svquintessa.com

October 25 – 28, 2023 — Back to the boat in Tangier, it was time to wrap up our inland exploring of Morocco.  John and Eileen headed home. We spent another few days doing some boat work, enjoying walking through Tangier, and watching Tangier host an international triathlon before finding a weather window. It was time to check out of Morocco and head back to Spain. 

The diversity of the country, the welcome we received from everyone we met, experiencing the culture, enjoying the food, learning of the historic relationship between Morocco and the US — it all resulted in our loving the country and wanting to go back. 

We leave you with a story of pictures that summarize the wonderful experience we had in Morocco, the people, the places and the experiences.

Faces

Architecture

Landscapes

October 24 – 25, 2023 –– The train ride back to Tangier from Fez was another opportunity to see the landscape and many small towns in the northern central part of Morocco and the vast amount of agriculture. The trains in Morocco are good, run on time, and are a pleasant experience. First class, which costs only about $10 more per ticket, guarantees an assigned seat and a slightly larger one. Well worth it.

Chechouan, “The Blue City” had been highly recommended to visit, so we decided to spend our last day together there. We hired a driver who took us first to Asilah, a small village on the Atlantic coast, south of Tangier. This is now considered winter in Morocco, so the medinas and shops generally do not open until 10:30 or 11. As awe did not arrive there until 10 and needed to move on around 11, it was not enough time. What we did see we really liked and would like to visit again. At this time of the year it has a quaint seaside feel, though we understand that in the heat of summer it is quite chaotic.

The drive to Chechouan (means Look at the Peaks) took us over the Riff Mountain, the high peaked mountains near the north coast of Morocco. We had sailed past them on our way to Tangier from Gibraltar, a beautiful sight. Chechouan is described in Lonely Planet as “one of the prettiest towns in Morocco: an artsy blue-washed mountain village that feels like its own world”. They also acknowledge the hustlers trying to drag tourists into their restaurants around the main square in the Medina. They were right about that. In fairness to Chechouan, we really did not have enough time to quietly wander the streets, with a long drive at either end of the day. We did get a feel for the wash of blue walls and door throughout the medina. Walking through the narrow lanes of the medina is better off the beaten path.

Chechouan and Asilah

October 19 – 23, 2023 — A highlight of our trip was to be our desert trip. It was great! Said, our driver, picked us up at our riad and drove us over the High Atlas Mountains, stopping at several small villages and, after an overnight at a very nice hotel went on, now through desert terrain, to Erg Chebbi and Merzouga. Toward the end of our drive we encountered a sand storm. It did reduce visibility but Said, as a Nomad who grew up in that area, was unfazed. Fossils are prevalent in that area of Morocco and local craftsmen have created all sorts of decorative and usable pieces from granite containing fossils. We stopped at a workshop and could not resist a round platter

In Merzouga we met our camels and rode 90 minutes through a sand storm to our camp site for the night. Our heads were wrapped and, with sunglasses, getting sand blasted was not a problem. It was beautiful riding across the dunes toward sunset, and so quiet. At the end of 90 minutes I was ready to get off. Our “tent” was great with a solid floor, carpets, flush toilet and shower and a king-size real bed. We felt very spoiled. Dinner in the main tent was local cuisine, including tagine. We could see musical instruments set up and our hosts offered to play Berber music for us. The day had been long, so we begged off and all headed to bed.

Sunrise is very special in the desert with the colors of the sand dunes providing varying colors and shadows as the sun rises. The sand storm had ended but we had partial cloud cover that lessened the intensity of the show. It got better about an hour after sunrise when the sun got a bit higher and the clouds were fewer. That created wonderful shadows on the sand dunes as we rode our camels back out of the desert.

From Merzouga to Fez was a ten hour drive. It was nice to have Said doing the driving instead of us. He is familiar and comfortable with the area. We made several stops, arriving at our riad before dinner. The riad, Grand Alcazar, exceeded our expectations. The building is beautiful with detailed wood carvings and tilework. The staff was attentive and they had the best Moroccan soup we had anywhere. It also had good location as we could walk to both the medina (old town) and to the new town.

Houssaine, our guide the next day, took us to a pottery factory where everything is handmade and hand painted. We bought a tagine, this one painted. Last year, while in Tunisia, we bought a plain tagine, which we took back to Boston and used all winter. Once in the Souk, Houssaine took us to the famous leather dying area where raw hides are treated, died in natural dyes, and processed to be made into leather clothing and goods. Watching men stand, up to their knees, in vats of dye, dragging hides through the solution with no protective clothing, gloves, or masks, really makes you wonder how long they will live. The souk is laid out by craft, and each “square” is named for the craft located there, such as the Copper Square, the silver square, the pottery square, and the textile square. Fez has over 9,000 alleyways within the Souk, so getting lost is expected. Having limited time, it was nice to have our guide steering us through and not lose time constantly redirecting ourselves.

Our second day we had coffee near the Blue Gate, a key entrance into the Souk. It has pretty tile work that is actually blue on the outside of the Gate and green tile on the inside. We decided to explore the newer part of Fez so took a taxi to McDonald’s (really) in the new town, using it as a landmark for the taxi driver. As expected, the newer part of Fez is more upscale with larger buildings and attractive parks.

