Tangiers – Chefchaouen

We had a two hour trip on the TGV (high-speed train) from Casablanca to Tangier, reaching a top speed of 314kph. The train was quiet and was a smooth ride – no spiling the tea! The journey took us past the capital of Rabat, which appeared to be a much more modern city than Casablanca.

First stop in Tangier was a supermarket to pick up something for a picnic lunch at Perdicaris Park overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar.

Ion Hanford Perdicaris was an American author, professor, lawyer, painter, and playwright. He was a humanitarian and human rights activist who fought for the rights of Moors, Arabs, and slaves. He was active in the anti-slave movement in the United States and abroad namely in Morocco. He was born in Greece in 1840 and died in London in 1925. He lived in Morocco for 40+ years.

For more info on the Perdicaris incident click – HERE.

Located approximately 14km west of Tnagier, Cap Spartel dominating the meeting of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The lighthouse is about 150 years old and stands approximately 60m high.

From Cap Spartel it was onto the old Medina in Tangier where a couple of us managed to get totally turned around. We thought we were on the right track and ended up popping out of the medina somewhere not where we should have been. We were only 10 minutes late meeting up with the group.

Chefchaouen is also known as the “blue city” of Morocco, due to the large number of buildings and vstreets that have been painted blue. Originally buildings were brown, then white, and in the 1930s, becoming the world-wide phenomenon it is with the advent of social media influencers.

Nestled in the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen was founded in 1471 by Sherif Moulay Ali Ben Rachid, a noble descendant of Prophet Muhammad. He established the city as a fortress (Kasbah) to defend against the advancing Portuguese forces, who were expanding their influence along Morocco’s Atlantic coast

It’s not all blue….