This week we made our way across the Mediterranean sea and into Morocco, where we drove our first kilometers in Africa. A truly enjoyable experience.

SHERRY, HAMMAM AND STRAWBERRIES

Starting off on a late morning (due to finishing our last blog about week 2 on Monday morning) we headed to Jerez de la Frontera. Our first stop was in the Hammam Al Andalusi. A stop that we both agreed on doing way back when being stressed from the whole apartment move. Although we had hoped it would be a bit bigger than the three different tempered baths we fully enjoyed it.

Jerez is part of the famous Sherry triangle and claims to produce the best of them all. We decided to give this a test during the late tapas-lunch. We can’t really judge whether the Sherry from Jerez is indeed the best but we both agreed that we’re rather port people (we can really recommend travelling to Porto!).

In the afternoon we continued our drive south. That night, we camped wild again at a beautiful parking spot at the Parque Natural Bahia de Cadiz. You can already hear and smell the Mediterranean sea, but not yet see it. This had to wait for tomorrow. Before heading to bed we hiked a 2.5 km path through the wetlands with many birds to see including flamingos. While we were walking back the sun was setting and put the whole bay in a magic glow. A really great sight.

The next morning, we got woken up by trumpets playing in the nearby military campus and went to Cadiz. We first tried to join a free walking tour but the German one didn’t show up and the other one only took place in Spanish. So we started off on our own, walking through the city centre to the waterfront and back. The city was flooded during the earthquake of Lisbon but casualties were low, which pious inhabitants still accredit their Saint for. At the local market, we stocked up on fresh strawberries and mushrooms for the next days before heading back to our parked camper. 

BEACH TIME

We now drove eastwards and stopped in some lovely surf towns which were at this time of the year only half-open. At one of the endless beaches we cooked lunch – pure bliss! As we were due for a shower we had looked up camping further east and resisted the urge to hit the waves. Tomorrow will be another day.

On our drive along the coast, we stopped at the Trafalgar lighthouse. It overlooks the bay where the Spanish Armada was stopped by Nelson and the Englishmen. We were a little surprised how there were none of the usual war statues surrounding it except a little plaque commemorating the fallen. I guess the Spanish still don’t want to talk about it? 

Finally, we ended up in Zahara at the camping Bahia de la Plata. Unfortunately, the water pipe broke in the late afternoon but they assured us that the water will be back in the morning. And indeed the water was back up.

As the weather was rather cold in the mornings we so far always went for cafés to get breakfast. Getting greeted by the sun and having bacon in the fridge, we finally decided to break this self-cooked-breakfast-drought on Wednesday and had some lovely bacon and eggs.

Still mourning the missed surfing chance the day before we hit the next town looking for the surf shop. Too bad it was closed. We drove on to Tarifa where we did a little coffee stop. There was not yet enough wind to kitesurf and still too much for Carole’s liking, so we decided spontaneously to not further hang around and quickly made up our mind on trying to catch a ferry to Morocco the same day.

CHANGING THE CONTINENT

Goodbye Spain – hello Morocco! But not so fast – first we had to get a ferry from Algeciras. The next ferry leaving for Ceuta, unfortunately, wasn’t able to take us but we got tickets for the one in the late afternoon, after spending an (at least it felt like it) eternity at the ticket counter, which already got our money and a booking confirmation, but was not able to print out our tickets due to some technical issues. The journey itself was uneventful and quick. Leaving Algeciras you can see Gibraltar (which we’ve skipped as we both been there before) quite nicely. One of the ferry passengers told me that a lot of times one can see dolphins and whales playing in the wake of the ferry, but not this time. Most likely due to it being not the season.

BORDER CHALLENGES

In Ceuta, the Spanish exclave, we did not spend too much time. As it is a tax-free zone we fueled up (incl. our reserve-tanks) and headed straight to the border to Morocco. The border itself was slow and we had to wait in line for a while, but looking at the people on foot returning home after working in Ceuta being perched up in the blazing sun, being in our air-conditioned van was still okay. At the very last checkpoint before entering Morocco we were stopped and asked to get some paperwork (vehicle registration) done. This procedure is normally done in a couple of minutes, but for the second time of the day software issues (or so we were told) were causing issues. First, the female officer got her boss who in turn tried some stuff and after 15 minutes decided to get his boss. There was quite an energetic discussion and based on the facial expressions the first officer got the blame. In the meanwhile, the sun was setting and it was dark once I returned to Carole, who was reading in the car during this ordeal. At the beginning of our journey, also based on experience from other trips (hello Indian construction site out of nowhere) we had agreed to avoid driving in the dark while in Africa – good start! 

