We first went to Rabat at the start of Loubna's midterm school break (she's a teacher) in January. Her brother Mohammed (when he's not in Uzbekistan), sister-in-law Samira, and nephew Jad (who is less than a year old) live in Temara, a commuter city. We took a bus (my first experience using a public commuter bus in Morocco) from Meknes that Saturday morning and arrived in Rabat around midday, where Samira picked us up and brought us to their home. Loubna's mom and grandmother were already there, as they travelled earlier in the week for one of the grandmother's medical appointments. They were really excited to show me around the city in the day I had there (unfortunately I had to be back in Meknes for class on Monday), and so after lunch we drove along the coast, went to a market in Sale, and strolled around the harbor before sitting at a cafe for some coffee. It was a really nice day but also a long one - especially because we didn't eat dinner until almost 11 PM! At night, so I wouldn't get sick, they wrapped me up in lots of warm blankets and Loubna and I fell asleep on the couch.
Sunday morning we played with Jad and ate breakfast, and then hung out as we waited for everyone to get ready. That day was spent riding a wooden boat across the river from Rabat to Sale and back, visiting the gardens of Oudaya and drinking tea by the sea, and eating good local fish for lunch. Samira explained the history of Rabat and Sale to me and I learned about different kinds of fish as we ate (although I had to be careful with the bones!). It was really nice of them to treat me with lots of good food, both in and out of the home, and also great that they were so patient with me and my intermediate knowledge of Darija throughout the weekend.
Rabat round two was with the program on Valentine's Day. We took a private bus to different sights around the city including the tomb of Mohammed V and Hassan II, the kasbah (where we found a great overlook of the ocean), and Chellah as well as ate a seafood lunch together near the central market. The day was a little rainy at first, but didn't stick around and we got to end the day drinking tea outside of a cafe with a view of the harbor across the river. The other teachers and speaking partners also joined us on this trip so it was fun talking and taking pictures with everyone at some of the places we didn't get a chance to visit the first time.
I invited Loubna to come to Chefchaouen with us this past weekend because she had never been before - it seems like Moroccans only travel where they have family members, so they can visit and also not pay for lodging - and I wanted her to see my favorite city! We left early Saturday morning, with thankfully neither of us getting sick on the windy roads. Upon arrival and check-in at the hotel, we got lunch (where I had the best Moroccan salad of my life, with fresh goat cheese!) at a restaurant just off the main square before embarking on a tour of the city, trekking to the Spanish mosque so we could see all the blue, and ending at the kasbah. At night, we rested in the hotel room before going out with some of the teachers and staff for tea and soup - this time I got to treat Loubna!
Sunday morning we ate an awesome breakfast by Moroccan standards at the hotel - omelette, bread with jam, coffee and tea - after some initial confusion about the time change that occurred for Moroccan DST. We then journeyed out to the starting point for the hike to Akshour - and it was definitely quite the hike! The path was very crowded with lots of different groups making the trek, and Loubna and I ended up in the back of the group on our way there, so it felt like it took a bit over two hours to get there! It was very hot since it was midday and poor Loubna was wearing a lot of layers to stay warm, but we had lots of water to drink and it was cooler by the waterfall which was beautiful - we had a nice view of it as we ate chicken tagines for lunch at a pop-up restaurant nearby. After relaxing for a bit, we headed back and made it to the starting point safely - somehow the return trip seemed shorter! We boarded the bus a couple of hours late and made it back a bit later than originally planned, but thankfully Loubna got back to her neighborhood safely. She seemed to have a really good time and I was happy that she was able to join us!
We still have a few weeks left together, so we'll see where our next adventures take us!