We wanted to go to Morocco for so many reasons. For Laura, North Africa is a place that has long been a dream destination. She has a love for belly dance, Arabic music, and Islamic art that goes way back to her teens, and has a deep appreciation of Moroccan culture specifically – the food, the history, the aesthetic, the list goes on. Javier having lived in Southern Spain eons ago has had his fair dose of North African influence and shares a lot of this love as well, so it was an easy choice to come here after Europe. Neither of us had been to any countries in this region, or in the Middle East, so this would be a completely new experience for both of us.

As we started planning how we were going to get from Italy to Morocco we were excited to learn that there was a ferry direct from Genoa, Italy which meant that we could spend more time there before leaving Europe. We originally thought we would need to go to southern France or Spain, but the Italian ferry company Grand Navi Veloci (GNV) has a number of ferries that connect the two continents. Although we would have loved to see more of France (we briefly visited at the start of the Camino) or southern Spain, we felt that there was so much we wanted to see in Italy that it would be better to save the other spots for another time. We spent two days on the ferry from Genoa, Italy to Tangier, Morocco and it was a ride like no other. Unlike previous overnight ferries where we slept wherever we could, we opted for a small internal cabin for the two day haul. So basically it was like a mini cruise! Except without all the fun amenities! We did, however, eat some surprisingly decent food and there were some things going on like film showings (albeit in French and Arabic). We mostly slept, ate, talked, read, and watched the sea go by.  The slow pace of ferry travel and the fact that it took two days allowed us to reflect on all the adventures we’d had in Europe.

We arrived in Tangier on the northwest Mediterranean coast. We had already become acclimated to hearing Arabic on the ferry and luckily a lot of folks in northern Morocco speak Spanish, so we were pretty comfortable getting around when we disembarked. Granted, the absolute first social encounter on the bus to the terminal consisted of a VERY heated argument in VERY loud Arabic among some passengers on the shuttle.  We weren’t sure if fists were going to start flying between the two parties but when the shouting suddenly turned into hysterical laughter among everyone (something we would see more than once) we relaxed a bit and figured it was just par for the new course.  Eventually a cab deposited us in Tangier (note to self, there are TWO ports in Tangier) and we made our way to the hotel with the help of a teenage kid that was eager to show us the way. There are always people asking to be your paid guide wherever you go, but a lot of the time people are just friendly and helpful.

For the next four days we got used to being in Morocco and enjoyed our time in Tangier walking around the medina and along the beach. We stayed in Hotel Continental, a classic place with a storied history in a gorgeous old building near the fishing port.  We had read that the hotel can be hit or miss, but we absolutely loved it and had an amazing time there. The design of the place, the dizzying geometric tiles everywhere, the incredible bazaar, were all exactly what you dream about when you think of Morocco. And the food at the restaurant was delicious as well. It was the best possible place for us to settle into our Moroccan travels. One day we took a taxi ride to Cape Spartel where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic and also visited the cave where Hercules is said to have rested after one of his 12 labors (true story). Another day we took a train to Asilah, which is a super chill little beach town on the Atlantic coast with a beautifully artistic medina. We ate a ton of couscous and chicken with the local answer to salsa, HARISSA (we have since become Harissa experts). We both agree however that the biggest change from our European life was (and continues to be) the lack of alcohol. We heard you could find it if you really want to, but we have not seen a drop anywhere and are pretty cool with getting a little break after all that Italian wine. Still, cracking open a cold brewski after a long day of sight-seeing is something we’re both looking forward to. Someday.    

For certain, it took some getting used to the vibe in Tangier. The crowds, the sights, the smells, the disproportionate ratio of men to women in public spaces, and the hard sell every time you pass a shop. On that last point it actually wasn’t as hardcore as we had read. Some Moroccans hilariously told Javi he looked local, and we stopped carrying our day packs, so maybe that’s why we really didn’t get hassled too much when we walked around. We had read online and in our guidebook that it’s better to be with a guide or a group tour to avoid getting overwhelmed, but honestly the folks in the tour groups were getting hassled to buy stuff way more than any single or couple travelers. So we got a pass, and are grateful that it hasn’t been a distraction from our enjoyment of this place (which has been the case for some travelers here).

After Tangier we headed to Tetouan, a less touristed city with a big art school. We visited the lovely art museum and enjoyed the very local and lived-in feel of the place. Getting from place to place by train or bus has been super easy and inexpensive. Everything is (pretty much) on time and comfortable, and an hour train or bus ride costs about 5 bucks for both of us. So far so good!

