Tangier

Tangier, January 8-12,  2023

I am siting on the top floor Veranda of the small hotel I am staying at in Tangier.  It is cool, there is a bright blue sky above.  Children play in the small alleyway in front of the building. Gulls cry from the roof of a nearby building.  The hotel is located inside the walls of the Medina, which is the old part of the city.  At the top of the hill above me is the the Kasbah. The bright blue blue sky was non existent the other day when I arrived here.  I bicycled from the Tangier Med Port about 26 miles away from the actual city itself.  

The only thing I knew about the Kasbah was from cartoons.   Pépé Le Pew used to talk about taking his girlfriend (victim) to the Kasbah.  What I now know is that the Kasbah is the fortified part of a Moroccan city.  This Kasbah was destroyed by the British.  Some of the walls are there but it is no longer a fortification.  

Decay of Empires Past

Yesterday’s ride was not like I had pictured it.  As soon as I got on the bike it started raining and didn’t stop til long after I’d arrived.  I used all my rain gear and was soaked through after an hour or so.  The road along the cost was beautiful despite the weather.  I expected this in England and France but not in sunny Tangier.  It was a brutal journey; very hilly.  Finding my way to the hotel was not made easy by the behavior of my cell phone which decided I had made too many accidental login attempts as it rested in my pocket.  It wanted me to wait for an hour to try again.  Thankfully, I had memorized the route.  I was accosted by a hawk who tried to lead me away to where he had a hotel waiting.  I was surprised to look up after awhile and see the name of the street I had memorized. I turned, the hawk said that road was closed, I went on and he disappeared.  

Wandering the streets of the old city is an event.  It is worth the price of admission.  I just started walking up the hill then down again.  I finally found myself at one of the many squares in the city.  There were several doors leading into what is called the “souk” or marketplace.  The doors are very clearly Arabic in nature with the spade shaped pointed arch.  Inside the souk the streets become a maze of winding alleys loaded with shops of all nature of products.  From metallurgy to fine weaving there is almost too much to take in.  It is overwhelming.  One would think that it would be rampant with crime but I didn’t see anything of the sort.  I have been offered to buy hash a few times but certainly not pushed to buy.  Once upon a time here safety must have been a concern.  It appears to have been cleared up.  The souk is fascinating.

Tangier

As I walked aimlessly I did come across a strange park.  It was on a small hill near a church that appeared abandoned.   It was no surprise that the cemetery was Christian and has been left to decay. The graves are in disarray and the park looks like a spot where rough things could happen. I suppose a Christian graveyard in a Muslim country might be a symbol of colonization.  It makes sense that a strong Christian influence in Tangier is no longer present.  The churches and statuary have been left unattended.  It was a strange place.

There is a strange melancholy that pervades as I travel.  I now know it will come and I am cognizant of it and deal with it as best I can.  I am reading “The Last Chair Lift” by John Irving.  I was intrigued that his family recommended travel to Europe for a budding author.  The aspiring author’s family acknowledge that Europe is especially good ground for fomenting Melancholy.  I often think it’s only me that feels this way.  The melancholy that follows me when I travel is always there.  Most of the time it is in the background.  Sometimes it moves ahead and occupies more of my thought and time than it deserves.  Irving gives the impression that somehow melancholy is good for the aspiring writer.  He refers to “ infinite loneliness” as being good for the soul of the writer.  I wish he wasn’t right.  I know it is true.  Melancholy does activate a thought inducing section of my brain albeit a sappy part. I don’t think this is a negative. I think it is purposeful. If not for the simple purpose of forcing one to appreciate what one has right at home.  “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”, Glenda the good witch of the north tells Dorothy to say!

Ferry To Morocco

Kaliste, Ferry off the coast of Spain

Sunday 7 January, 2024

Incredible wind started yesterday’s journey.  It looked as if the tugs that pulled the ferry off the dock were struggling.  Today is the first day I awoke to a clear blue sky and a beautiful sunrise.

