We left Meknes Friday morning on a private bus. The journey took about four hours; many people took naps and just hung out until we arrived around noon. We stayed in a hotel in Assilah the whole time that was fairly close to the beach - it had AC, free breakfast, a pool, and warm showers. Cat, Anna, and I were put together in a room and we rushed out with the rest of the group to the beach as soon as possible.
Last year Molly and I visited a more private beach that was a cart ride away from the city but was also beautiful and clean - and after experiencing the city beach I'm glad we did! Unfortunately the ocean was FULL of seaweed and parts of the beach were covered in it. Better than jellyfish but still mildly annoying. The water temperature wasn't bad though and we definitely got a lot of time in the sun.
Assilah itself is also very beautiful. After the beach time, we walked around the old city with its whitewashed walls and colorful doors until we reached an overlook of the city and the sea right before sunset. It was a pretty sight to behold, one of those that get stuck in your memory. We all sat for a while until we split off to explore/get henna (in our case) before dinner (lots and lots of seafood and paella at the best restaurant in town). This restaurant was kind enough to let us buy out their wine and beer supply and we returned to the hotel to sit by the pool, drink, and talk for hours.
Saturday was Eid al-Fitr in Morocco (it was Friday for almost all other Arab countries). We went to the beach for a bit in the morning after eating a meal during the day for the first time with one of our teachers, and left for Tetouan in the afternoon (two hour bus ride). Tetouan reminds me of Chefchaouen in terms of how it's sprawled out on an incline, and there are some beautiful views of the city - at the recommendation of a friend who lived here previously, Cat, Anna, and I took a petit taxi up to a cafe just outside the city that had a view of Tetouan and the sea outside of it. It was beautiful and we had some really good mint tea (50 cents each, gotta love Morocco) under a shady patio as others played board games and drank refreshments in the sun.
Tetouan is known for having good art museums but most places were closed because of Eid. Instead when we returned to the city we walked to Saha Hassan II where the royal palace is and walked around the old city a little bit - we ended up find a very friendly shopkeeper who had reasonable prices and gave us a couple of bracelets at the end as a gift. We then found some kittens (one of which who looked like Boo!) and bought 20 cent cotton candy before returning to the bus for the ride back to Assilah. It was a simple but really memorable adventure, and I would love to return to see more of the city.
Sunday we left early for Martil (two and a half hour bus ride, just past Tetouan). Martil is known for being a beach town on the Mediterranean Sea. It was like the beach I remembered near Assilah - beautiful and clean, with clear cold water. There was also an abundance of seashells! We spent hours under rented umbrellas, eating donuts (essentially fried bread covered in sugar) and chickpeas covered in spices. Group lunch together was also delicious - I had calamari, others had pizza and burgers. I finally found the much-coveted after Double Chocolate Magnum ice cream bar while walking around after and it was just as good as I remembered from last summer. The day of beach + food caused many (including myself) to sleep on the bus.
Afterwards Cat, Anna, and I relaxed for a bit before venturing out again and running into our Egyptian professors at a cafe. We ended up going on carnival rides with them later that night, which was super fun but slightly scary since the rides are somewhat beaten down! Afterwards we walked around and snacked on slices of coconut, mango, and pineapple that were being sold for a dirham (10 cents) a piece as well as some prickly pears that Zehad shared with us. It was a fun night that ended with us on the roof with others from the group, looking at all the bright stars as well as the city.
Monday morning Cat, Anna, and I did some walking around and bought some souvenirs from the city (as well as some nectarines to snack on) before leaving for Meknes around noon. The trip was busy for sure but I never felt as if we were rushing around. I just wish we had more time in the cool sea breeze before returning to hot, dry Meknes! It has definitely inspired us to get out of the city more in the coming weeks before our summer break.