First day of our intrepid adventure. A quiet morning with a ‘simple’ breakfast at our hotel – so simple we had to go back to our regular haunt for a top up pastrie and nose nose (half half Moroccan coffee). A quick minibus to Casa port railway station – the commercial railway station rather than the ‘traveller’ railway station. We got a short 45 min trip to Rabat – a imperial city south of casablanca. The train system is very smooth and comfortable for 2nd class ( we kept thinking we were in the wrong class)
We were then sent in a walking your of Rabat, along thenold medina wall to the river which separates Rabat from its neighbour city Sale. Every so often a massive contingent of riot police, apparently in anticipation of a bad soccer result later on.

A quick walk around ruins of a large mosque destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake was like stepping back in Shakespearean times. We the ventured to see the mausoleum of Mohammad V (king of morocco), with its ornate gates.
We then went to the kasbah (no quite ‘rocking the casbah’), a walled section of the city with tranquil alleys and whitewashed and blue houses. Built by Muslim refugees from Spain, it gave a fantastic overview of the city, the medina and river. (Also a great place to stop from the sweltering heat). The mosques built in 12th century were beautiful with ornate carved doors and mosaic.
Back to town to catch the 410 train to Mecknes, another imperial city.
This time 2nd class lived up to its name, no seat for an hour and a half. (Calves of steel by now), but amazing countryside.
Our hotel was apparently the Art Deco one of town. A king bed ( two singles tied together) was the camouflaged by a single unfitted sheet which left 6 inches of mattress either side exposed. The shower was an a awkward afterthought, tucked In the corner of the bathroom such that even I had to turn side on to get in. All good character development and a sound nights sleep had 😉