House of the Labors of Hercules

First, thank you to all of you who have let me know you're enjoying this - I appreciate it.  These posts do not write themselves, so encouragement helps.  Yesterday was a travel day - Chaouen to Fes, Fes to Meknes.  I am staying at the youth hostel and last night I was the only guest who was not part of a group of French high school students.  I did not stick out at breakfast AT ALL this morning.


Before I left the US, I signed up with couchsurfing.com, a site that helps travellers connect with locals.  Lots of people use it to find free lodging, but I, being set in my ways and cherishing the few moments of peace and quiet I get at the end of the day in my own room, was planning on using it as more of way to meet locals and see their versions of their hometowns.  I hadn't done much with it, but I'd heard good things from both Moroccans and Americans while on this trip.  So I made my first couchsurfing call last night and made plans to meet up with H. who was already hosting another surfer. 

The plan was to meet in front of the University of Sciences at 10am.  And for the first day in 16 days, no rain, so good omens all round, right?  I took a taxi to the University and got there 5 minutes early.  For once, it was a real benefit to stick out - how could H. miss me in a crowd of Moroccan college students?  Judging by the constant staring like I had three heads, they certainly pegged me as an insider.  But I waited around the entrance for the next 45 minutes.  Honestly, I would have left if I had had any real idea of where I was.  H. finally showed up and I met his couchsurfing guest, a cool girl from Croatia.  Our plan was to take a day trip to Moulay Idriss and Volubilis.  My Idriss is where Idriss I, a direct descendent of the Prophet, is buried, and he brought Islam to Morocco, so he is highly venerated.  In fact, until the current king suggested that non-Muslims could stay overnight in My Idriss, none did!  By the way, Moulay, abbreviated My, is an honorific akin to holy or saintly.  Or so said H. when I asked.  Volubilis is about a half hour walk from My Idriss and is one of the best preserved Roman sites in Morocco.  It was, in fact, the Roman capitol of Mauretania Tingitana.  History lesson complete.

As a non-Muslim, I couldn't visit the shrine to My Idriss, and there may be some other things to see there aside from the view, but we didn't get to.  There were lots of adorable kids - have I mentioned how cute Moroccan tots are?  Such big eyes and red cheeks! I was more excited about Volubilis anyway, so made our way over.  These ruins are notable for their houses containing very well preserved mosaics, with great names like the House of the  Labors of Hercules, or the House of the Nymphs Bathing.  The place has been uninhabited since the 11th century; but some of these mosaics look better than the tile that many Moroccan streets are paved in.  And the setting is beautiful:  My Idriss to the east clinging to two cliffs and immaculate farmland between Volubilis and the moutains to the west.

The day was pretty long though.  I just never got comfortable with H.  So I'm still at the hostel, and I have to finish this post up because curfew is 10pm.  10 PM!  I will give the Couchsurfers another chance though.  Tomorrow I will explore Meknes' medina.

PS - I am keeping track of how many times I hear the song Hotel California.  The count is currently 3 in Morocco.