Spring 2025 033 Return to Rabat
Arriving in Rabat we checked into the Riad we’d found in the middle of the Medina and then set out on foot to see the new National Theatre designed by Zaha Hadid. On the way we met up with a couple of students who wanted their photos taken.. I obliged!
Before getting to the National Theatre, we were guided by the Hassan VI tower looking very much like London’s “Shard”
When we did get close to the National Theatre we were chased away by security guards who told us we weren’t allowed any closer..!
Rather a shame, really!
So we decided to walk back along the riverside in the dwindling light
Various people were fishing, chatting….
So we stopped for some refreshments and I was intrigued by the phone-battery back-up on the table. Coin-fed it was far too bulky/heavy to be taken away!
We found our way back to the Riad where my room led off the main courtyard with beautiful doors
The next morning we headed down to the market, passing the cardboard box where a mummy-cat was nursing her litter
The. market was full of sweet and sticky things…
and we encountered this chap. I wasn’t sure if he was a beggar or just a tourist attraction. I think the golden cup gave the game away…
I had planned to part ways with Rabia in Rabat and go up to Chefchauen where I had been in 2023 but it had rained all the time.
However, a chat with Amina persuaded us both to go and spend the weekend with her. This was a far more exciting proposition although it meant us retracing our footsteps and returning by train to Marrakesh and hiring a car for the weekend.
So we went back to the Riad and packed to go to the railway station.
On the way, however, I took a photo of this door and its’ two door-knockers. The reason for this was that if somebody knocked with the lower knocker it was a woman or family member and the woman of the house could answer. If the upper knocker was used this indicated it was a man and the door could only be answered by a man from the house…
Simple, but effective
