Spring has sprung

At last the storm clouds have retreated and the warm sun has come out. I'm sitting on my terrace tapping out the blog.
I went out last night to eat in the new part of the city. I found a bar opposite the station that was really rough. It had strip lighting and the walls dripped with brown cigarette tar. It made a Northern working man's club look like the cocktail bar at Raffles. I actually quite liked it's simplicity although the toilets were like something out of 'Trainspotting'. I ate at an authentic Moroccan restaurant consuming my third tagine in 4 days.
The traffic in the city centre is incredible. If any of you have taken your young children to LEGOLAND, and let them drive in those small electric cars, that is how the locals drive here. There is some semblance of general direction but very few other rules. The zebra crossings and 'green man' lights do not seem to mean anything apart from a determination for the time and place of your imminent demise should you step out trustingly.
After a good night's sleep I decided to hit the tourist hotspots again. This time it was the Hassan Mosque and the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V. The mosque was the second largest in the world but is now lines of shortened pillars (365 of them). It was built in 1195 but abandoned 5 years later as it was too big for the population of Rabat at the time, and turned out to be a white elephant (or perhaps white camel).
Men on horseback ceremonially guarded the compound.

(Note to self: get that beard trimmed as you are looking more and more like Santa).
The Mausoleum, a very grand affair, contains the body of King Mo who died in 1961 and a few of his relatives. Inside an Immam still sings out passages from the Koran even though it is 55 years after the King's death.

On the way back I passed the huge cemetery that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. There must be some significance in the Muslim world about being buried close to the sea. Maybe they like a 'tomb with a view' ; it certainly is the 'dead centre' of Rabat. (The oldies are the best!).

My new hygiene regime is attracting the touts so here are my top tips for keeping them at bay:

1. Don't wash yourself, or your clothes, for several days.

2. Wear a Fez.

3. Get a sun tan.

4. Apply Brylcream for that high gloss hair look (including the women).

5. If you want to look like a backpacker, wear a backpack!

6. If all that fails say:
Je suis un lepreux dans premier etage. S'eloigner, garder ses distances.
(I'm an early stage leper. Keep your distance.)

More top travellers tips in later editions.

I move on tomorrow the 150 miles to Al Jadida where I'm staying in an apartment. Looking forward to getting on the bike again but I will miss Rabat, the Medina, and the Riad Alzahra.