Tangier: The Tip of Morocco
Morocco is the first country I have visited on the African continent and also my first to a majority Muslim country. I began in Tangier where I discovered a long history with the people of the USA.
On Wednesday, June 12th, I left Amsterdam on an 8:00 PM flight on Air Arabia to take off to Tangier, Morocco. I was headed to my 34th country and the first one I have ever visited on the continent of Africa — making it the 5th continent these eyes have seen.
Morocco is also the first majority Muslim country I have been to. In fact, 99% of the people of Morocco practice Islam. That means I was voluntarily getting on board a flight that was nearly all Arab, nearly all Muslim.
Would that scare you? Should it?
As someone who was a young adult on September 11th, we have been made to fear being on planes with too many Muslims. And here I was, one of the only non-Muslims on board.
Just as I went to board my row near the front of the plane, I was asked by a larger woman in my row if she could have the window seat that I was assigned to. (I love window seats). I took a look at “the situation” and agreed to sit in the aisle seat. The other woman who was in the middle seat ended up getting up and finding another seat with another family member somewhere behind us. So, that actually gave me and the woman on the window a nice empty seat in between.
Just after I sat down, a woman seated in the aisle seat on the opposite aisle and one row behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and asked me, in perfect English: “Are you American?”
When I told her yes, she said, “I thought I could tell by your accent.”
She was also American — and was from Montana — and told me she has lived in Morocco for many years now. She is a teacher and moved there when she was younger. She later married a Moroccan man but is now divorced.
We had a nice little conversation but then as I began preparing for take off, I paused and thought to myself: is the only thing that gave away that I was American my accent? Maybe the previous two weeks in Norway and The Netherlands was making me pass as… European?
I don’t know how to feel about that.
The American — the Montanan — woman on the plane lives in Tangier, where I was headed. She also began giving me all sorts of tips including a few language tips. I told her I was going to be visiting a friend who had been living and working from Morocco for about five months. And that he speaks some Arabic too. That made both her and I more comfortable about my visit.
It’s always great when you can visit people you know while traveling to a foreign country — especially one where you have no clue about any words in their language! Both the language and the insider knowledge makes the visit all the more worth it.
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Some of my friends, including some who live abroad, like to stay anonymous and sometimes ask me not to post their photos or even their name online, especially since my posts and blogs sometimes are very far-reaching. So, for the purpose of this newsletter, I’ll refer to my friend in Morocco as Stephen.
When Stephen learned that I would be on this side of the Atlantic — visiting Norway and The Netherlands — he persuaded me to come to Morocco before I headed back to the USA. And he designed an amazing itinerary. In fact, I told him to take a few things off the itinerary because in my third consecutive week of traveling, I was going to need a little more rest (not to mention, I needed some breaks to get some work done during my travels). Not even Francisco can always be constantly going!
When I started telling some friends and family before my visit that I would be visiting Morocco, some became concerned for my safety. After all the State Department website says that Morocco could be dangerous and that there is even some potential for terrorism. (Oh, the poor helpless State Department!)
My friend Stephen had already been living in Morocco for five months when I visited in June and told me that Morocco is a safe country, with great people, is very inexpensive, and full of rich history. It’s also a place where so many Hollywood movies have been filmed. I trusted my friend was right (and spoiler alert: he was!) After all, he’s been doing quite alright there. I also have other friends who have visited Morocco over the past few years and they always had glowing reports. So, it is a country that has continued to grab my interest. With a friend now living in Morocco, there seemed like no better time to visit than now.
I also found a nonstop flight from Amsterdam to Tangier — and at the conclusion of my time in Morocco, I would take a nonstop flight from Casablanca to Miami! What a wild world. More on that later. For now, let’s talk about Tangier…
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After a 2 1/2 hour flight from Amsterdam, I arrived at the airport in Tangier around 10:00 PM local time. It is situated on the very northwestern coast of Morocco, and just across the Strait of Gibraltar (on the edge of the Mediterranean) from Spain. The time zone is the same as London, about five hours ahead of the east coast of the USA.
