Leaving blue Chefchaouen and driving to Volubilis was very interesting. It looked just like California! The Rif mountains are a beautiful landscape with olive trees, little villages, more olive trees, more villages and even more – guess what? Olive trees! In fact, we were wondering if Morocco is producing most olives around the Mediterranean?!

After a few hours of driving we reached Volubilis, a town founded 300 BCE by the Mauritanians, then annexed by the Romans. It flourished under the Romans, but fell slowly apart after they left and Christians, Jews, Greek and finally Islamic people took over. A mayor earthquake destroyed the city and everybody moved away.

What’s left today are ruins that still show the prosperity of its earlier time. Beautiful mosaics in many of the houses, a huge triumph arch and a massive Basilica show how big this city must have been; the streets are wide, forum and marketplaces proof of its busy life!