Al Boraq to Tangier: An Exotic Traveller in a Foreign Land

On the Al Boraq Train: A Wonderjourney to Tangier through .by a Foreign Friend

I am Thomas, Canadian, and this was my first-end, I was always dreaming to go to Morocco, by its deep history, colorful streets and Mediterranean countries. I started early in Casablanca, a city which was full of life and modernity and went to Casa-Voyageurs station to get the fastest train in Africa: Al Boraq.
Right at the first step into the station I was sure that it was going to be a special experience. The clean environment, a digital board with departure time posted, organized queues, and stylish cafes made me feel that such trip was going to be memorable.

It was a luxurious interior of the train: broad seats, panoramic window, Wi-Fi connection, and a professional hostess who greeted us as she used to address people in Arabic and English. It was exactly time to leave, and in a few minutes, the country had started to open in front of my eyeballs: the green and luscious fields, the traditional looking villages, the mountains that seemed to be in the horizon, and the olive trees waving their gentle branches in the wind.

Then we reached Rabat Agdal and Kenitra stations: both of them representing modern face of Morocco with its smooth architecture and nice design. The experience went smooth and swift- it was as though we were flying in a fairy tales book.

Afer slightly more than two hours we reached Tangier Ville station. it was modern and well kept and greeted me with French, Arabic and English signs. Moving out, I encountered the salty winds of the Atlantic and the thought that I now stood actually in an ancient city known for a long time as the place where cultures have mixed in the past.

Tangier is not just like an ordinary city. It is the capital of the North in Morocco, and one of the oldest coastal destinations Moroccan Berbers, Romans, Phoenicians, Arabs, Spaniards and the French have hundreds of years in this place.

I was met at the station by my friend called Hassan and we began our adventure by visiting the historic Kasbah. The streets were very narrow, and the houses were painted white and blue, and the doors were highly carved in style of another day. We came to a small square where we had some mint tea at a local cafe enjoying the peaceful charm of the ancient city.

We advanced into the Kasbah Museum which was full of art of the Roman and the Andalusian era. There was one map which dated back to 16 th century, depicting Tangier in its old shape- a city sought by world wide wars and loved by poets and writers.

Then we were going by car to the famous Cave of Hercules. The place is very accessible, yet the experience is surreal. The cave leads out directly to Atlantic Ocean, and a famous opening takes the shape of the map of Africa- as though the nature herself had carved the continent out of the rock.

The sense of awe was enhanced inside by the sound of the waves crashing inside the cavern. Hassan related to me the story: here, after one of his labors, Hercules slept. Actually it happened or not, the atmosphere made it easy to think it.

Thereafter we sailed toward Cap Spartel, the more beautiful spot where Atlantic ocean touches the Mediterranean Sea. On the heights of the cliffs, a lighthouse was erected in the 19th century that overlooked the expanse of the confluence of the waters.
I stood in silence at the edge of imagining old ships sailing these paths in direction to Europe and Asia. The sea-view was panoramic and the salt and calm air of the sea were in the air.

When I started to get a bit smelly I decided it was time to leave and Hassan took me to one of the most magical places in Tangier Caf_e Hafa. The cafe is sitting on a cliff over the sea and serves mint tea with the most mesmerizing view that I have ever seen.

It was a golden sunset and we were seated on simple wooden chairs and talking in low tones. No luxury, no ornament: only eternal beauty and the wind that blows with comments, and the spirits of the artists who used to meet there.

The following day we trotted around the downtown part of Tangier. Cafes were busy and the shops with high fashion or niche crafts where everywhere. At the Souk Dakhel, I found some hand craft gifts, have tried the traditional soup called harira and fried fish in Tangier style.

Among other places, we also had a look at Place des Nations and Boulevard Pasteur that is an echo of architectural refinement of a European soul and Moroccan soul. Nothing summed up the experience as clean gardens, warm smiles, and non-intimidating police, which made it a secure and welcoming experience.

The thing that has impressed me more when I was in Tangier is the total amount of international tourists that are so many. I could hear Spanish, English, German and Italian everywhere. Hotels were chocked, restaurants were occupied, the streets were busy.
Even though it was a cosmopolitan, Tangier never lost its identity. There is something magical in this place that makes all of its visitors feel that they are home even though they are in fact thousands of miles away.

When I traveled back to the Al Boraq station in an attempt to bring an end to my trip it seemed I was saying goodbye to a part of me. two days had made Tangier a part of myself. Not only that you see a city, but you also feel a city. The Intersection of East and west, land and sea, myth and memory.

Travelling in Al Boraq was not just transportation Casablanca-Tangier. it was an entrance to another world.

Having Morocco as your destination, do not visit Marrakesh or Fes only. One of your must visit places should be Tangier; take the Al Boraq to reach there. You will find a city that is multilingual, multitalented and multirespectful.

I vowed to come back to Hassan, in winter-time—to see the face of Tangier, through the mist, and perhaps, write my first novel there.