I have checked in through customs on the boat.  Tomorrow I will arrive in Morocco.   I am in the bar of the ferry.   It is a very interesting atmosphere because no one is drinking.  No one is being loud and no one is being rude.  Is this the world of Islam?  There is already a very different sense of being.  

Outside the whitecaps of the sea scud across the top of the waves and spray is blown away.  The sea is very dark blue. We have been enroute now for a full day and are at least half way. On he horizon I see one of the Balearic Islands.  Off to starboard the mountains of Spain are outlined in a misty cloud cover.

Traveling slowly takes some getting used too.  The rush of alway having something to do begins to fade, thought it really hasn’t faded a that much as yet. I know there are certainly easier, faster ways to travel than by bicycle, train and boat. Yet I would not have time to really see the ocean as it flows past the ferry and would not see towns as they pass by the windows of the train.  There would be no sense of satisfaction after finding a night stay, in the rain after biking through a European city.  

This way of travel allows one to think.  This is a dual edged sword.  At times the wonder of it all is just too much.  Seeing the accomplishment of the humanity's past makes me feel very small.  Often the sense of wonder leaves me empty.  As if I have missed everything and that life has passed me by.  I try to avoid the sense of loneliness but I can’t so I just accept it as it is.  By all means it would be easier to stay at home and work on projects.  The day of settling may come soon.  However, I’ll accept the loneliness in exchange for the wonderment and having something to write about.   This is just how it works!

In exchange for some lonely moments I am rewarded with an excellent dinner and a starlit sky out on deck. To the west is the outline of Spain and above me is Orion’s Belt.  A strong sea breeze to fills my lungs.  The ferry seems to be sliding over the water tonight.  This is in sharp contrast to last night where doors were impossible to open and once out it felt as if I could be blown right off the boat.  Last night was quite the wind storm   it was very difficult to get out on deck.  It was eerie to think that if I was blown overboard no one would know. I quickly shelved that thought and enjoyed the beauty of the moment. It was the first time seeing stars since arriving in Europe. The weather maps have shown successive low pressure areas covering most of the north. In the south another huge low covers most the eastern Mediterranean. There was a huge band of high winds stretching from Africa covering Italy the Adriatic and into France. I do think the climate has changed.

My carbon footprint is not zero as I would like it to be. Taking trains, this ferry and riding my bike makes me feel as is I am trying not to add to the pollution of our earth. 

It is odd how I've started to get used to the people on this ferry. I know none of them but they have become familiar. There is a young family riding bicycles. The Interesting part of this group is that the kids are both 5 years old.  They ride wiith the kids on their own little bikes attached to the rear of the parent’s bikes.  This doesn't seem very safe to me but must work for them.

There is a group of twenty somethings who appear to be traveling together. There are 4 women and a guy. They seen to be great friends.

I have become part of the group that watches football (soccer).  There are games every night. Tonight it was Arsenal Vs Liverpool. The late game is Paris Vs a team I've never heard of.

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London to Paris

Arrival: London, December 27, 2023

Voyaging away from my comfort zone again.  

Living on the coast of Maine makes me complacent.  Life is good in Maine despite the springtime bugs, mud season and brutal winter weather it is a wonderful place to Iive.   So I question my decisions to often leave the place.  I learned in the Navy that “complacency kills.”  I suppose I am therefore avoiding death in a way.  

Doing one of my trips forces me to put things in order before I go. I am not good at putting things in order.  However, my desk is clean, my house is picked up and cleaned and put away for the winter. The garage is tidied up.  When I return I am ready to start afresh.  

That’s not it, at least not completely. I think it is more a need to see things outside the smaller world I live in in Maine.  I travelled a lot when I was young.  Every year my family would leave New York for summers in our home in Castine, Maine.  Later on I travelled with my parents to Europe when my father would be teaching or on sabbatical .  I think this instilled a wanderlust.  I am always cognizant of the fact that there is more out there to see.   I am cognizant of the fact that there is a complete world in my own yard as well.  I know there is no need to travel yet that, simply, doesn’t work for me. 

