After getting in at 12.40am, a good sleep was needed before facing today. We awoke to a balmy 22 degrees, and heading for a high of 34. We had breakfast at the hotel and met downstairs at 9.30am to head for the Museum of Water Civilisation. No idea what to expect!

The Museum of Water Civilisation was built as a tourist attraction to highlight Morocco’s efficiency in the management of water and the historical role of the Habous (endowments). The 163 million dirham (about 25 million NZD) project was built on 20,000 square meters.

When we arrived at the museum we were greeted by music and entertainment from men in traditional folklore dress playing folk music. This is becoming a theme – and it’s only day one!

This was followed by the official opening of the FIAP Photo Meeting – this included more music and speeches and other entertainment.

We had a good look through the museum, which included a light display showing the flow of water across the land and how the water is managed.

We had a late morning tea (12.30pm) which included lots of small Moroccan sweet snacks. We took the time to sit outside and relax in the small piece of shade we could find. I took this opportunity to get a couple of photos around the building.

After catching the bus back to the hotel mid afternoon, we had late lunch and some time out to relax. This involved swimming, backing up photos and planning.

Later in the afternoon we headed out to the El Badia Palace (this has been spelt several different ways depending on what you read!). The bus had to drop us a small walk from the palace, and this meant our Men in Black (MIB) walked us through a small medina, some narrow lanes and past peoples businesses, while also avoiding traffic. Who knew you could actually drive vehicles down some of these narrow lanes!

It was during this walk that I became very aware of how rude some photographers were, and how they showed little respect for the local cultures, let alone their fellow photographers. There were photographers going up to people and putting cameras in their faces – despite being told ‘no’; and also cameras being pushed inside doorways. Unacceptable behaviour!!

Here’s a photo that tells you a bit about the history of the palace.

It is no longer used as a palace, but there is alot of restoration work going on. There were several areas of the grounds where the storks had set up house – they have huge nests!

It was interesting to watch the tilers in action – who were laying tiles by hand, one at a time. Of course as we wandered around the palace, there was also an array of entertainers providing more photo opportunities, and the backdrops were great. Here is a selection of photos.

Considering the age of these ruins, the tiling and details are amazing. Truly a pleasure to see.

And here are some of the entertainer photos. I am not sure what it is, but they had this thing about dancing on drums and it got very loud!

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On the way back to the hotel I got a couple of snaps on my phone out the window, including this one. You can park anywhere here I think.

Back at the hotel for a quick break – time for champagne, and then dinner. We managed to have a nice bottle between the girls before dinner. If we knew how little we would get this opportunity in the next ten days we would have had more 🙂