By the time we arrived in Meknes it was still looking very gloomy with more rain threatening – so we headed straight for Place el-Hadim the large square in the middle of the Medina for some refreshing but very sweet Mint Tea. If you had no energy before starting off — the sugar rush was definitely about to give you some extra oomph. It was a great place to sit people watching and I must say even better to be able to just see people mingling, parading horses and some great traditional lantern decorations on the nearby walls rather than watching a public execution as they would have done in the past.

The Medina was once again a fascinating place to walk though this time every now and then you could get a sniff of the beautifully scented rose petals that are used to make Rose Water. Displayed in large round baskets it was hard not to want to pick up the petals and let them float away.

Amoung all the small streets and market stalls you find the Medersa Bou Inania which is like walking into a different world as you marvel at all the typical Moroccan decor from colourful green and white tiles to the delicate stucco that appears on the walls. No longer used as a college you can still walk around and get great views of the green tiled roof and the Grande Mosque from the top.

After enough exploration it was indeed time for lunch. I am sure there are restaurant like places in the Medina but the best way to enjoy a Camel burger was to first visit the butcher. Our group leader selected our piece of camel meat which was then minced and combined with Coriander and Cumin. We then walked around a few more corners where we reached the ‘Chef’ area. It was a place where people can bring their meat to be cooked and can either take away or sit down in the very limited seating area. We crammed in behind the kitchen area and waited for our meal…all and all it was very tasty and the meal was typically finished off with yet another mint tea.

After lunch we strolled around the market stalls staying out of the rain before getting our transfer to the next destination, Fes. Even after such a wonderful and interesting day I still could not wait to see what tomorrow would bring…