SAINT PATRICKS DAY!

Really missing everyone today, but it was a good day. I put on an all green outfit, but wasn’t allowed to wear it. My shirt was mint green, but Sara said it was blue. I should have thought ahead more. I was unprepared.

I woke up earlier than everyone else and looked up the phone number for “Christina’s House”- a bed and breakfast that our friend recommended in Asilah (cute & clean beach town 30 mins from Tangier). Christina answered and was very british and awesome. She said that she had room and that she would meet us at the taxi station. It was also going to be cheaper than the hotel we were staying at, so I was sold. My friends were unsure of what they wanted to do… I had to try to convince them- I was done with Tangier.

Breakfast (included with the hotel) was AWESOME. It was a buffet, and had eggs and cheese and tomatoes that I mixed all together. I asked for s&p and sprinkled that on. I felt like I was in harris, and I loved it. Great pastries too, and coffee was good. They also had strawberry juice. Wowowowow... Our friends that went out last night came down, and you could definitely tell that they went out. I was VERY happy that we didn’t go out and was ready to have a great day. We decided to go to the American Legation. It is the only American landmark located outside of the US. Someone from our hotel walked us there, but it was closed on Saturdays- RUDE! We just walked around after that. Went to a place with a panoramic view of Tangiers. Then we found the Cinematheque Tangier. It was really cool. They show French and Arabic cultural movies. If we were going to stay in Tangier, then I would have wanted to see the movie that was playing. Then it was beach time.

We walked to the beach on an off the beaten path route, but for some reason it was SO fragrant. I took pix of every single flower we passed because they all smelt SO GOOD. I am only going to show you ONE PICTURE, and I wish we had scent-ography because it was amazing. We made it to the beach and walked around. Stuck our toes in the water (it’s getting warmerrrrrrrr!) and watched some beach soccer games, and saw a beautiful SAILBOAT. We then sat at a café and had a great lunch. They lied on their menus and said that they had a great breakfast special deal, but then they told us they didn’t? Sara, Sydney and I did 2 for 3 pizzas that were actually incredibly tasty. We had a delightful & leisurely lunch. Here’s a pic! After lunch I wanted ice cream, but it was NOWHERE to be found. So rude! We went into probably 5 places that claimed to be “Glacierie”s but they didn’t have ice cream in their coolers. So annoying… I forgot when I convinced Sydney & Sara that we should go to Asilah, but I did (duh) and we went back to the hotel to get our stuff and a grand taxi. The hotel gave us a price of 300 dirhams for a taxi from Tangier to Asilah (trop chere) so we took a petit taxi to the grand taxi stand where it was MUCH less pricy. A VERY funny thing that happened when we were switching taxis. We had our bags in the trunk, and were paying, or talking to the taxi guy to get a grand one, or something. The trunk was open, and the petit taxi started to drive away with the stuff still in the car. We all SCREAMED!! At the top of our lungs- so scared It was very similar to Amanda Zenker screaming “NO SIR!!! NO!!!” in the Southampton train station that one time… He was just moving out of the way- NOT trying to take our stuff, but I had a minor heart attack. We remembered that story on the train back to Rabat the next day and laughed so hard we cried. IMAGINE if he actually drove away with our stuff….! The ride was pleasant to Asilah (because there were only three of us & I got the front seat). I listened to my iPod and looked out the window. Christina gave us directions to the b&b and met us.

Christina’s House is SO CUTE. Sara said it was like she was home. So quaint, and Moroccan, but modern… not sure if that gives you the picture you need, but trust me- it rocks. There are only like 4 or 5 rooms and we had complete access to the kitchen. SO NICE! We put our groceries (Salami, cheese, wine etc.) in the refrigerator, got settled in and then went towards the medina to get more ingredients for dinner. Asilah is totally all it is cracked up to be. Moroccans have described it as “clean” and “calm” and that is exactly what it is. You get the beach smell/air and everyone is friendly. We asked someone where the medina was, and she gave great directions. We stopped at a grocery store and got pasta, canned peas & shrooms, garlic, and zait zaitoon (EVOO). Then we walked to the veggie area (right outside of the medina). We got peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and STRAWBERRIES (for dessert). The whole meal was 20 dirhams each, 60 total (I spent 120 on that Indian dinner the night before….). It was getting dark, but we still needed chocolate to melt on our strawberries. Wild goose chase, but we were successful. We started cooking as soon as we got back. It was so Abbey house and made me very happy (not sad). Sydney made the sauce, Sara chopped veggies & made the charcutrie, I made eggplant fries/chips, AND was in charge of the music. Dinner was very happy, and DELICIOUS! We ate outside- HOW CUTE ARE THEY. It REALLY felt like summer... I loved it. To make a great night better. My mom called from Aunt Peggy’s house, and I spoke to EVERYONE. I wish I was celebrating with them, but I was happy where I was too. I got a lot of requests for Moroccan gifts, so now I have something to do when I get back to Rabat. After dinner and the phone call we made the strawberries- equally as good. I took a nice shower and then went to bed. Today was definitely one for the books.