July 16, 2012

• 10.07.2012 Between a rock and the African continent.

  The first-class train ticket from Fez to Tangier cost €18, and the journey took less than five hours. The train seemed brand-new and was very comfy. I love trains and this journey was fab, seeing a lot of the beautiful Moroccan countryside on the way.

  Finding the free bus to the new Tangier Med ferry port was decidedly more complicated, and I don’t know how many people I had to ask before finding the pick-up point (next to the Total petrol station opposite the central bus station). Also, the “free bus” cost €2.

  However, once at the Tangier Med ferry port, things went very smoothly. I bought a ticket at the counter on the right side of the huge departure hall (dealing with all ferry companies) and was then taken by a minibus directly to the ferry. The time between me buying the ticket and the ferry sailing was only about 45 minutes.

  The weather was perfect for the one-hour ferry crossing to Spain, with not a single cloud in the sky. You could see the African coastline and the Rock of Gibraltar the whole time, one receding and the other becoming clearer and clearer. I like Gibraltar for the single reason that I’m intrigued by small countries (in my list, Gibraltar is a country, though not all agree). However, I’m giving Gibraltar a miss this time, trying to get to Malaga as quickly as possible and the new AVE high-speed train to kick off my train travels. This will be the beginning of my 21 days of train journeys across Europe, using my Eurail pass, and if all goes to plan, I’ll be arriving in London on 30th July and the London Olympics. I’m a huge train fanatic and very excited about the next three weeks.
  

  

  • 6:12 pm
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