The Tangier airport is quite small and the taxi ride from there to the center of Tangier is about a 30-40 minute ride.
Stephen warned me that taxi drivers would probably try to take advantage of me (I clearly do not look like I’m from there!) and charge me an exorbitantly high fare. But he knows what they should charge considering all the taxi rides he has taken there. He instructed me how to flag down a taxi and then, when I did, to put him on the phone, where one of his local Moroccan friends, who speaks fluently in the native tongue, could tell that taxi driver exactly where to take me.
The mere act of getting a local Moroccan on the phone helped prevent the driver from charging me too high of a fare. I suppose you can say it added some accountability.
I also did not have any local cash on me (the Moroccan Dirham) so I was depending on Stephen to have some ready to pay the driver when I arrived. Worse come to worse, I would have the driver take me to an ATM. But luckily Stephen had enough cash for me.
While we stayed at a small budget hotel in Tangier — that was about $30 USD per night for the two of us combined — my first stop would be to meet Stephen at the historically famous El Minzah hotel. So many famous people have stayed here over the past century, including Winston Churchill and a litany of Hollywood celebrities. As I came through the lobby and walked to the dining room near the back of the hotel, I could see their photos along the wall
Stephen not only had a table prepared for us — it was nearly 11:00 PM at night — but also had ordered a meal for me. It was served just minutes after I sat down. I also brought him some gifted cigars that I have had traveling with me since leaving the USA over two weeks earlier, in a protected Pelican case. I wanted to give them to him right away to say thanks.
He got really excited and said: would you like to smoke them now?
“Now? Where? In here?”
He said yes. In Morocco, you can pretty much smoke wherever you’d like.
But this was such a nice fancy dining room in a historic hotel. There were other patrons around us as well.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’ve smoked here many times.”
At his urging, the waiter brought us a lighter.
Wow, what a complete 180 from where I just was in The Netherlands — where you’re not allowed to smoke tobacco anywhere indoors, not even cigar lounges.
So here we were, listening to a traditional Moroccan band play traditional Moroccan music in one of the most historic dining rooms in this country, where Hollywood celebrities and Sir Winston Churchill himself have eaten and smoked. And we were doing the same.
I had been in the country less than 90 minutes. And I loved it already!
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After dinner, I was given a brief tour of the hotel, as I enjoyed my cigar. We then rolled my luggage down the street, around midnight, a few blocks walk to our budget hotel — the Hotel Royal. It was completely safe to walk down these streets — with everything I had on me for my 3 weeks of travels— at such a late hour. No terrorists in sight.
Stephen had already been checked into the hotel much earlier, so we just quickly dropped my bag and proceeded another few blocks. We strolled by an area with some cafes, some of which were still open after midnight on a Wednesday. Then we came to an area that looked like the wall of an old fortress. In front of it, was a landmark that said “KM 0” distinguishing this area as the “northernmost point” of the entire African continent.
I looked it up later and I’m not sure this is factually correct. I think there’s a spot in Tunisia that is actually more northern, but perhaps it’s close and at least we can say that Tangier is the northernmost point in Morocco. After seeing this point, it was getting late and we headed back to the hotel.
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On Thursday morning, we woke up and walked about 5 minutes to hit an ATM and then a few more minutes to have breakfast at Gran Cafe du Paris. This was a great place to eat and also a spot that has been featured in different movies over the years, including in this scene in The Bourne Ultimatum with Matt Damon.
One thing interesting when eating at cafes in Morocco, that I first learned here in Tangier, is that if you come with someone else, you don’t sit on opposite sides of the table from them. They set up two chairs on the same side of the table, where you are both facing out looking towards the street. It seems a bit strange at first. By the end of the week, it started feeling strange not to sit that way. I kind of like it. Also this was the first of many days that I would appreciate the fresh squeezed orange juice so prevalent in Moroccan breakfast cafes.
