[Dec. 2025] After checking into our riad in Rabat, Morocco, we took a nap.
That was because we’d been up at 3 AM that day.
Waking up, we headed outside.
The friendly riad staff recommended the location of an ATM and a place for a drink.
It seemed there were very few ATMs in Rabat’s Medina (old town).
And the same could be said for places that served alcohol.
I’ll be honest, this was my third time in Morocco; my last visit was 26 years ago.
As for Rabat, it had been 30 years since I’d last been there.
Back then, wine was available at every restaurant, so I assumed that was the norm.
At lunch that day, we were served mint tea instead of wine, but I vaguely assumed it was because it was lunch.
So that evening, when the riad staff member hushed us, as if revealing a secret, “We don’t have a wide selection, but we do have red and white wine,” I didn’t think much of it and simply replied, “We wanted a cocktail.”
This alcohol issue was the biggest shocker of this trip to Morocco, so I’ll probably talk about it more in a future post.
After withdrawing our money, we went to a pub called DHOW, a boat moored on the river that the riad had recommended.
In the dark boat, I had a mojito and my husband had a Tequila Sunrise.
We each enjoyed some French fries and spent some time together.
All in all, the total came to 240 dirhams (just over 19 euros), more than lunch.
“After all, it’s not a local thing,” I thought to myself.
Inside the pub, a football game was playing on a large TV.
According to our driver, Youssuf, Morocco’s popularity has risen since the country’s strong performance in the FIFA World Cup, leading to an increase in tourists.
Coincidentally, Morocco was hosting the Africa Cup of Nations during our trip.
That is why there were probably even more tourists than usual.
On our way back from the pub, we walked through the Medina.
Unfortunately, it was raining.
If it had been sunny, I would have liked to wander around more and get lost.
Perhaps because of the arches overhead, the streets reminded me of Amalfi in southern Italy.
