The last several days have been spent revisiting Chefchaouen and then seeing Meknes, which was designated Morocco’s capital in the eleventh century. Chefchaouen is truly magical, and was a delight to experience again. The colors, the people and the mountain vibe all coalesce to form an unforgettable collage of quiet and contentment. Here are some shots from our rambling around the town:

Meknes astounded. It is a smaller city relative to Morocco’s others, and it exudes grace and beauty. It is an African Heritage and UNESCO World Heritage site founded in the 11th century as a military settlement, and is most closely associated with Sultan Moulay Ismail, who transformed it into a spectacular capital with 45 kilometers of exterior walls, 20 gates and over 50 palaces. Sultan Ismail’s main contribution was the creation of a new imperial city enclosed by high walls pierced by monumental gates, with enormous stables, a military academy, vast granaries and an elaborate water storage cistern. Truly amazing to take in.

Inside Sultan Moulay Ismail’s tomb:

Yes – this sundial still works perfectly, as we confirmed….

The Sultan and his wife’s tombs, perfectly preserved and impeccably maintained:

Now, finally, Marakkech beckons. It’s interesting, because I started my journey here three weeks ago and have traversed it twice, but not yet entered to explore it, knowing I’d be back later in the trip. We’re staying deep within the medina, and it is an incredible maze to navigate. We parked our car over a mile from our hotel after the streets became imposssibly narrow and unnavigable, and had a local guide help us find it (even he was confused for a while, stopping to ask directions numerous times).

We had dinner at a terrific French restaurant then hit a jazz club last night. The music was excellent. The mix of Moroccan and French here is really interesting, and they both work really well together.

Today should be really interesting – so much to see and experience here with the local and French influences everywhere.