After breakfast, we walked back by the El Minzah hotel so I could see it during the day and tour a little bit more of it. The hotel is historic, and it is nice, but it has not been updated … probably ever. It’s always a tricky balance for these older properties. How much do they keep original? How much do they update? I think it’s tough, but it’s also kind of cool that it probably looks almost exactly the same as it’s been over the past century or so, when all those movie stars and statesmen spent time here. We are seeing it in the same way they did. I love that.
Not far from the hotel are what I will probably now always refer to as the “Daniel Craig Steps.” This is a wide outdoor cement staircase that was used for the filming of this scene from the James Bond film, Spectre, which shows Daniel Craig and Lea Seydoux walking up the steps through a crowded market. I can tell you that on this Thursday morning in which we were there, there were far fewer people in the scene. But I still attempted to pull off my best Daniel Craig, all things considered.
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One of the most unique places we visited in Tangier was the American Legation Museum. This is the home to the former American consulate (before it moved to Casablanca). When we arrived they told us this property is still owned by the U.S. government and that we were now on U.S. soil.
It also remains America’s oldest diplomatic property. When I come to official State Department places like this and spend time around the area, I always wonder who is doing the write-ups on the State Department website for U.S. citizens — because clearly the area of Morocco around these places does not match the so-called danger that their reports talk about.
Also, I’m sure I could have learned this before, but did you know that Morocco was the first sovereign nation to recognize the independence of the United States in the 1770s?
The museum even features friendly and endearing letters between the Sultan of Morocco and George Washington. Plus: there are many other unique artifacts here regarding America’s relationship with the Kingdom of Morocco.
The United States has a very special friendship with the people of Morocco (perhaps no longer friendship exists with any other nation) and the American Legation Museum helps you realize it. I could have spent hours here reading everything on the walls and looking at every artifact on display, including the impeccable furnishings. But we had more of Tangier to see…
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From there, Stephen insisted on taking me to perhaps the most picturesque lunch spot in all of Tangier. This is not a place you can just show up to. First, you have to know it exists and second, you have to be permitted to make a reservation, especially if you’re not a guest at this very high end hotel.
That’s where having local connections in foreign lands helps me chart the course for future Fearless Journeys trips — and I am now thinking of offering a trip to Morocco later in 2025. If this interests you, please reply to this email or drop a comment below.
Tangier has a lot of hills and steps, reminiscent of a place like San Francisco. It would otherwise be easy to walk around, but you’re constantly climbing. So, we took a short taxi ride up to Villa Mabrouka, an exclusive boutique hotel with an amazing restaurant with a view of the the Strait of Gibraltar!
The first course here was to die for — perhaps the best prosciutto I ever had. The main course included the lamb and some wine from Spain, which we had as we looked across the water to Spain, less than 25 miles away from where we sat. After lunch, one of the hosts at the hotel kindly walked us through the gardens, the lobby, and the entire exquisite hotel grounds. There were very few people around. Only one other table was being served at the restaurant while we were there. It almost felt like we had this majestic place all to ourselves — on a spectacularly beautiful day.
The weather in Tangier is pretty ideal year around, set right on the south side of the Mediterranean. It never gets too hot, even here in the middle of June.
From lunch we walked out of the hotel and “down” the street to walk through parts of the old Medina of Tangier. When we speak of “Medina” in Morocco, it usually refers to the older part of the city (and often walled off areas as well).
Within the Medina here, there is a Kasbah, which is the name given to the fortress area common in many Moroccan cities. They have had their share of invaders and occupiers over the centuries.
I have to say, I thought I rocked the Kasbah!
We had already checked out of our hotel and they had kindly let us store our bags there as we explored Tangier. But, we had one more stop that would require about a 25-minute drive (each way) by taxi, which took us to Cap Spartel, which is the very northeastern point of the city. It is just an immensely beautiful spot where you are on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean to your left and the Strait of Gibraltar to your right, which is on the very western edge of the Mediterranean Sea.
This point is elevated high above the water, so you can a great view for miles. From here, we would also see many cargo ships coming and going from the entry (or exit?) point of the Mediterranean.
