Casablanca Adventure: The New Normal - Fall Break Part I, Tangier, Morocco

Richard and I headed out for our fall break trip on Saturday, October 14. Part one began as we boarded our train at Voyageur Station; here are some highlights.

Cool train engine

After a four-hour train ride we arrived at our first destination, Tangier. We stayed for four nights at the Hotel Rembrandt, located right in the middle of Tangier, with a beautiful view of Tangier Bay, and only a few minutes walk to the beach.

View of the bay from our hotel

This was a cruise ship that came into the bay. In front of it is a ferry boat, which looks tiny but is actually quite large.

Night view of Tangier Bay

Morning mist of Tangier Bay

A little info about Tangier: This bustling city is on the Strait of Gibraltar and is a major port city in Morocco. The location is basically where Africa meets Europe, and is only 17 miles off the southern coast of Spain. Tangier has a rather colorful history, having been under the rule of a number of countries until Morocco's independence in 1956. Tangier was known as a spying and smuggling center, especially during the Cold War.

We headed to the old medina (the Grand Socco) on Monday morning and enjoyed strolling around the shops and seeing the Berber market. The Berbers are indigenous people of North Africa, most of whom are farmers who live in the mountains. They come to the Tangier market on Sundays to sell fruits, vegetables and other items.

Sunday market with the Berbers

We had a delicious lunch of Moroccan food in a lovely medina restaurant.

Ate at a delicious Moroccan restaurant in the medina

Yummy tajine

Steep roads of Tangier

The streets in Tangier are windy and steep. They remind me of the hills in San Francisco; there is actually a street named rue San Francisco.

We bought a rug in the market from a Moroccan man who went to college in Georgia, USA! (Small world.)

Buying a beautiful rug

We saw a very old mosque, from the year 1293. There are two separate buildings, one for men and one for women.

1263 Mosque

We attended a Sunday morning service at the charming Saint Andrew's Anglican Church. The land was donated to the British in 1880 (during Queen Victoria's reign) by Hassan I. The cornerstone was laid in 1894, and the church was consecrated in 1905.

The building is Moorish in style, with a bell tower that looks like a minaret. The grounds contain a cemetery with more than 200 tombstones. Many of the graves are those of British and Commonwealth soldiers who died fighting in North Africa in WWII. Included are the headstones of an entire downed aircrew, which are attached "shoulder to shoulder"; they are quite a moving sight. Like Saint John's in Casa, the cemetery/church grounds are like a mini oasis, with lovely plantings and blessed shade.

Keyhole door

Tower looks like a minaret

Beautiful plantings on the grounds of the church and cemetery

Inside, there are rounded arches that are elaborately carved. I think it is interesting that behind the altar archway is a version of the Lord's Prayer, written in Arabic. In addition, also behind the altar is a cleft that indicates the direction of Mecca, as well as carved quotes from the Quran. Quite an interfaith experience!

The service was officiated by Father Simon, who led the service in English. Richard and I were the only two Americans in attendance, and Richard volunteered to read one of the Bible texts. Many of the worshippers were poor transients, hoping to emigrate to Spain from various African countries; they are there one day, and gone the next.

Inside of St. Andrews

One of the highlights later in the week was our visit to the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies. It is located in the heart of the old medina. It was the first American-owed public property outside of the United Stated and is the only historic landmark of the U.S. that is located abroad. There are many historical and artistic items in the museum, most commemorating the relations between the U.S. and Morocco. A large wing dedicated to writer and composer Paul Bowles was intriguing. Later, I will be doing a separate post about his interesting life and research. There is also a research library, concentrating on Arabic language studies.

Richard at the entrance

Beautifully refurbished American flag rug

This is an 48-starred America flag carpet that has been refurbished and hangs in the Legation. It was made around the time of Eisenhower's presidency and King Mohammad V's reign; the two met in 1959.