Let the Hash burn and the Wine flow

Weekend in Asilah, the cleanest, most beautiful place in Morocco....thus far.
Left Rabat Friday afternoon (classes were canceled!) and took the train to Asilah, a wonderful town about 45 minutes south of Tangier along the Atlantic coast.  Our train kept having problems so what was supposed to be a three hour ride took four and half, but we got to see the very diverse landscape of Morocco.
Got to the Asilah finally and made our way to our hotel, which was NOT at all what we were expecting based on the guidebook's description aka it was not a newly renovated hotel with murals on the walls by local artists with an accessible beautiful roof terrace, but a dirty, somewhat sleezy hotel with very bizarre paintings on the walls with a very bare rooftop. Regardless, we (myself and twelve others) were happy to have made it there.
Headed to dinner where I got a salad (with lettuce and uncooked vegetables!!) and veggie soup.  I was really hoping for some vegetable paella but unfortunately they wouldn't make it for me.
Walked around a little but returned quickly to the hotel to enjoy hash, wine and music on the rooftop.

Saturday: woke up and packed up for the beach. Got breakfast at a cafe and started our two hour trek to paradise beach.  Some members of our group opted for a horse cart to take them there, but seven of us decided to walk along the coast.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Orange and red rocks, blue and green water.

Made it to the beach right when the tide was coming in but regardless we were happy to have made it and plopped down in the sand to read and bask in whatever sun was available to us.

Though the walk there was enjoyable, we took the horse cart back.  Along with our driver, we enjoyed some funky beats, courtesy of my speakers as we bumped along the countryside back to Asilah
Arrived back at the hotel, nice and sandy, salty, and sunned from the day.  Enjoyed some hash before walking around the medina a little.
Wine and hash before dinner

Wanted veggie paella again, but failed so opted for the salad again which was even better than the night before because it had beets! More wine and good times at dinner
Hotel again for hash, hash and more hash
this pplace is awesome

Sunday: woke up, breakfast, medina.  The cleanliest, friendliest, calmest medina in morocco i think
I think it has something to do with the proximity to Spain.  I like northern Morocco....will most definitely be making a return trip.
Got to use Spanish which was fun, and a nice change from French though between that, english and arabic my mind was a huge whirlpool of languages

Took the train back to Rabat this afternoon, easy ride.
Opinion of this weekend: beautiful, clean, peaceful, amazing. I like the north. It was really interesting to see the how much more Spanish influence there is there, comparing it to the more "middle eastern" feel of Rabat and the mid atlantic coast and wondering what the southern and more central regions of Morocco are like...I'm thinking more African