Tangier is an amazing city and I love how it’s on that very northwest corner of Africa. Is it on the Atlantic Ocean? The Mediterranean? The Strait of Gibraltar? Is it influenced more by Spain? Portugal? France? Arabs? Berbers? It’s such an interesting blend of so many cultures and geography. Sitting out here on this point at Cap Spartel is such an amazing viewpoint to ponder it all.
And the best way to ponder it all is with a cigar. We took some cigars with us to this point here and had a nice late afternoon smoke as we sat back and enjoyed the view. It’s a nice way to slow down that action-packed itinerary.
By the way, for me, it’s great traveling with friends who like cigars. If that’s you, you might consider joining me in the Dominican Republic for a Fearless Journeys group trip there February 13-17, 2025.
After we finished our smoke at this iconic spot, we then hailed a taxi back into town. Before going all the way back to the hotel, we had the driver drop us by Mosque Mohammed V, where we were able to step inside and see parts of it. They were very welcoming to us and were very open to allowing us to look inside while many (mostly men) worshipped.
Then we walked most of the way back into town. It was “rush hour” and many people were making their way home from work. It was a busy scene. As we walked by Gran Cafe du Paris — one last time on this trip — it looked exactly like it did when “Jason Bourne” was here in that movie scene I shared above. I mean down to every detail, including the police on the street near the traffic circle directing traffic.
I didn’t rewatch this movie clip until writing this post, over a month after my trip. But as I watched it, I was mesmerized. They didn’t make anything up. That part of Tangier in the movie looks like a normal day in Tangier in real life (aside from Jason Bourne chasing a terrorist — perhaps this might explain the State Department website).
We then dined at a little indescript restaurant — almost like a working class diner — where I had the chicken tagine. This is a go-to staple here in Morocco. I would soon learn you almost can’t go wrong by ordering the chicken tagine. Stephen had been to this particular diner many times and said it was cheap, clean, and fast. That it was. And another example of why it’s important to have someone local chart the course before your arrival. That’s part of the reasoning for this visit — so that I can help bring YOU here in the future. Let me know if you’d be interested in joining me. This is just one day of a 9-day trip. I have more to report.
After our early dinner, we stopped by the hotel to pick up our bags. We had originally hoped to take a train from here to Asilah, but we were approaching a holiday week and the schedule was a little different than usual. Luckily we found a taxi driver willing to take us nearly an hour drive to Asilah (a small beach town) for just $30 USD total. After a full day all around Tangier, it was totally worth it and now we had the opportunity to see a much different side of Tangier as we made our way through the city down the coast.
More on that experience in my next report….
What I’ve been consuming this week:
READING: Finished the book, Covert City: The Cold War and the Making of Miami, a brand new book by Vince Houghton and Eric Driggs. This is a really enlightening book about how much espionage has taken place in, from, and through Miami, especially during the Cold War period, with remnants that survive today. But it also reinforces the fact that Miami may be the most intriguing city in the world. When you have people from everywhere who come to Miami for a wide variety of reasons, it surely won’t ever be boring.
NETFLIX: While on the mend, recovering from surgery after tearing my Achilles tendon, I started the Netflix series Cobra Kai for the first time. I’m already half way into season 3. I rarely binge, but when I binge, I binge. And I love this series for its Karate Kid nostalgia and it's great storytelling and fun plots — and the fact that they have brought back nearly every real life actor more than 30 years after they made the original film.
MOVIES: Watched Die Hart with Kevin Hart, the original Jack Reecher with Tom Cruise, and started the new TV series featuring Sylvester Stallone, Tulsa King. All were enjoyable! Speaking of Sylvester Stallone, I also watched the Netflix documentary on his life, Sly. Absolutely incredible. He now makes his home in the same Palm Beach county where I live.
PODCAST: Listened to another barn burner of an episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast episode #2180 with Jordan Peterson. I enjoyed hearing Peterson talk about the formation of his online college, Peterson Academy. He also revealed that he brought all the professors to Miami to record the lectures with new state-of-the-art AI technology. Miami — the city of my birth — won’t ever be boring.
BOOK REVIEW: And, of course, our Fearless Journeys book for July & August, Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday. Read my latest book review here.