Hello again! I’m back from my week in Spain. The plan is to finish up the North Africa updates; following that I’ll post the entries for Spain. And intermixed with all of that will be some periodic real time London updates. Are you totally confused? Hope not! Apologies for the slow drip, but hopefully I’ll be all caught up in a couple weeks. Just in time for my next trip! Anticipation…

Sunday, February 16 – transit from Tangier to Marrakech

I’m taking the train this morning to Marrakech, with a transfer in Casablanca. I’m a little tired, so looking forward to a couple of relaxing train rides (hopefully!). I would say trains are my favorite form of travel, and it’s not even close. It’s too bad the U.S. doesn’t have a better rail system.

The walk from my hotel to the Tangier train station took about 30 minutes. My train is scheduled to depart at 11am.

Here are some pictures of the Tangier train station (Gare Tanger Ville)…

I booked a first class ticket, which included access to the Al Boraq Lounge at the station.

Morocco has high-speed train service? Yes! Beginning operation in 2018, it runs between Tangier and Casablanca. The advertised high speed is 320 kph (199 mph). The highest speed I noticed on the display screen was 313 kph.

The first class car. I was in the single seat on the left. I was hoping that there would be some food service in first class, but no. Not even tea! Brutal!

The trip to Casablanca took a little over two hours. The connection time in Casablanca was 25 minutes, but that departure platform was adjacent to the one in which we arrived, which made it easy.

The first class berth for the second leg of the trip. I was on the window, and all of the seats were occupied. The trip was close to 3 hours long, and I ended up sleeping a little bit.

I was very impressed with this train journey. Both segments were on time, and all aspects were efficient. The cost of my ticket was 288 dirhams ($29).

I arrived in Marrakech around 4:15pm. The hotel (riad) that I booked included a transfer from (and back to) the train station.

I’m staying in a riad located within the Medina of Marrakech. A riad is a traditional Moroccan house specifically known for its enclosed garden and courtyard. Very common in Morocco, they used to be homes for the wealthy merchants and traders.

The drive from the train station to the riad took about 15 minutes. But man, it was an adventure trying to maneuver the minivan through the narrow alleyways of the Medina. Kudos to the driver!

The entrance to my room. There are no exterior locks on the doors, but there is a safe in the room. And the room can be locked from the inside.

The cost of the room was $150/night. That included a wonderful breakfast, the train station transfers and the use of a smart phone. The phone was provided for a few reasons: a) to use the navigation app as a means for the guest to find their way back to the riad via the maze of the Medina, b) as a way to call the riad staff in the event any issues arise, and c) to be used as a hot spot if the in-house WiFi fails. Very helpful! I ended up using the phone for the navigation and hot spot, but never had to call the staff. I also had my phone with an African eSIM that I could use for navigation and internet access.

Here’s a Google Maps sat view of the Medina (apologies for all the icons, apparently they can’t be removed). Riad Dar Zaouia is pinned in the upper center. You can see how it could be kind of confusing (intimidating) navigating back to the riad from the south! (as I will find out later tonight!)

After getting settled in, I made my way out to do a little exploring…

As I was working my way through the Medina, looking at my phone for the path back to the riad, a teenage boy asked me where I was going. I should have ignored him, but he seemed nice, so I told him. I knew I was close, and he said he could direct me back. Well, this turned out to be a mistake. He proceeded to take me on a convoluted journey through various alleyways that I soon realized was much longer than necessary. And along the way one of his friends joined us. Well, we eventually made it to the riad (a 10 minute walk that should have lasted 3). And of course, he wanted some money. I was annoyed, and offered him a 10 dirham coin ($1). He was expecting more, and didn’t want to take it. By this time one of the riad staff had come to the door, and the boys started talking to him in French, arguing their case. The back and forth didn’t last very long, and he finally accepted the coin. I never felt threatened, but I suppose the fact that I was right at the entrance to the riad enforced that feeling. After we were inside, the staff member basically told me that the children of the Medina are the biggest scammers, and that I should just ignore them. Lesson learned (again!)!

Monday, February 17 – Marrakech

Kind of a leisurely morning as I enjoyed breakfast. Here are some more views of the riad…

Breakfast is served on the rooftop. You’ll notice the heater in the back of the dining area. The temperatures were in the upper 40s to start the day, but eventually reached a high in the upper 60s.

More exploring on tap for today. Here are a couple views as I make my way out of the Medina…

I tried not to show it my photos, but there are a lot of tourists in Marrakech. A LOT! It felt much more crowded than Tangier, yet their populations are similar.

This is Tinsmiths Square, with many cafes. I checked the menus to compare to what I was paying for similar meals in Tangier, and the prices here were about double.

I took very few pictures of the souks of Marrakech, for a couple of reasons: a) they were very crowded (tourists), and b) the merchandise just seemed rather cheap and kitschy to me (I know, I’m a snob!). I’m sure there are some great shops with quality merchandise within the souks, and some deals to be had. But it would have taken a guide to help me find them (can that person be trusted? – I’m jaded too!), and I really wasn’t that interested in buying anything.

A visit to the Jewish Cemetery was a calming oasis amongst the hustle and bustle of Marrakech.

The cemetery was founded in the 15th century, but it is believed the area was used for burial of Jews since as early as the 12th century.

The cemetery has over 20,000 graves, with one corner dedicated to around 6,000 children who died during a typhus epidemic in the 19th century.

This is the remains of a stone fortress, constructed late in the 11th century.

I’ve booked a food tour for this evening, so I’m going to head back to the riad to get a little rest.

There were 8 of us on the food tour, 6 from the U.S. and a couple from Scotland. To follow are pictures of our meals, and scenes as we walked to the various food stalls…

Here we’re looking down as a bread-maker attends to his oven’s fire.

The food tour started at 6:15 and finished around 10pm. I originally wasn’t sure if I was going to do it, because it seemed kind of pricey ($70), but I’m happy that I did. A very fun evening!

And I made the 30 minute walk back to the riad without the aid of any navigation device (or local scam artists!)! 29k steps for the day, not bad!