A trip abroad taking the ferry to Morocco to visit Tangier, Fes, and Marrakech - then traveling Madrid, Sevilla, Cadiz, and Malaga
We arrived in Malaga in the evening, then took a bus to Tarifa, positioned perfectly to take the ferry the next morning. Our hotel, Kook Hotel Tarifa, was wonderful, we wished we were staying longer We woke up early and were hoping to visit a Tarifa cafe before boarding but for Spain time no shops were open yet! We boarded the ferry and headed for Tangier.
We met up with a guide at the ferry terminal, and he led us through the twisting turns of the many passageways of Tangier.
We would have liked to stay longer in Tangier, but we had a train to catch. We had our first of many mint teas at a cafe, and took a taxi to the train station.
A rep from our Riad picked us up and we headed to our Airbnb. We sipped mint tea in our Riad’s pool and were so happy with our Airbnb and everyone there.
We toured the old city and loved visiting Bou Inania Madrasa seeing the tile work. We visited the tannery and definitely used the mint leaves to cover our noses for the smell of the tanning. All of the stalls of old town Fes were incredible, and we were especially taken with the Seffarine, the metal souk where they were hammering copper.
For our last night, we took a short hike up the hill to ruins overlooking the city.
The next day we flew to Marrakech, and were thrilled with our new housing, Riad le Rihani. I still dream of their breakfasts by the pool or on the rooftop.
We took a day trip to Agafay Desert, we were picked up by a guide and drove a short 40 minutes out to this gorgeous spot, Agafay Desert Luxury Camp. We spent the day having a lengthy breakfast, 4x4 wheeling through the desert, and relaxing at the pool.
We visited le Jardin Majorelle and the YSL Museum, wandered the stalls of Jemaa el-Fnaa, ate at Nomad and had sunset drinks at Shtatto on our last day. I found Marrakech absolutely stunning, and the Riad life is definitely the life for me - love the breakfasts and pools!
Spain
We flew from Marrakech to Madrid and landed in a wonderful Airbnb with a great host.
Our first stop was of course the infamous churros from Chocolateria San Ginés, then we wandered the streets of Madrid. We visited the Palacio de Cristal, el Prado, and Museo Reina Sofia.
We took the train to Sevilla, and loved the smell of orange blossoms in the air. We visited the same restaurant for breakfast everyday; a counter style locals place serving Spanish breakfast called Bar el Comercio.
We spent the day exploring Real Alcazar of Sevilla, absolutely stunning architecture and gardens.
Next we headed to Cadiz, a town on the west coast of Spain. We mostly ate churros, drank wine, and wandered around the city. A highlight was the camera obscura at Torre Tavira.
We rented a car to drive from Cadiz to Malaga, and we made two day trips to two different cities - Mijas, and Ronda. The tall bridge of Ronda was spectacular.
Our last stop was Malaga, where we spent most of our time exploring the empty town (March 2020), and enjoying wine and the beach. This trip was incredible, but I recommend more days in each place, we felt very rushed throughout the process and spent many days driving, riding the train, and at the airport. If I did it over again, I would stay longer in a single city! I am so grateful I was able to see as much as I was with the itinerary we had.
