We arrived in the afternoon on Friday after a potential train ticket disaster (Moroccan bureaucracy at its finest) and walked to our Airbnb in a nearby neighborhood. Our host gave us a tour of the apartment and was very accommodating - he was somehow able to provide nine spots to sleep that didn't include the floor! We hung out for a bit before we all journeyed to find an Italian restaurant Anna had visited when her boyfriend was in town. The wine and pasta, accompanied by good conversation, made for a fun night.
Saturday was a lazy morning for all - some slept in, others (myself included) got some homework done. Anna and I went exploring and bought pastries to bring back for breakfast which were a hit. The kitchen got crazy once everyone was awake what with cake-baking for Connor's birthday the next day and biscuit-making just because. Around 2 PM, we started leaving the apartment for the day - most of the group went to the new Mohamed VI modern art museum, but Cat, Anna, and I went to Agdal since we visited the museum back in the summer. We got sushi for a late lunch and did some shopping before Anna directed us to a cafe close to the old city with a beautiful view of the sea, where we drank mint tea and had traditional sweets.
We rendezvoused with the other group at the apartment around 6:30 PM for our dinner reservation at a nearby Levantine (Syrian/Lebanese) restaurant. Having studied abroad in Jordan/visited this restaurant multiple times, Brady ordered for the group - and everything was delicious! After some downtime, we headed out to the theatre in central Rabat where the concert would take place.
Egyptian Project was up first, and they were spectacular - the group is made up of 3 older members who played traditional instruments and 2 newer members who played a drum set and managed the music engineering via computer in the background. Their music was a neat fusion of old and new styles of Arab music, and they interacted a lot with the crowd.
Autostrad was the funk-rock band we primarily came to see, but they were a little underwhelming live. The rest of the crowd loved it though - by the end of the show, everyone was crowded towards the front of the theatre by the stage dancing and singing along. We got out of the theatre around 12:15 AM and headed straight home to light candles on the birthday cake and sing to Connor and Brady.
Sunday morning was more of the same - pastries for breakfast and hanging out, plus cleaning up the apartment for our host. Anna, Cat and I opted to take an earlier train back to Meknes once we checked out around noon; we got some naps in and homework done on the way home. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the Sahara excursion the weekend before, our time in Rabat was a relaxing getaway - and the concert was more than worth the trip!