A Weekend in Morocco

Morocco is one of the most unique countries I have had the opportunity to visit. It is full of color, friendly faces, and longstanding traditions which locals are excited to share with the many visitors who cross its borders every day. This trip was my first time visiting Africa, so I was super excited to make it across the Strait of Gibraltar and into Morocco!

To get there, we took the ferry from Tarifa, Spain to Tangier, Morocco, and immediately went for lunch at El Restaurante Hammadi. The restaurant was picturesque, with ornate red couch seating and gorgeous arches in each room. There was even a band playing traditional Moroccan music throughout the meal.

We ate couscous and lamb kabobs, and for dessert, baklava and our first of many Moroccan mint teas.

From there we went to Café Hafa, which looked out onto the ocean. Our guide told us that this cafe was a favorite of famous writers and musicians, including Mick Jagger. Sitting on the patio gave us some time to digest our lunch, have more mint tea, and take in the view in front of us.

That day we also visited the American Legation. This was the first American public property outside of the United States. What many people may not know is that Morocco and United States go way back! Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States independence from the British, and have had amicable relations ever since.

The second day, we journeyed to the seaside town of Asilah. On the way, we stopped at the lighthouse Cap Spartel, which marks the divide between the Atlantic and the Meditteranean and is the most northwestern tip of Africa.

We also stopped to greet these friendly faces!

 

Once in Asilah, we ate another delicious Moroccan lunch at Dar Al Moaghrebia and walked through the medina, which is the name for the old part of the city. There was tons of street art, but my favorite pieces were done by local kids and teens. Putting their art on the walls of the city was done in a beautification effort, and I absolutely loved it.

On our last full day in Africa, we drove about two hours to the town of Chefchaouen, a town in the Rif Mountains. The town is known for being almost entirely blue.

 

Everywhere we turned, there were about 20 shades of blue in sight, so it’s no surprise that it’s nicknamed the Blue Pearl of Morocco. There, we ate lunch and got some time to explore and do some shopping!

After heading back to Tangier later that night, we packed our bags and got ready for an early morning ferry back to Spain. The trip was a short but sweet peek into a culture totally different to our own. In the future, I would love to come back and explore Marrakesh and Fez!

 

Advertisement