Atlas and Riff Mountains

Sahara Desert

October 14 – 18, 2023 –– John and Eileen arrived and, after a day walking and exploring Tangier, we took the new high-speed train from Tangier to Casablanca, then regular train on to Marrakech. The high speed train is impressive.

Our Riad in Marrakech has a great location for seeing the best parts of the city. It is an easy city to get very lost in and this had a direct shot to the main square. We scheduled a half day tour to learn the history of the city and get the layout. Mohammed, out guide, was a wealth of knowledge so we enjoyed the city more. The Bahia Palace, originally constructed in the 16th century, was destroyed then rebuilt in the 1860s. The tile work and wood carvings are intricate and ornate. Doorways are also unique and amazing.

The medina is what Marrakech is most known for with a vast number of vendors and all ready to bargain. Mohammed guided us through the various types of offerings from hand dyed fabrics to lamps, pottery, and copper. We may be heading home with a few more things than we arrived with.

Our second day we decided to get out of the old town and explore the more modern areas of Marrakech, so visited The Secret Garden, formerly the home of an important chief, is now known for its traditional Islamic garden. It is inviting and calming within a buzzing city. Gardens Majorelle was an additional garden visit.

In the Medina

In the Souks

October 11 – 14, 2024 — Sailing the 30 miles from Gibraltar to Tangier, Morocco sounds like a simple, short day. Not so! The Strait of Gibraltar is a tricky beast! There are very strong currents that run into and out of the Med through that small opening between Spain and Morocco pushing a lot of water. Not only that, but there are multiple currents moving at different speeds and direction, depending where you are within the Strait. Bob spent hours studying charts of the timing of tides at each area of the Strait and we both studied the weather and winds for each of several days before deciding our route and timing.

After walking to the Customs office on the Spain/Gibraltar border to stamp out of Spain the evening before we were leaving, we actually left at 8 am to sail directly across the Strait to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the northeast corner of Morocco. Why an L-shape route instead of a straight rhumb line route? It’s all about the currents. We reached Ceuta and dropped the anchor for four hours then, with the current in our favor, sailed on to Tangier. Crossing the Strait is a challenge and really takes both of us to manage it. 300 ships per day pass through there and we were trying to go between them as they came at us from the right and left. It reminded us of the amusement park ride of bumper cars, minus the contact part! The ships we were watching on our AIS (Automated Information System) that identifies oncoming ships with info on their name, size, direction, closest point of approach, etc, and destination helps immensely. It is also fascinating to see where the ships are headed to. We saw, Egypt, Turkey, the Suez Canal, US, France, UK, and many other countries. As we got closer to Tangier, we had wind and seas in opposite directions which really slowed us down and turned the seas into a washing machine. That gets old fast.

At 9 pm with darkness settling in, we radioed the Tangier Marina and Customs that we were entering the harbor. We had heard and read mixed reviews on the checking in process in Morocco and that it could take up to a full day with official all wanting paperwork, boarding the boat for inspections, etc. As we motored up to the Customs Dock a single man was standing there, hands at his side, just watching us. With no knowledge of Arabic, as we approached him, ready to throw him the lines, I just said “hi”. His response, in perfect English, with his arms out, was “HI, welcome to Morocco. We have been expecting you”. WOW! And it only went up from there. The welcome we received was warm and friendly, the paperwork not unlike any other country, and when three officials came to inspect the boat and we asked them to please remove their shoes, they did so pleasantly. Two questions: do you have a drone? They seize and hold the drone until you leave the country. Second: do you have firearms? Answered both no and we were done. It was now about 10:30 and we were probable visibly tired. They suggested we stay on the Customs dock for the night and move to our slip in the morning, and then recommended some restaurants in the marina to get a quick dinner. Our entire check-in experience and first impression of Morocco could not have been more positive

We had one full day before our friends John and Eileen were arriving to spend the next two weeks touring the interior of Morocco together so decided to get the lay of the land in Tangier before their arrival.

One of the first things we learned from the locals, and which they are very proud to share, is the relationship between Morocco and the US. Back in 1777, when the US was a start-up nation and Morocco had a new, Sultan Sid Muhammad Ben Abdullah, wanted to establish peaceful relations with the Christian powers and develop trade as a source of revenue. He issued a declaration that all vessels sailing under the American flag could freely enter Moroccan ports. That put the US on equal footing with all other nations with which the Sultan had treaties. By issuing the declaration, Morocco became the first states to acknowledge publicly the independence of the American Republic. What is now the Tangier American Legation Museum was the first piece of real estate abroad, as well as the only US National Historical Landmark on foreign soil. In an elegant old mansion, it is a must see.

Tangier is the most western city in Morocco and has long had a reputation for novelists and artists, especially in the early 20th century that included Hemmingway and Matisse. Several cafes feature photos of the artists hanging out there. Of course we checked them out.

The city is a contrast of new with high rise glass buildings and modern parks in contrast to the traditional medina and Kasbah (fortressed area). The new marina is part of a $5 Billion construction program directed by the King and a real boost to the city.