Next on the list is further into the Rif mountains to the Blue Pearl – Chefchaouen! To be continued…

Maroc

Ah the bikes. It was a long crazy road from Athens. About 650 miles on the bikes plus two overnight buses, a motor boat ride, and four ferries, including the 11 hour beast to Italy. After a summer of countless beaches, beach bars, castles, fortresses, magical places, and friendly folks, we rolled into the Italian fall like champs. But soon it was time to lose the wheels and return to our backpacking roots, for a few reasons. When we bought the bikes we figured it wouldn’t last more than a couple of months. The bikes (though they performed admirably) aren’t exactly tip top gear for long term touring.  As they were intended to be used as city bikes by tourists, they were heavy and slow in comparison to a proper touring bike.  Furthermore, as we’d planned an open ended adventure and brought along everything we might need along the way we were carrying far too much shit for a biking long haul. We briefly entertained thoughts of taking them to Morocco, but after our humbling in the Tuscan hills we were getting a little weary of bike travel. We didn’t want the bikes to become more of a burden than a gift, and since we were going to be doing some faster traveling that would include train rides and quick city visits, we thought lugging the bikes around would be a pain. Plus, it just felt like that portion of the trip was done. Check. So to honor our achievement and not drag it out just for the sake of it, we made the decision to let them go. Bittersweet, but it felt right.

In Florence we found a super cool Brazilian dude named Aldo, who runs the bike rental shop “Giramondo by Bike,” to take them off our hands for a few bucks and a few beers (and great conversation sitting on the floor of his shop). Of course we didn’t make all our money back or come anywhere close, but it was totally worth it. We ended up sending some of our gear home, along with our camping stuff (we wouldn’t need it in Morocco), so at least we got some new helmets and other gear to use when we return. We loved you bikes, thank you for being kind to us.

When we were handing off the bikes, we had a serendipitous stroke of genius/realization/inspiration. Walking around Florence to find the bike shop, we came upon an actual brick and mortar circus/flow toy shop. This was shocking to us, given that we had never seen an actual shop like that in SF despite the prevalence of fire spinners and circus folks in the Bay Area. Quick background – in her former life Laura spun fire with her belly dance group, and still plays around with hoops and other flow toys every now and then, and Javi has picked it up a bit over the years. We actually considered bringing some poi with us to Europe but just didn’t have the room in our bags. Now that we were getting rid of our camping gear, we would have some room! A new hobby to fill our bike-free time! We had always discussed picking back up spinning and hooping (for real, not just once a month after a few beers). This was our chance. So we strolled into the shop and picked up a few things – glow poi, juggling bags, and a collapsible hoop. Jalamundo: Circus Edition.

But before we could dedicate some serious time to this very serious circus business, we had a little more traveling to do in Italy. It would be a fast paced blitz through Florence, Venice, and Genoa before hopping on a ferry to Morocco. Florence was beautiful, we hit up all the must-see art spots with the help of our buddy Rick Steves who has a bunch of free audio walking guides online. Only downside was the particularly youthful hostel we stayed in, with broken bunk beds and even broker showers, but hey we saved a few bucks and they had free pasta dinners (which were remarkably tasty).

Next it was a train to Venice where we walked and walked and walked, often squeezing past the very large groups of tourists bulldozing through tiny streets (and getting yelled at by locals). Venice is such a fantastical city, it just looks so neat with its canals and architecture. Taking a bus that is actually a boat is quite surreal. Laura had never been there and it had been years for Javi, and we had a blast seeing everything we could possibly see in two days. Laura thought the best parts were the quiet back streets and parks. Javi loved the atmosphere of the place, especially on our super foggy day. It flew by of course, and then suddenly we were on the way to Genoa.

Genoa was really cool. We both were surprised at how much we liked the vibe. We had booked our ferry out of there and figured it would just be a last quick stop, mostly spent planning Morocco. But we really enjoyed walking around the city. After the very touristy Florence and Venice, Genoa seemed more laid back and lived-in. We loved the layers and elevation changes, it felt like there was so much more to see and do than we had time for, so it’s definitely on our go-back list for Italy. It was a fun place to spend our last few nights in Europe (!!).

We posted some of the math on IG. We spent 156 days in Europe and slept in 101 different places, from a penthouse in London to medieval monasteries in Spain and Italy to a patch of dirt behind a bar in Albania, and everything in between. We walked well over 500 miles in Spain and Scotland, biked about 650 miles in Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, and Italy, and took trains, planes, cars, buses, shuttles, ferries, and boats to get around. We had both visited Europe in the past, Javi much more extensively. But this was different. This was the ultimate European adventure for both us, and we barely even went anywhere! We looked at a map of where we had been, and because of our mostly slow travel it looks hilariously lacking. But we really got in there and truly saw these places and experienced them and we are very grateful and stoked. One day we will return to visit places we missed that we really wish we could have seen, especially Germany, Portugal, and Romania.

Before final goodbyes though, we realized we had one more European stop halfway through our ferry ride to Morocco. Barcelona. One of our favorite cities anywhere and our first stop on our international travels. We couldn’t get off the ferry as it was just a stopover, but the ferry parked right in front of Montjuïc with a nice view of the city and coastline. How fitting, the place where our European adventure began and ended. We cheersed to the city with some wine in plastic cups over the ferry railing. Adios and arrivederci Europa!  Until we meet again.

Next up, culture shock.

Ciao baby!