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Saturday was our first full day in Tangier and we spent it like we usually do – a “domestic day” of getting laundry done and getting caught up on normal life things.  We also spent some time at the Starbucks in the train station.  Dinner was awesome – Sandy’s chicken breast entrée that is super easy and super delicious – and we enjoyed it on the balcony overlooking our neighborhood.

Sunday was a busy day for us, packing all kinds of things in.  First up was running around to see as many tourist sights as we wanted to see.  Shortly after we left our apartment, one of the area’s dogs started following us and Sandy named her Sally.  She stayed with us for about a mile or so, crossing traffic with us and just being a friend until we got to our first stop – the Hotel Continental.  They wouldn’t allow Sally in.  We were sad to see her go but she’s still out enjoying all that Tangier has to offer.

The sights on our tour included the Hotel Continental, where various movies have been filmed including The Sheltering Sky; two of the main squares in the medina – the Petit Socco and the Grand Socco; what some consider the tomb of Ibn Batutta – we didn’t know who he was either before our time in Morocco but if you’ve been reading our updates really close, you might recognize the name as the subject of the ballet we attended in Marrakesh – he traveled the world in the 1300s, rivaling Marco Polo for most miles covered by anyone in ancient times; and a great spot overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar.

We grabbed lunch at the Patisserie de Espagnola – been around since 1959.  We had crepes and mixed fruit juices.  We did not have any of their pastries or chocolates but they looked fantastic. 

We still had time in the day, so we decided to buy tickets for the hop on hop off city tour.  The bus covers two different routes – one inside the main part of Tangier and one that goes out to the western coast.  The ticket is good for two days so we did the in-town route on this day.  Unfortunately, the headphones were a little scratchy so it was hard to make out everything being said but we definitely got the majority of the commentary.  This was a great way to see more of the city than we otherwise would have and get introduced to neighborhoods we likely would not have seen.

After the bus tour, we had been wanting to see a movie and found Back to Black in English at Tangier Center Mall not far from our apartment.  This is the movie that portrays Amy Winehouse’s life and struggles.  We had a little time to kill and I was craving US-based food.  The food court offered plenty of options, but in particular, I had two small burgers at Burger King, two pieces of chicken at KFC, and a shake at Baskin Robbins.  Could not have been better.  Sandy joined me for KFC and Baskin Robbins.  Then we got some popcorn and enjoyed the movie.

After the movie, we headed home and had the chance to chat with our cousins, Joe and Sandy, in Ohio.  Great day!

Monday’s goal was to enjoy the other route with the city tour hop on hop off bus.  This one took us out to Cape Spartel, which is the northwest corner of Morocco and Africa.  For the whole tour both days, we didn’t really do the hop off part – we typically don’t on these.  We like to stay on and take the whole route together.  It was nice because this one did stop for ten minutes at the Cape and then also at Hercules Cave, so we could jump out and take some pictures without having to wait for another bus to come quite a bit later.  Traveling this route was great – it took us out over the hills (maybe they are small mountains) west of the main city and through gorgeous neighborhoods.  Lots of great hiking trails to try someday maybe.

After the tour, we found some food at Café Bab Al Madina.  Sandy had an omelet and I had one of the best salads I’ve had in Morocco – and there have been some really good ones.  This one had a mix of seafood (tuna, shrimp, calamari), lots of vegetables, a great lemon dressing.  You could order it for one or two people – I ordered for one but I think it could have served two.

After walking back to the apartment (about a 25-minute walk from that side of the Medina), we relaxed a bit and then went for dinner at Clay Oven.  This is an Indian restaurant and they have four locations in Morocco.  We ate at the one in Marrakesh and loved it so it was easy to decide that we wanted to eat here again.  And again it was outstanding.  We may have to try another of their locations before we leave Morocco (which is on our radar).  The salad earlier in the day filled me up but I was still able to enjoy my chicken biryani (Sandy ordered the same) and we each had enough left to take home for leftovers.

Tangier has a beautiful three mile promenade along the beachfront that we took advantage of for our four-mile run on Tuesday.  We’ve walked it plenty going between our apartment, which is only a two- or three-minute walk from the beach and the port area and old city.  Today, we went the other direction and had a great run with the beauty of the sea on one side of us and not having to worry about crossing traffic at all. 

After the run, we headed off to the American Legation Museum in the medina.  Great, great stop.  So much history in Tangier – I think this might be the most fascinating city we’ve been in so far because of its amazing history.  Looking at a map, it is obvious that it’s been geographically vital to controlling the Strait of Gibraltar – where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea.  For this reason, during the early 20^th century, the city was managed by multiple countries at the same time.  The countries included Morocco, Spain, France, Italy, the UK, and the US.  Different organizations that controlled aspects of the government would be composed of representation from the various countries.  It was known as the International Zone and I have been so fascinated with life during that time.  I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve been so intrigued by the author Paul Bowles (Sheltering Sky).  He was an American who lived for the last 50 years of his life in Tangier.  I’m now reading Let It Come Down, which is set in Tangier.  So fun to read it while in this city.  Ok, back to the American Legation Museum (the only US National Historic Landmark not on US territory).

