I decided to just have a chill weekend and stay close to home, so I went to Africa.
I can honestly say this was the most action-packed and unique trip I have been on since coming abroad and, although it wasn’t perfect, I had an amazing time. Plus I got to spend time with some great people (& visit a new continent??)
First stop: Sevilla
The trip we took was with Discover Excursions (we thought it would be safer & easier than figuring it out on our own) which means we travelled with a big tour group. The group left from Sevilla, though, so we had to travel there first. It was SO worth the 6 hour bus ride!
We were able to meet up with our friend’s boyfriend who lives in Sevilla and he was incredibly sweet. He picked us up from the bus station, spent the day giving us a tour of the city, and even invited us back to his home where his family cooked us the best seafood paella I have ever eaten. (Complete with gluten-free breadsticks and desert are you KIDDING ME).
Conclusion: Sevilla is a gorgeous city and is home to some of the nicest people on this planet (and a TON of birds. I don’t want to talk about it…)
Traveling Troubles
The 6 hour bus ride to Sevilla was just the beginning.. We still had another bus ride to the coast of Spain followed by a ferry ride to the coast of Africa, and a final bus ride to the hotel. But you see, the weather decided otherwise.
We were originally supposed to take a ferry from the Tarifa port to Tangier. But the ferry was small and the waves were big (thanks to the awesome weather) so the ferry ended up being cancelled. SO we took a detour to a different port and ended up taking a cargo ship to Morocco!
(The rough seas were still a problem, though. If you get motion sick at all you would have been miserable.)
There was also a lot of confusion with Passport control because we switched ships. So that caused another delay, but hey, we made it! We were originally supposed to get to the hotel around 10pm and ended up getting there just before 1am, but who doesn’t love a good 2am Moroccan dinner?!
BONUS: The hotel we stayed at was amazing and can we just talk about this sunrise I woke up to real quick? Incredible.
{Saturday} Blues
So the next day we we travelled to Chefchaouen (also known as the Blue City) and, although it was raining, it was breathtaking. We had an authentic Moroccan meal and got to shop all day!
Back at the hotel we had dinner and a traditional Moroccan music show during dinner, which was very entertaining to say the least. (It featured a lot of drums and a guy balancing candles on his head just to give you some insight)
Then after dinner there was a sangria party… and that’s all I’ll say about that.
Sunday Funday
Sunday is when it all got crazy. We travelled to a Assilah, Morocco where we got a beautiful view of the Atlantic and got to do more shopping! From there we visited the Hercules caves and let me just say it again. VIEWS.
And then the highlight of my weekend … I RODE A CAMEL.
I rode a camel… on the beach…in AFRICA! It was the most surreal (& if I’m being honest slightly painful & also terrifying) experience of my life. I also made a new best friend, but he wasn’t very energetic because it wasn’t hump day. He just wanted to sleep the day away.
Me too, camel friend. Me too.
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