Walili

Our host family provided us with a room on the roof of the house... it had its own bathroom, and offered a quiet retreat for studying Darija in the evening.  A rooster on an adjoining roof would crow before daybreak, but we learned to ignore it. Occasionally, our younger host brother would come up to chat, and he encouraged us to visit a nearby place called "Walili".  We had no idea what it was... we imagined some waterfall or botanical garden.  In the past, we have often found celebrated "sights" to be over-rated, or worse still: crowded with tourists.  But one weekend in the middle of February, our brother suggested we all go to Walili.  It was not far from our town, "as the crow flies", but getting there required three separate taxi-rides (all of them overcrowded... taxis don't depart until there are four people in the back, and two next to the driver!).  In spite of the discomfort, it was good to be driving through the countryside, and we enjoyed the views of verdant fields and olive groves.

We discovered that Walili is the local name for the ancient Roman city of Volubilis.  Its arches, mosaic floors and inscriptions are in remarkably good condition, thanks to ongoing restoration.  It is a marvelous place set in a spectacular landscape, and far exceeded our expectations.