By abbymarco
My Moroccan life is anything but boring; being immersed in such a new culture means that every day brings a new adventure. Even on the "boring" school days, I always have exciting, weird, or new experiences simply because everything is so unlike home. Here are some of my favorite things to do in Rabat, Morocco:
1) I couldn't begin this post with anything other than the medina. The medina is the oldest part of the city that is encircled by huge walls. In fact, it was all there was of Rabat before the French came in 1912. The medina is lined with hundreds of vendors selling all sorts of food and fun little things. There are lots of Moroccan craft shops that contain a variety of items, like the well-known Moroccan carpets and embroidered fabrics, copper items, lamps, jewelry, antiques, wooden items, and lots of other unique gifts. The medina is always jam-packed with people bustling about buying their daily groceries, heading to the mosque, or meeting friends. As much fun as it is to aimlessly meander through the medina and get lost (which is easy to do, trust me), it is a difficult place to maneuver multiple times a day. I live right in the center of the medina, which is an amazing experience, but it also means it is always noisy and I'm constantly forced to navigate the crowds to get anywhere. Still, is it an amazing place to shop and wander, and the amazing smells of food stands make it simply irresistible.
2) Another one of my favorite things do to in Rabat includes taking a three minute stroll over to the Kasbah de Oudayas, the huge defensive fortress built on high ground over the mouth of the Bou Regreg river and the Atlantic. The entire inside of the Kasbah is painted beautiful shades of blue, and is filled with cool art exhibits and cafes. While people live there, it is nothing like the crowded medina; in fact, it is very quaint and picturesque. If you walk to the other side of the Kasbah, you'll emerge onto a large platform overlooking the Bou Regreg estuary. Here you have a magnificent view across the river to the old quarter of Salé, and you can walk down to the water's edge. It is the most beautiful and peaceful place in the city, and it is the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon.
3) In Rabat, I am lucky enough to live two minutes away from the beach, which is something I will certainly miss when I return home. While the Rabat beach is not really a place for swimming, mostly because of the conservativeness of the country, it is always full of people playing soccer, surfing, kayaking, fishing, and paddle boarding. It is such a breath-taking beach and is so unlike any beach that I have seen because of the unique Moroccan architecture that lines the sand. I often take walks down there during sunset or spend the afternoon taking surf lessons with my friends, which is something I would have never thought to try at home.
4) Another favorite activity of mine in Rabat is spending the afternoon sitting at a sidewalk cafe with my friends. The cafe culture is huge in Morocco because of the French influence, and people spends hours just sitting there watching people on the streets while sipping too-sweet coffee and mint tea. As a woman, I have to be careful about which cafes I enter because some are intended only for men and it would be unsafe for a young woman to enter, but now that I've been here for a while, I have chosen which cafes are the best and the safest. Cafes are a great place to do homework, but usually I just end up people-watching, in typical Moroccan fashion.
Rabat is an amazing place to call home; it is extremely livable and so beautiful. However, I usually spend my weekend traveling to other cities around Morocco, which is something I'd definitely recommend to future travelers. Exploring more of the country has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of Moroccan culture, but it is always nice to return home to the familiarity and comfort of Rabat at the end of the weekend.