We had found online a place to stay overnight just outside of Tanger. Passing several police stops without getting hassled at all, we did not stop to take pictures of the amazing hills between Ceuta and Tangier. We arrived late, paid the local guard 2 Euros (we did not yet have any Dirhams), made a quick disgusting stop at the local ports public toilet and fell asleep exhausted from a long day.

EXPLORING MAROCCO

Thursday morning, we drove the last kilometres into the city of Tangier and finally got some local currency out of the ATM. Tangier used to be a place full of international businessmen, drug smugglers and other sketchy figures as it was part of the so-called International zone. Nowadays it has calmed down and is a good entry point into Morocco. Walking through the buzzing Souks of Tanger, drinking some mint tea and some sightseeing at the Kasbah of Tangier it dawned on us, that we’re finally in Africa – the continent both of us never been to, but also the continent which is hopefully our home for the next 6+ months.

Early afternoon we headed back across the peninsula and tried to get some lunch in Tetouan. After unsuccessfully looking for a parking spot we ended up at 3 o’clock in the restaurant of a 4* hotel on the outskirts of the city. Most likely one of the more expensive meals we’ll have in Morocco. In the late afternoon we continued our scenic drive along the coast and up into the mountains. Our destination was the Talassemtane National park, where we stayed in a basic campground right next to the river.

HIKING AND BLUE CITIES

The next morning roosters woke us up crowing. We drove a few minutes, got a tea and went on a hike to God’s Arc. The trail was super rough and steep. Carole did an amazing job fighting her fear of heights and we had the area all for ourselves. Still early in the day, we ventured on to Chefchaouen which literally translates to “Look at these horns” referring to the two mountains it lies between. Nowadays Chefchaouen is more known as the blue city, as it is predominantly painted blue. The narrow paths in the Medina are a picturesque scene. 

In the afternoon we drove into the direction of Rabat and made good progress on good streets across the forest mountains and later flat agricultural lands. While driving we got to witness some horse riders training for a typical display.

Just before sunset, we arrived at a camping north of Rabat where we stayed the night. As the sea was close I tried to go fishing but the waves of the incoming flood were way too big for my gear and so we had to resign to watch the other fishermen against the sunset background.

RABAT – THE CAPITAL

On Saturday, we started our day with going to the big Carrefour outside Rabat. We got all our stuff while being slightly annoyed by a DJ playing way too loud and making any conversation at the checkout a challenge. Already when driving into the city one can tell that Rabat is a government city. Flashy buildings, wide avenues and big government construction sites combined with an increasing amount of police checkpoints are a good tell.

We strolled through the busy medina, made a stop at the Mohammed V. mausoleum and later enjoyed the view from the Kasbah with another tea. Before leaving town we made a quick stop to visit one of the few shops selling beer so that from time to time we can enjoy a cold brew at the end of a long day.

In the afternoon we drove inwards crossing the biggest forest of morocco, mainly consisting of cork oaks. It was the weekend and many Moroccans took the chance to get out of the city and enjoy a picnic in the forest. We drove on to a small lake where we parked our camper for the night. We shared the spot with a lovely Dutch family that was travelling with their two kids and another baby on the way.

The evening was super relaxed and we were given some desserts by one of the families picnicking. After seeing some other fishermen, I decided to get out my gear as well. While fishing I was approached a few times by helpful Moroccans, all sharing their own recipe for success when it comes to fishing. Without a catch but still happy we let the day fade out and relaxed in our hammocks reading.

CARRIAGE RIDE IN MEKNES

After a slow morning, we finally made our way to Meknes, one of the royal cities in Morocco. Here we enjoyed the view from a terrace across the main square before heading into the Souks. The heat was rising the first time this trip and it was getting close to 30 degrees. While the souks are still cool and shaded the open space of the royal palace was rather uninviting hot. Following our guide book, we opted for exploring the vast palace with a horse carriage for 12€ an hour. It was a very pleasant change in transport and seeing two tourists faint, supported our decision further.

Early afternoon we drove to the nearby camping in the rolling hills north of Meknes. Here we caught up on our reading as well as backing up photos etc.

Another week has come to an end. A week where we changed the continent and finally made it to Africa. Morocco is an easy entry into the unknown and feels like a continuation of the changes in scenery, culture and people we noticed since the north of Spain. So far we feel more secure here than in Spain and the weather is very pleasant. Let’s hope it stays this way.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Kilometers: 1016
• Countries: 2
• Police checkpoints: 100s
• Police stops: 0