the compass points south

It’s been a few days since we’ve been able to post so we’ll try to get you caught up on what we’ve been up to.

Monday was the day we made our way to the southern tip of Spain. We began at the train station in Barcelona and (because of the broken rail lines) proceeded to Tarragona by bus. From there we began the four and a half hour ride to Madrid where a three and a half hour layover awaited us. There were some beautiful hill towns next the rail lines along the way. After Madrid we head took our train to Algeciras near the straights of Gibraltar. The lovely Hotel Reina Christina awaited us and we were desperate for some rest after 11 hours on the trains.







The next day took us to the ports where we caught a slow boat to Tangiers. It was kind of a strange experience as we basically went through customs on the boat. Once in Tangiers we scurried to the train station (again) to make sure we could catch train to Marrakech. Luckily, we were able to get tickets on a sleeper car (couchette, to those of you who speak Moroccan French) and off we went into the night on an 11 hour ride southward into North Africa.



After a restful night on the train, we were awoken to a most beautiful sunrise along the sparse landscape not to mention the anticipation of a thrilling time in bustling Marrakech.





From the train station we made our way by taxi to the plaza Djemm al Fna where our hotel is located only to find that the reservation we had made was never confirmed. Note to those traveling to Marrakech, booking your stay on the internet works about as well as the sewer system here. In other words, it stinks! Not to worry, Hotel Jnane Mogador found us a room for the four nights we needed and we are thrilled to be staying here. It’s one of the most peaceful places next to one of the least peaceful places we’ve ever been. It has a great rooftop patio and really friendly staff. They also have a spa! Bree went to the ‘spa’ tonight for a massage that turned out to be a really aggressive body cleansing. Picture laying naked on a stone floor being scrubbed down with an exfoliator glove by a stranger that doesn’t speak english, oh, and while you’re having this done don't forget to wave to the person next to you who’s also having this done. It may sound strange, but it’s not all together bad. Bree has very soft skin now, and would go back again if she thought she had any skin left to shed.



Dinner came to us in the form of a delicious mint tabouleh salad, bastilla poulet (chicken) and a lamb tagine at a wonderful rooftop restaurant overlooking the hustle on the plaza below. Mint tea finished off the meal before we headed down to take our place in the flow of bodies around the square.





Off to a night of rest before we head out on an adventure to the cascades of Morocco at the foot of the Atlas Mountains and a tour of the Berber villages below.