So I find myself assembling my bicycle outside Kings Cross station after a crowded British Airways flight from Boston.  The bike was inspected by TSA and they did their best not to screw my packing up but they did. 

St. Pancras/King’s Cross Station

Plans changed quickly. My friends in England had become ill.  We agreed that it would be better if I didn’t visit.  I quickly readjusted.  I found two places near the Ferry terminal in Newhaven in Southern England. I stayed at a hostel in Brighton after finding the train from London Bridge Station.  The weather was fierce and has remained that way since I got here with strong winds and rain everyday.  I found two more places on AirBnB.  One in Lewes and the other in Peacehaven.  I liked the biking despite the weather.  Only once did I find myself in a  bad situation when the bike path I was on disappeared and I was on the side of a busy highway.  This was not great but I found a way off the “dual carriage way” and made it back to the bike path. I enjoyed my two AirBnB stays.  Jonathan and Tim were just great hosts and I thoroughly enjoyed my stays with them.  What is beneficial is that I have averaged between $30 and $45 per night in a very expensive Southern England.  I chose to spend a little more in France where I was concerned that at New Years I might be better off in a hotel.  I have averaged $40 for the last 3 nights in France.  This is because the “People Bercy” hostel I am staying in in Paris runs about $40 a night. 

 

The ferry to Dieppe From Newhaven was uneventful. The weather was too rough for passengers to be allowed out on deck.  I rode my bike on first and off last but was allowed to go right to the head of the line for customs clearance. I chose to tour Dieppe by bike and took the train to Rouen.  I walked around the beautiful city of Rouen.  The weather and wind made another trip by train to Paris an easy decision.

Rouen Cathedral 

In Paris I have walked and walked for miles.  The Orsay Museum was fantastic despite the hour wait in the rain to get in. The Orsay was very crowded not like the Jeu de Paume years ago.  The Musée de Orsay is in a huge old train station on the Seine in Paris.  It houses a collection of paintings and sculptures from several artists, many from the Impressionist period.  The big draws are the Monets and Vangoghs all up on the 5th floor.  Any good museum has its hidden little rooms where one can find other treasures without the onslaught of crowds.  I was able to find a few.  In these rooms I found Monets, Sisleys, Seurat, Gaugin and many others.  A small collection does not overwhelm.  I am able to just stand there and  take in the piece and see it without hurry.  I spent a wonderful four hours in the Orsay and then walked back to my hostel.  I believe I walked for 6 miles this day.  The constant wind and rain could not detract from the beauty of Paris.  Norte Dame is now completing repairs from the fire.  Saint Chapelle now has lines to get into.  

I did find a new museum called the Petite Palais. It is free for its permanent collection.  I found a Renoir there.  One, could spend a lifetime in this relatively small museum.   

La Petite Palais 

A few other places had to be left out of this trip due to the weather.  Pere Lachaise cemetery and the old train viaduct turned into greenspace were closed.  I suppose I’ll have to return.  Great English speaking AA meeting at noon at the American Cathedral on George V.

The Paris Metro costs 2.10 Euro.  It gets you everywhere fast.  I really Ike the Metro.  It is very quiet and easy to use.  I like the fact that it runs on rubber tires.

It is 10 pm on Thursday night.  I am on an overnight train to Marseille.  I had a bunk bed but it was six to a room.   I found a really comfortable seat near my bicycle. They have first class rooms which might be better next time.

The not so pretty side of Paris

 

Trip Prep Part 3

Trip Preparation Part 3

12/24/23' '

As the final days before the trip arrive I start getting a little trepidatious.  I think it’s because I have spent so much time over the last few months preparing.  I know every step of the route.  I have packed and repacked several times and am confident that what I have loaded is trimmed and just what I need for a three month adventure biking and living in France and Morocco. However, I am experienced enough to know that situations do not always go as planned.  This is the reason I have chosen the route I have planned.

The route follows along rail lines.  Having visited France last year I know how bike friendly the trains are there.  Thus if, the weather is severe or my fitness level is not up to par I can find a nearby train station and continue on.

