May 23, 2025
The eating competition from last night’s food tour continued into breakfast today with the boys racing to eat their yogurts. While I don’t love the idea of them racing through meals, both have resisted eating breakfast the last few days only to ask for snacks constantly when we get in the van. Kyle and I were bummed that shakshuka wasn’t again on the menu today but still enjoyed our friend eggs and multiple types of bread. We snapped a quick picture of the boys cheersing (“Saha!!”) at the traditional Moroccan tea setup before saying farewell to our Fez Riad.
We made a quick stop at DHL to ship many of our Moroccan goodies home. We shipped a brass light fixture and a few rugs directly from the manufacturers, too, so there will be plenty of special keepsakes to unbox when we’re home in ~8 months.
Abdul stopped briefly at a scenic overlook so we could snap a quick picture. I also picked up a Moroccan harvest hat that I’ve been eyeing for a few days— Abdul helped me negotiate the price down by 20%!
The next stop was Volubilis, the site of ancient Roman ruins. We had a great guide, Hasan, but this was an activity we just couldn’t get the boys into. It was midday with not a cloud in the sky and the site’s history was completely lost on the boys. Kyle and I did our best to listen and learn, but the constant hum of whining from the boys made it near impossible. Copying a bit about the site from the Unesco Heritage website so we can one day look back and learn a bit :)
“Volubilis contains essentially Roman vestiges of a fortified municipium built on a commanding site at the foot of the Jebel Zerhoun. Covering an area of 42 hectares, it is of outstanding importance demonstrating urban development and Romanisation at the frontiers of the Roman Empire and the graphic illustration of the interface between the Roman and indigenous cultures. Because of its isolation and the fact that it had not been occupied for nearly a thousand years, it presents an important level of authenticity. It is one of the richest sites of this period in North Africa, not only for its ruins but also for the great wealth of its epigraphic evidence.”
We survived the Volubilis tour and rewarded ourselves with a pre-lunch ice cream to celebrate. We then headed to a restaurant called Roman City for lunch. Kyle and I were hopeful that it served Italian food to switch things up a bit, but more Moroccan was on the menu. The boys were thrilled when Abdul again joined us for lunch and joined in on a round of Uno. Ollie is slowly growing fond of chicken kebabs while Len nibbled on bread (khobz) and Moroccan beans (loubia).
After another few hours in the van, we made a pitstop about 30 minutes from the ending of the third Harry Potter audio book. Ollie protested, tears in his eyes, as he was left with a cliffhanger worried about Sirius Black’s future. He was pleased to learn that Sirius Black made it out alive and the rest of us were pleased that the book was over and we could enjoy a little break from Harry Potter for the remainder of the drive. This one was 11 hours long!
We spotted some goats climbing on the narrow ledges of a mountain before arriving in Chefchaouen, the “Blue City.” We first checked into our hotel which was up 10 or more flights of stairs. Len gave a moderate protest as he awoke from a mini nap and was then asked to climb the steps right away. Ollie ran ahead and I yelled to him, “You’re crushing it Ollie!” to give him some encouragement and I heard Len grumble to himself “I am not crushing it.” He made it to the top and collapsed immediately onto the couch at reception. The hotel had a team of 3 who helped to lug our suitcases up all the stairs and to our room. We gave the boys the choice of swimming in the pool or some TV time and they both eagerly chose TV time. We were slightly relieved as we knew we’d benefit from some quiet time but also the pool felt quite chilly.
About 15 minutes before our dinner reservation, we left the hotel to walk to the restaurant. We should have left 15 minutes earlier than that as we got lost a few times along the labyrinth of walkways in Chefchaouen. We’ve been eating dinner at 7pm most nights, the earliest available timeslot in most cities. With packed agendas and sparse naps, the boys (Len especially) are wildcards at dinner time and tonight was no exception. Uno helped a bit and tonight marked the first time we’ve been able to play a true four person game. Previously, Len had been calling the shots while Kyle held his cards. His luck continued and Len won once again. The restaurant, Cafe Clock, was on a rooftop and gave great views of the city. There was also a stray cat walking along the wall much to Len’s delight. Camel burgers were on the menu, but we played it safe with chicken and fries for Kyle and the boys and I had a salad that must have had at least 2 whole avocados in it. We picked up gelato on the walk home and tried to navigate our way home without looking at a map and instead relying on landmarks we remembered— somehow, we were successful!
