Spring Travel, Part I: Spain

Eeeek, it's been a little while since we've posted an update - sorry about that! But we've been busy. J's spring semester has been in full swing, and is finally starting to wrap up. K has been busy volunteering with an animal rescue organization every afternoon. We have done a bit of traveling; we are trying to maintain our fitness; we have gotten caught up with some administrative tasks, and we have been trying to plan our summer and prepare for some trips! So, here's a look at what we've been up to:

During J's spring break we took our first "Regional" trip! Meaning, this was our first venture outside of Morocco. We decided to start with Spain. The main purpose of this visit was to visit one of the largest and oldest mosques of the Arab World, located in Cordoba. From 711 to 1492 a.d., when Arabs ruled southern Spain, Cordoba was considered among the most beautiful and advanced cities in the world. Today, the mosque has been mostly converted into a cathedral, including the transformation of its iconic minaret into a bell tower. There are, of course, competing histories about the Arab dynasties in southern Spain. Some historians contest that the Arab conquerers were actually invited as a mercenary army to defend southern Spain against the Visigoths. After defeating the Visigoths, the Moors decided to stay in the region with it's beautiful weather, olive trees, citrus groves, and access to the Mediterranean. Other historians claim that Spanish Andalusia was captured by the Arabs as they expanded their empire northward. Regardless, the Arab rule of Andalusia remains almost 200 years longer than Spanish rule over the Andalusian region. The period of time is considered by many a Golden Age for Trade, Learning, Architecture, and Religous Tolerance. We were excited to see the Arab influence on the Andalusian region of Spain, and how the country compared to Morocco.

In order to complete this trip, we traveled via ferry boat from Morocco to Spain, rented a car and spent a day and a half in Sevilla, before heading to Cordoba for another day and a half. We capped off the adventure with a few extra hours in Tangier, where we were finally able (to find) and visit the American Legation.

The trip began by taking the high-speed train from Rabat to Tangier after J finished his evening Arabic class. We made it to Tangier in time for a late dinner and stayed at our favorite hotel, the Hotel Villa de France. We were up before dawn to get to the Tanger Ville port for our first trip out of the country! The process to pass through customs and board the ferry was relatively painless, especially when you speak friendly Arabic with the employees and they let you skip to the front of a very long line of Korean tourists :)

We boarded the ferry, which is definitely not your standard Long Island ferry boat. These boats can haul approximately 700 people and 100 vehicles, and are equipped with a full cafeteria and duty-free shopping. The ride to Spain was smooth, quick, and calm. We watched the sunrise from the windows and made it safely to Spain in less than one hour and 15 minutes.

From here, the ferry company provides a free shuttle bus to nearby Algeciras, where we rented a car and began the 2.5 hour drive to Sevilla. Sevilla is a beautiful city - the streets were clean, and the buildings were old, but well-kept. After getting some tips from the hotel concierge, we walked all around the city to see as many sights as possible. We walked past a fancy-looking hotel (the Hotel Alfonso) and noticed there were a more-than-usual amount of people standing awkwardly around the property gates, seemingly waiting for someone. Following suit, we decided to stick around for a second to see what was going on. Shortly thereafter, an elite-looking motorcade rolled up and around to the back entrance of the hotel. We had no idea who it was, and messaged our journalist friend from Spain to see if she knew who was in town, and continued with our tour of the city.

After wrapping up our walking tour and returning to our hotel, we passed the Hotel Alfonso and there were crowds of people now standing outside the gates...this time, we asked someone who was arriving and learned that THE Barack Obama was in town for the World Travel & Tourism Global Summit (he was the keynote speaker for the event)...needless to say, we spent the next 1.5 hours standing outside those gates hoping to catch a glimpse of Mr. President. Without a public appearance scheduled, we knew he wouldn't be walking out the front door of the hotel and waving to the crowds, but we still hoped :) The motorcade rolled out from the back of the building and we strolled home with an extra skip in our steps knowing that he was there and we were in the same place. Perhaps we can kinda check that off the bucket list?

The following day we drove 1.5 hours from Sevilla to Cordoba and spent the afternoon wandering the maze of streets to catch as many sights as possible. The hotel we stayed in, Las Casas de la Juderia, was fantastic - we highly recommend it! Especially the "Honor Bar" - where they have all sorts of beer, wine, soda, and snacks set out by the pool and based on the honor system, you honestly record what you consume, and they honestly charge you for it later. Or, as J would put it..."I'm gonna honestly steal some drinks from that bar." Spoiler: He DIDN'T.

The following morning we had scheduled a half-day "foodie tour" of Cordoba with Diego from Foodie & Experiences Cordoba. Despite the fact that there was torrential rain and this was an outdoor walking tour, Diego was fantastic and we really enjoyed our day with him. The highlight of the tour was the tapas and wine on a rooftop terrace overlooking the grand mosque, where the gray skies drifted and the sun started shining! Diego was super friendly, casual, and easy to talk to. We felt like we got a great, local experience with him and would recommend his business to others, for sure. The tour included tickets to visit the mosque after our lunch, where we said goodbye to Diego and wandered the mosque on our own.

The following morning we were up before the sun to start the 3-hour drive back to Algeciras to reverse our trip across the sea. The skies were still a bit stormy, which is one piece of advice we'd give fellow travellers...DO NOT ride the ferry during stormy weather, if you want to enjoy the trip. Boy oh boy, was it a rough ride. Most of the passengers spent the trip with their heads tucked between their knees, praying they wouldn't toss their cookies. The boat was bobbing like an apple in the choppy waters, teetering from side to side like a carnival ride. We survived the seas and were quite thankful to be back on solid ground in Tangier.

We walked from the port to the American Legation, which is not an easy task. Depending on which map you look at, the Legation has two locations...the last time we were in Tangier, we couldn't find the museum at EITHER location. We also received varying information regarding its hours of operation, and returned to Rabat without visiting it. This time, we only walked right past it once before carefully retracing our steps and figuring out the "road" the museum is located on is actually a set of stairs that lead to an alley. And it turns out, it's only about 400 meters from the port. You live and you learn :)

The American Legation was the first American public property outside the United States and it celebrates the cultural and diplomatic relations between the United States and Morocco. For 140 years, it housed the United States Legation and Consulate. Today, it serves as a cultural center, museum, and research library focusing on the Arabic language.

Following our time at the Legation, we headed back to Rabat on the high-speed train and wrapped up a successful first venture outside of Morocco. It was a relaxing trip to Spain, and we really enjoyed the architecture and vibe of both Seville and Cordoba. We did not appreciate European food prices as much as we appreciate Moroccan food prices (FYI - food in Morocco is SO cheap!). We ate A LOT of cheese and ham - which is one thing the area is known for (so we had to try it, right?). And we were now prepared for our next adventure: Paris!