Tangier and Chefchaouen

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What a weekend. It has been so busy that I haven’t had time to update since I got back from our first travel weekend! I traveled with the 8 humanities students from WPI, but the juniors that are here for their projects also were in Chefchaouen for the weekend. The 8 of us left on Thursday 1/16 for Tangier. We took the train there, dropped our stuff off at our GORGEOUS AirBnB, and then headed into town for dinner. My advisor had recommended a fancy place to us and we decided to go. We had a 5 course meal for $20 USD. It was incredible food and the staff was so friendly – it was a great way to start the weekend. We woke up the next morning and realized that the only bus to Chefchaouen that wasn’t sold out was at 12pm. This was disappointing since we couldn’t spend as much time as we wanted in Tangier. So, we went to Cafe Hofa, a famous cafe in Tangier that overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar. I spent my morning looking at the ocean and Spain while doing work for classes! Even though we had limited time, it was well spent. At noon, we got on the bus to Chefchaouen, which took about 2.5 hours. When we arrived, we were confused – we couldn’t see any blue that the city was supposedly named for. The taxi dropped us off outside of the Medina (the old part of the city) and then we realized the reason for its name! All of the buildings in the Medina are blue on the lower half. It is stunning! We were starving when we arrived, so we got a recommendation from our AirBnB host and headed to eat. Luckily for us, it was couscous Friday! In Morocco, couscous is only served on Fridays and so we took full advantage. It was delicious! By this time, it was about 6 and so a group of us set off to get snacks and desserts while the others went back to the AirBnB. The rest of the night was spent eating, laughing, and playing Cards Against Humanity.

Saturday morning came beautiful and sunny in Chefchaouen. We had a late breakfast at a cafe in the center square of the Medina. The food was incredible – Harsha (traditional Moroccan bread/crepe-like product) with fresh goat cheese, butter, orange marmalade, and honey. It was so good that we ended up going back on Sunday morning as well! For the next few hours, we wandered around the Medina. It is old, with windy and hilly cobbled streets. Vendors are everywhere, selling everything from touristy magnets to colorful handmade djellabas (traditional Moroccan clothing). I stopped and haggled with store owners over paintings, djellabas, or anything that caught my eye. I ended up buying a small painting of Chefchaouen for myself as well as some presents for others. After a few hours of walking, my group of 8 met back up to eat. We ate quickly, since our next stop was the top of a mountain overlooking the city! There is a Spanish mosque that is a big attraction for everyone, especially at sunrise or sunset. You can watch the sun as it moves over the city and behind the mountains, while truly being able to see the blue glow from Chef. The view was unbelievable!! While walking down the mountain, after the sun had set, we met 3 Moroccan photographers that were taking pictures of the city at night. We talked with them for a while, both in English and Darija. One guy, who spoke great English, was shocked I only spoke one language. I had to explain that I was American 🙂 After we went our separate ways, my friends and I headed back to the AirBnB for snacks, Moroccan tea, and games! It was such a fun time.

Our final day in Chefchaouen was on Sunday. We got breakfast at the same place as the day before and then wanted to have a relaxing day. Some of my group went off to buy more things, while 3 other girls and I found a rooftop cafe to do some classwork and chat (safe to say, not much work was done). Our bus back to Tangier left at 3:30 so we all met back up to take taxis to the bus station. While trying to catch a cab, my friend Abby and I met an American man from California who is in the Navy. He is stationed in Italy and had a long weekend, so decided to come see Morocco! I love meeting people while traveling, so it was fun to talk to him for a little while. When we got back to Tangier, we were all starving and decided to get Moroccan McDonald’s from the train station. It was different than American McDonald’s in terms of the food they offered. Not very traditionally “Moroccan”, but a fun adventure. The train ride back to Rabat was uneventful and I had a quiet night when we returned.

Since then, I have been doing lots of work and having classes! I did get to explore the Rabat Medina a little bit, which was a lot of fun. I got a donut and two traditional Moroccan sandwiches (hard to explain) for the equivalent of 60 cents. We all decided we’d be doing our grocery shopping there from now on! Now, it is Wednesday evening and my group is planning our dinner for the night. We are leaving Friday morning to go to Fes, the “spiritual capital” of Morocco. We will be going with all 34 WPI students and our 3 advisors. I am very excited! I will post another update at some point next week after I return. I hope everyone is enjoying my blog! I am definitely enjoying sharing with you all and reflecting on my travels and experiences. Layla saida (goodnight)!