's not typical for it to still be in the 80's and hotter this month. They worried a few years ago about a drought, worried that their whole town would disappear and be taken over by Moroccan desert. I am not sure which world I would rather be in: here, where it's still too hot to be comfortable in the sun, or in Munich, where it is snowing and the highs have been in the 30's.
We were given a tour of the dar, which had 17 or so rooms for guests. Most of the places where we have stayed have been built on a square, with all the rooms opening to the middle. This place was no exception. In the lobby there was a fountain against one wall, and rooms opening off the other walls. We were shown upstairs to our room, and then continued up to the third story, and the roof. There were comfortable places to sit on the roof, small tables and chairs, and plants in containers.
We ventured out to find some food. We walked into a cafe where there was a tall glass fronted refrigerator. In most places in the States and in Europe, you help yourself to things inside these fridges and then take them to the counter to pay. Not so here. I had grabbed someone's pepsi and tried to pay for it. The men sitting in the cafe were all staring at me and snickering. I wanted to melt into the floor! I quickly put the pepsi back and we left.
Almost all of the restaurants we have eaten at have consisted of tables and chairs outside on the walkway. We chose one that promised roasted chicken for me, and a tajine for Rob. And we actually did get what we asked for. Woot! The downside though was the cats. There are cats everywhere here. When we first got here I thought the cats were cute, charming. At dinner they became pests. There must have been 10 of them, some of them persistently putting their paws on us, some hard to shoo away even with our feet. (We didn't kick them, just shooed them, I promise!) Interestingly, I ended up with 5 insect bites that night. Fleas, I think. At least we haven't encountered any bedbugs on this trip!
We took another spin through another medina. They are always crowded places, with people and animals vying for the walkway. Donkeys are the common way to transport things into the medinas. Motorcycles and mopeds go roaring through too. Pedestrians don't have the right of way here. There are few traffic lights in the cities, and no signals to indicate that the crosswalk is safe to pedestrians. Watch out for taxis and tour buses! Taxis outnumber personal cars, probably three to one.
The thing to see in Meknes wasn't really in Meknes, it was in a city called Volubilis. It's a Roman ruins. Dry, dusty, rocky, hot. So we hired a grand taxi to drive us there and back. When we arrived, guides offered to lead us, hawkers offered to sell us hats and water, pottery and postcards. We took lots of great photos, saw lots of old mosaic floors that had been unearthed and roped off, lots of falling apart pillars and walls. After we had walked forever (Rob with his Morocco book in one hand, camera in the other) we went back to our taxi, found our driver, and went to another city called Moulay Idriss. It was named after the guy who, in the 9th century, brought Islam to Morocco. It consists of many whitewashed houses, perched on the side of a hill. We walked through the souq (marketplace) and then found our driver again, and were transported back to our square in Meknes. I tried to order roasted chicken for lunch, instead got a chicken sandwich, so swapped with Rob and ate his chicken brouchettes instead. And shooed at more cats. And apparently got sick from the chicken. We've both visited the toilette more times than we'd like.
Late in the afternoon we walked down to a masoleum but didn't go in. Then we walked down one hill and up another to eat at a restaurant that sounded really good in our Lonely Planet book, but wasn't open. So we hired a taxi and went back to our square. We opted to eat in our riad. We both ordered a chicken tajine. I was surprised at all the courses. First they brought out dishes of olives. Then a basket of bread. Then mint tea. Then soup. Then "salad" which wasn't the lettuce salad that we think of when we think salad. It was three dishes, one of lentils, one of red and green peppers, and one of something squishy. I think it was squash. And finally, our tajines. The chicken and rice was really good. We accidentally left before dessert.
Anyhow. The next day we left for Fez.