On the morning of Wednesday, March 13, our group was gathered in the hotel lobby in Chefchaouen as we prepared for our long drive to Fez. Right before we left, Ms. Ducharme let us know that we would be traveling to the Roman ruins at Volubilis on our way to Fez. While the drive to the ruins was long, we were able to see the beautiful view that the Moroccan country side had to offer. The narrow and windy roads were lined with massive fields, farming towns, and Tangerine stands selling fresh fruit. This drive was great for the research of many of our groups members. We were able to see why agriculture is the #1 business in Morocco, the complex irrigation systems, and the lack of water they has access too. This drive also showed us how much of a presence Islam had in the country, as almost all of these small farming towns has at least one mosque, if not more. During our car ride, we drove past 66 mosques (Peyton and I counted).
Finally we arrived at the Roman ruins. We traveled back in time as our guide showed us around the ruins, making the remains come alive. We were able to see what was left of massive villas, a temple in honor of the god Jupiter, and the state house in the middle of it all. Along our walk we were able to see many of the tiles that were still preserved, and it was absolutely beautiful. As a former Latin student and a kid who grew up on ancient myths, this was probably one of my highlights of the trip so far.
After the ruins, we completed our drive to Fez. We headed to a quick calligraphy class where we all gained a new appreciation for the art of writing Arabic. We then had dinner and checked into the hotel for the night. Tomorrow we will he spending the day in Fez, visiting the tannery, potters, and markets.
-Liam
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