In the late 1700s, as mentioned before, Tangier occupied an important part of the globe controlling entry into the Mediterranean.  As ships from the newly formed United States of America traveled the route, this led to Morocco being the first country in the world to officially recognize the newly formed nation.  Morocco is truly the USA’s oldest friend.  This museum was originally the American Legation in Morocco – the place where the US “ambassador” lived with their family and some staff – not an ambassador because we didn’t have an embassy here at the time, but a similar role.  The sultan back in 1821 gifted the building to the USA and it became the American Legation.  The museum is really interesting and does a great job of taking you through the history of our friendship with Morocco and the very interesting times around World War II as the Nazis and Vichy France attempted their takeover of Northern Africa.  One of my favorite exhibits in the museum was the letter from George Washington to the Sultan in 1789 where he apologizes for his tardiness in writing to the Sultan but blames his tardiness basically on the setting up of a new government – you know, trivial matters like that.  Anyway, a very interesting afternoon.  The museum also has a room that displays various artifacts related to Paul Bowles.  It was closed for renovation.  I guess another reason to return.

After a quick bite to eat in the Petit Socco, we stopped by the grocery store for some more cereal and then started planning our next destination after Morocco – and it’s nowhere near Morocco.  More to come on that.

Wednesday was an unusual day for us so far on this trip but we both had great days.  I wanted to journey out to the Lixus Archaeological site and Sandy wanted to have a “Sandy Day”.  We were both 100% accurate in what we chose.  Sandy enjoyed getting some of the planning for the next destination done, walking along the beach, enjoying mint tea and lunch at one of the cafes overlooking the beach and finishing a book she started weeks ago.

I caught a bus at 8am, arrived to the town of Larache at 9:15 and then caught a taxi for the ten-minute drive to Lixus.  I had read that I’d probably be the only person there because it’s just not on the tourist route.  Well, I arrived to two tour buses with around 60 young Spanish students entering at the same time as me.  I was able to avoid them for the most part as I made my way around the site.  I spent around 90 minutes at the site.  This is the oldest city in Morocco.  It goes back to around 1200 BC and the Phoenicians.  The Romans came in around 2000 years ago and the Muslims around 1200 years ago.  The city was the largest fish-producing location in the Roman Empire and the fish would be exported across the vast empire.  They’ve done a nice job documenting the different areas – the industrial quarter where the fish production was done, the amphitheater where the gladiators and wild animals entertained the population, and the residential areas. 

A local gentleman was kind enough to give me a ride back into Larache and I had lunch at the Gran Café.  You’d think after two months, I’d be used to not ordering based on price but I’m not.  I wanted an omelet and I was pretty hungry.  It didn’t seem possible that I’d have enough food at a cost of only $2. So I ordered two omelets.  One would have been plenty.  I guess I ended up with six eggs between the two omelets along with other sides they brought. 

I caught a 3pm bus back to Tangier and arrived back into town a little after 4.  Lots of walking for me today – more than 18,000 steps and right at nine miles.  We enjoyed our leftover Indian food for dinner.

Thursday was our last full day in Tangier.  Sandy found a nice gym for us called LA Fitness, but no affiliation with the company in the US.  $10 each for the day pass here.  In the afternoon, we walked down to the beach to feel the cool water and then we enjoyed spaghetti at home on our balcony.  It was a nice relaxing day and a nice way to end our time here.  I’ll really miss sitting out on the balcony watching the people and traffic go by in our neighborhood.  Moving day tomorrow.  I think we both agree that Tangier might be our favorite city in Morocco.  It just feels very livable and is so interesting.  We’ve had great experiences everywhere we’ve been – this one just feels different.

Our train was scheduled for Noon today and with the Starbucks right in the station it only made sense to take some time and enjoy Sandy’s weekly Starbucks time.  The train left right on time.  We took the high-speed train to Kenitra with the highest speed hitting 312 km/h, which equates to 194 mph. We don’t have anything that quick in the US.

At Kenitra, we grabbed a sandwich and switched to a normal train for the last half hour into Rabat.  We walked 20 minutes to our apartment, arriving at 2:30pm.

After getting settled into the apartment, we found a great spot for a beer and a very good meal.  Le Dhow is a restaurant on a dhow that is anchored in the river that separates Rabat from the city of Sale.  Rabat is the capital and has a population of around 600,000 while Sale has a population of over 800,000.  A dhow is an Arabic sailing boat.  The meal was certainly on the expensive side, even by US standards, but it was a great spot to enjoy the view and figure out our plan together for our time here in Rabat and our planned day trip to Casablanca.

After dinner, we walked to the local grocery store – another Carrefour – and then settled in for a relaxing evening.