Heading North

Rabat, as befits the nation's capital city, is very impressive and we set out to see what we could of it before heading north along the Atlantic coastal highway to Tanger. The main attractions of Rabat are the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Kasbah. On the way to see these sights we passed Rabat's Medina or "Old City". All the imperial cities have medinas which are located behind tall, imposing walls. This medina is relatively young as it only dates back to the 17th century. However the Hassan Tower is considerably older. The construction of this enormous minaret began late in the 12th century and it still dominates its surroundings. On the same square is the imposing Mausoleum of the former king of Morocco, Mohammed V, with its gorgeous Italian marble façade and elegant lattice stonework. Mohammed V lies in state inside an ornamental sarcophagus, guarded in each corner by a soldier in ceremonial uniform. We were able to gaze down on his last resting place from an upper balcony walkway. The countryside changed the farther north we went and we began to pass banana, melon and strawberry plantations. Before reaching Tangier we diverted to the charming seaside resort of Asilah, which was the former meeting place of the caravanserai or trading camels. Asilah, with it's lovely beach , long walking promenade and 15th century Portuguese heritage would be an ideal place to chill out for a couple of days. We had decided to only stay briefly in Tangier so that we could get an early start the next morning and spend more time in Fes, so,before arriving at our hotel, we paid a visit to the Grotto of Hercules where this mythological Greek hero is said to have rested after performing the 12 "herculean" tasks given him by the King of Eurysthesus. Remarkably, the natural sea entrance to the Grotto is in the shape of an easily recognizable map of the continent of Africa. After the Grotto we made our way to Cap Spartel and, from the ancient ramparts there, we viewed the coming together of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.