Day 8 (May 7)

We started the day by visiting the Palais Badii or El Badi palace* which is a palace now in ruins and inhabited by great white storks (Ciconia ciconia). There are some underground passageways to explore. Admission is DH 10. The view from the terrace is majestic. We left when the place was closed for noon break at 12:00 and had lunch at the Casa Vera Restaurant (recommended by Jean-François’ wife as he’d taken two French guests to tour the Sahara Desert) at the Place Moulay Hassan. Afterwards we visited Médérssa Ben Yousse which is one of the largest Madrassas (Muslim school, college, or university that is often part of a mosque) in the North Africa. It is a school attached to the Ben Youssef Mosque and is home to beautiful art and architecture. Then we checked out from the Riad and took the 18:00 flight back to London.

* Alternative one can visit if he has time the El Bahia palace (in the neighborhood of Palais Badii) which is an ornate and beautiful palace, popular with guided tours and stray cats. The palace gives a great impression of what it must have been like to be a 19th century nobleman in Morocco. There is a nice garden with banana flowers, tranquil courtyards, and other lovely plants. Admission is also DH 10.