Rabat is the modern capital of Morocco and one of the four imperial cities (others being Marrakech, Fes, and Meknes). Since we were carrying our overloaded backpacks, it was nice our hotel was only two blocks from the train station. It seemed more cosmopolitan than Casablanca, at least where we were, and there were more women on the streets.

It was here in Rabat where we realized how independent we were with regards to a schedule. Originally, we set our watches by a clock in Casablanca. A free breakfast that went until 10am was included with the hotel. We awoke at 9 a.m. but noticed it was completely closed down. We headed for front desk to ask if breakfast went until 10am and they concurred this. We then asked isn’t it 9:30am and after laughing, they said it was 11:30am. For the last two days, we were two hours behind. I guess that shows how little emphasis we are placing on a time schedule.

While we walked around town, we stopped by a couple of interesting places. The first one was Tour Hassan, one of Rabat’s most famous landmarks. This was intended to be the largest and highest minaret in the Muslim world but after the death of the sultan in 1195, the construction was abandoned. It was supposed to reach 60 meters but only made it to 44 meters. On the same site was the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the father of the present king (and also a main street in most Moroccan cities). You can view his tomb from above and there are many guards hanging out with traditional Moroccan uniforms.

The other place that was interesting was the Kasbah des Oudaias. It was built overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and contains a huge garden, the oldest mosque in Rabat, and an old palace that is now the Museum of Moroccan Art. Since it has been four days since we left our precious Sebastian at home, Kelly and I spent quality time playing with a few of the stray kittens running around the gardens.

As we were walking home through Rabat’s medina, I was in the mood to start some haggling with the local merchants. I had spent some time learning about the key basics of bargaining and felt I was ready to jump in head first and buy something cheap. We didn’t see anything we wanted until Kelly saw a soap container (we forgot to bring one). I came in with my "buying a used car" look and asked how much it was to start the bargaining process. When the guy smiled and said two and a half dirhams (which comes to .25 cents) I said, "that sounds good!". I just couldn’t justify bargaining him down five or ten cents. I know I just inflated the prices for all tourists to follow, but I just couldn’t do it.