If I Only Had A Brain: Between The Blue City And Fez We Find A Roman City
[Chefchaouen. The Blue City. It was blindingly bright when I took this photo. Consequently, the blue color of the city washed out. So I edited it a little on my iPhone to bring out the color. Even so, the photo does not do justice to the view I had with my eyes. Photo is mine.]
What a beautiful city. Just look at that blue.
~~ Patrick Egan (2024)
We’re in Fez and I just ate brains. They (it?) was an appetizer so it isn’t that important. The brains from what is not something I wish to discuss. I don’t like organ meat in general so this was a real stab in the dark. I’ll make it very simple: They were just about what I expected brains to taste like, even more so. Let’s leave it at that, shall we?
We left The Blue City just before noon. The walk down the hill, through the narrow alleys and around several corners was not nearly as bad as the walk up to our hotel the day before. This was mostly due to the fact that we had two porters carrying our luggage, not one. It made a world of difference. We aren’t traveling with too much stuff, but you buy a postcard here and a refrigerator magnet there, it adds up. Kamal, our guide and driver, headed south, away from the Mediterranean and toward the Sahara. The road was uneven and bumpy and my back is paying the price as I type this. I sat and stared out of the window, keeping my head under the AC. The view slowly changed into a more arid landscape. Vast orchards of Olive trees and crops that I couldn’t identify.
[The rolling fields. Crops, orchards and donkeys. Photo is mine.]
We made a few short stops for air, gas, water and a restroom. Our first and only stop was roughly halfway from The Blue City to Fez. We turned right and drove a few miles to a dusty parking lot. Small tour busses and cars were scattered about. I headed to the loo while our guide bought the tickets. We stood in the shade of a mimosa trees…and there it was. The Roman city of Volubilis. Settled 200 years B.C., it was an important outpost. Until it wasn’t. They only stayed 600 years, which isn’t a long time considering how far and powerful the hand of Roman extended.
[Volubilis. The Roman city. Built at a crossroads. Abandoned by the Romans around 300 A.D. Photo is mine.]
[A mosaic of a juggler riding a donkey backwards. Funny then and funny now. Photo is mine.]
[The Basilica in Volubilis. Later a governmental center. Photo is mine.]
I limped back to the car holding Mariam’s forearm for balance. I was hot and tired, needing a Tylenol more than I needed water. Actually, I needed both. So I had both. Another two hours would put us in Fez. Here we will rest for two nights. There is a big day tomorrow, Thursday, September 19. We will be visiting a tannery, the medina (one of the oldest and a UNESCO Heritage Site). I will be taking photos and videos. Maybe I might even figure out how my new GoPro Hero 11 works.
After the brains, I had Chicken Tagine. Mariam had Veal Shank with Eggplant.
Mariam loves eggplant. I’m undecided about the brains.