I have left a few days out where I do not have a reservation at a hotel or hostel.  I want to keep the plans fluid so that I can change my itinerary if needed.  

With modern mapping it is easy to find alternate routes or places.

I have spent a lot of time making sure the bike is prepared.  I did a final check with C and G Bikes out of Belfast, Maine.  Brittish Airways have been very good so far.  I had a brief scare the other day when I checked my bike in as requested by the airline.  I believe I spoke to someone unfamiliar with bikes.  I had done my research and knew my bike was allowed to go as checked bags.  This person was clearly dumbfounded and asked me to call Cargo.  The people in cargo quickly turned me around and sent me back to another customer service rep who was actually familiar.  I gave her the weight and dimensions of the bike box and she made sure that all was well and my reservation was confirmed for the bike.  Cargo would have charged $800, checked bag was $70.  It is very important to check with the airline ahead of time despite how hard it is to reach them.  It would be very difficult to arrive at the airport and be turned way.  As I said  British Airways has been great so far.  So the bike is checked , boxed and ready.

It is awkward and somewhat heavy.  I have created a shoulder strap to make it easier to lug around.  My research tells me that full size bikes are allowed on some trains in England even some trains on the underground.  I will keep the bike boxed until I can no longed do so.  At the end of the day I do have a long walk.  The bike box will be tough but I should be able to handle it.  There are bike shops open and I may choose to get off the "tube" and get some assistance reassembling the bike. Though I don't need the help it just might make things easier.

I disassembled the bike with the tools I am bringing.  I will bring a bike multitool which contains allen head keys, screwdriver, and a chain breaker.  An all in one wrench with multi sized openings, tire levers a pump and an extra inner tube.  A patch kit wold be great but I don't like patching tires.  A spare tube is less likely to need more repair after a puncture. The only large tool is a tool 15mm open end wrench for removing and installing the pedals which must come off to pack.  When I first took my bike to Europe in the 80s I took everything off the bike.  The bike box was no bigger than the frame.  It was easy to carry.  I am leaving the bake tire on this trip.  We will see if it is the right move.  It will certainly be easier to reassemble the bike this way.  

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71riTUJnIXL._AC_SX466_.jpg

I have two bags.  A “tactical” backpack.  Tactical is the Amazon catch phrase for anything remotely military looking.  It is a convenient backpack.  I also bought two small paniers.  One of which will be my small bag or “personal item” for Airline size recommendations.  The paniers were bought from REI.  They are from a company called AXIOM and are made of recycles fishing nets.  I thought that was a good idea and the quality was better than anything I could ever get on Amazon.

 

https://www.rei.com/media/e24294a3-dd21-4b4a-9ce9-52d6e9152202.jpg?size=784x588

I pack an LL Bean "packable" backpack...for packing...  It's good to use for some food shopping before a stop for the night.  I will be in Europe for another two months after Morocco so its good to have a small sack fo short trips.  

Maps!  I am bringing one for Morocco.  I have also downloaded a map of London to Paris to use offline.  Go to Google, click on your Avatar in the upper right corner.  There is a pull down menu for offline maps.  I really prefer the old tried and true Michelin maps.

My repair kit, inner tube, pump, water bottles and a first aid kit al got into my bag. Passports and documents are kept in a passport case I've had for years.  I now have a sling bag that fits more things and is more comfortable to wear.

I’ve covered basic clothing but I do like to be prepared for the rain.  I do not think there is anything made that will keep you completely dry riding all day in the rain.  However, you can make your day more enjoyable by wearing good gear.  I try not to overdress.  Overdressing can make you very warm biking, even in cold weather.  This leads to perspiration which causes real cold when stopped.

Enough can’t be said about physically preparing for the trip.  This may include but is not limited to vitamins to ward off stray illness.

Accommodations can be planned ahead.  However, I try to find paces that allow free cancellation.  On booking.com  this costs extra but avoids being charged for a night stay one doesn’t need.  This can be done on airbnb.com as well.

More from the road.