TGV and Tapis in Tangier

So far, Tangier tops our list of cities in Morocco. For this trip, it was the first time we were able to test out the new high-speed train! The train, also known as TGV or Al-Boraq, began operating at the end of November. The 3-hour trip from Rabat to Tangier now only takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, making it a super easy weekend adventure. We left Rabat at around 9:50, arrived to our hotel at 11:30am - where they informed us our room was ready and we could check in (sweet!) - and we were wandering around the city by lunchtime.

The medina was relatively easy to navigate and we spent our entire afternoon walking the streets, popping in and out of shops and snapping photos of sites we had read about. When we finally found it (it's entrance is around a corner that we walked right past three times...), the Kasbah Museum was probably one of the most interesting museums we have visited. The artifacts were stunning and the facility is really unique. You'll see in the slideshow the creative display of the ceiling design. You walk into a plain, white room with a glass table in the middle of it. As you approach the table, you lean over it and realize it's a giant mirror that reflects the exquisite detail of the ceiling above you - a feature you probably wouldn't have noticed because who looks at the ceiling? It's a bit disorienting at first! After you get over the feeling that you will fall right through that mirror into the depths of Wonderland, you can look up and grasp the details. And then you proceed to look at the ceiling FIRST in every room that follows! Following the exhibits, the self-guided tour leads you to a serene garden behind the museum, where you have the option of enjoying coffee or tea on the terrace. Or, you can depart the museum and choose between two nearby cafes that boast panoramic views of the port, the city of Tangier, the Strait of Gibraltar, and Spain. We chose the Italian/Mediterranean cafe as our afternoon pick-me-up, soaking up some afternoon sun while enjoying the views, and some tiramisu.

From the top of the medina, we continued wandering the streets until the sun set. We had hoped to visit the American Legation Museum; however, it was closed when we arrived. Feeling sufficiently tired after walking nearly 10 miles, we opted to forgo dinner in the medina (also because we could not find the restaurant) and ate at one of the hotel restaurants.

We woke up early on Sunday to catch the sunrise from the rooftop of the hotel - it was stunning! Albeit a little chilly, we enjoyed watching the sky turn and the stars disappear until our stomachs told us it was time for breakfast. We dined on an endless spread of Moroccan breakfast dishes before packing up our bags and heading to the port.

From what we saw, the city of Tangier is clean, and their beach boardwalk/promenade is really impressive. It is still in the finishing stages, but there were lots of people running and walking the path; groups of young men playing soccer in the sand, and families enjoying brunch on the pier at one of the many cafes. From this angle of the city, you can glimpse the concrete horizon of Tangier, or turn around and glimpse the views of the ocean and landscape of Spain in the distance. From here, we walked about 1.5 miles to the train station for the quick journey back home.

What we enjoyed most about Tangier was that we felt very relaxed there. We were not hassled by shopkeepers or taxi drivers. The city is quiet, the architecture is beautiful, and the views are amazing. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Villa de France and we would definitely recommend it to others! It is a 5-star hotel with top notch customer service, an overwhelming breakfast buffet, beautiful rooftop terrace views, and a price tag worth mentioning - just $80/night! The hotel is also centrally located - it's a short walk to the medina, a 10-minute walk to the beach, and you could certainly trek to the train station from it (if you don't mind taking a leisurely stroll across town, or along the promenade).

Because this trip only lasted about 30 hours, there are many places surrounding Tangier that we would like to see. We plan on returning for a few days in order to check out more of the restaurants, historic sites, and to catch a ferry to Spain!