Tangier, Morocco

I woke up today at 09:40 and found that all the other dorm room guests had departed (I have the place to myself – alright). I then showered, dressed, and got ready. I exited the hostel and walked out in to an overcast day (good for my skin, bad for photographs). I made my way to the nearby American Legation Museum, which is located in the southwest corner of the Medina. The Tangier American Legation is the first American public property outside of the United States; Morocco was the first nation to recognize the United States of America (doing so in 1777 AD) and, in 1821 AD, Sultan Moulay Suleiman gave the United States its first diplomatic property here; reconstruction of the American Legation began in 1848 AD when the new US consul arrived and found the building in ruins (most likely due to the French bombardment of tangier in 1844 AD); after Rabat became the capital of Morocco in 1956 AD (when the country gained its independence from France and Spain), the US diplomatic mission moved to the new capital and the American Legation building in Tangier was abandoned as a diplomatic building; eventually, the building was turned in to a museum and it became a US National Historic Landmark in 1982 AD (the first such listing or designation in a foreign country). After arriving at the American Legation Museum, I paid the entrance fee and began touring the different rooms, looking at many copies of historic documents, some real historic documents (like the Tangier Consulate’s announcement of President Lincoln’s assassination), several paintings (some painted by Marguerite McBey), and an entire room devoted to the expatriate writer and composer Paul Bowles. After walking through each room, I exited the museum and made my way to the Grand Socco (meaning “Big Square,” but officially named “Place du Grand 9 Avril 1947” – the square was named “Place du Grand 9 Avril 1947” after the speech of Mohammed V in support of Moroccan independence on April 9, 1947). I walked through the square and then tried to find the tomb of Ibn Battuta (a famous traveler from Tangier who is most revered in these parts for his rather extensive travels through Africa and Asia); unfortunately, I received faulty information from a Google search and was led to the wrong area, outside of the Medina. I then walked around Tangier, found a small shopping center with a supermarket (this would come in handy later), and made my way to the beach, which had a surprising number of people given the cloudy conditions today. I then followed the coastal road northward back to the Medina. I walked around the Medina and ended up on the northern coast of the city, where I had hoped to get some photographs of Europe; however, the visibility was poor today. I had considered visiting the Kasbah and its museum today, but decided against it since I had read that the view of Europe is usually great from there (the highest point in the Medina); I figured I would try the following day, hoping the visibility across the strait would be better. I then reentered the Medina and walked through the souk; I walked along Rue de Marine, passed the mosque, and then, upon reaching the western wall of the Medina, turned southward, walking through a covered souk that sold all sorts of halal chickens, beef, lambs, fish, vegetables, fruits, and other fresh goodies. Then, with nothing else planned for today, I decided to stock up on some snacks and liquids before returning to the hostel. I looked in to several small nearby convenience stores, but I did not like the selection; so, I walked back to that supermarket I had found earlier and bought juice, sports drinks, Red Bulls, water, and cookies. I then returned to the hostel and took a nap that lasted from roughly 15:00 to 18:30.

After waking up, I went out to eat dinner. I ended up walking back to the small shopping center with the supermarket and ate at one of the nice-looking restaurants there. For dinner I had a tropical smoothie, some pickled olives, and a vegetable pizza topped with peppers, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, and onions. After dinner, I returned to the hostel and relaxed for a while before pulling out my laptop and getting to work typing out journal entries. Later on I had a snack of cookies and apple juice (like I was in elementary school recess again). I finally ended up going to sleep some time after 03:00.