Tangier

So I'm trying a new interface to Blogger that promises to be so much better than using Blogger directly. Here's hoping!

We're on to Morocco in Northern Africa. It was a little crazy trying to figure out ferry time for departure and return since Morocco was a hour earlier than we were in Spain. We decided to take the advise of our trusty travel doctor, Rick Steve's, and hire a guide for the day. Mr. Aziz Begdouri was our guide and also made our ferry reservations. We left Tarifa on the 10 am ferry and arrived in Tangier around 9:45. It is a short crossing and was quite uneventful. A full ferry with several large tour groups.

Leaving Tarifa

This Moroccan Navy ship kept a close eye on us

Aziz was waiting for us once we cleared immigrations and customs. We originally thought we would start with a car tour outside of the city and then end up in the old town for the afternoon. He decided to change it around and we immediately started into the old city. Looking back on the day, it was a really good plan. Had he gone with the original schedule, I don't know how we would have held up.

Tangier and Morocco is not anything like I expected. Don't know if I can be really clear on my expectation other than I did not expect it to be green and lush. We spent the next 4 hours walking through the souk (fish market, fruit and vegetables, olives, breads, cheeses, you name it). The colors, smells and crowds were amazing - especially the crowds but the people were so warm and inviting. Of course Ernie's Moustache opened a lot of doors. Obviously it is not common to see a man sporting a Moustache like that and the locals were all amazed. He got so many comments and smiles, it got to be rather boring!

 

 

 

 

 

We went by several mosques and the tiles and colors just jumped out. Most of the mosques have green doors. While we were in Tangier, we did hear to noon call to prayer.

 

We went to Tangier on a Sunday and were very lucky because that's the day most of the Berbers come into town to sell their cheeses, fruits and produce. They are very recognizable since they were traditional Berber dress and the women wear these cool hats. The problem for me is that they don't like to have their pictures taken so I had to do it from a distance and not be obvious (that was with Aziz's direction).

 

 

 

Goat cheese made by the Berber women and molded and stored in woven palm baskets

Aziz took us into the Grand Socco which is their main square in town and then on to visit the Anglican Church. It was very interesting to find that there was also Catholic Churches and Jewish synagogues and all the religions get along very well - contrary to what most Americans are led to believe.

One of the other interesting things we saw was the communal bakery. It seems that everyone makes bread (and it is great!) but not everyone has an oven to bake it in. Every neighborhood has a communal oven. Each family pays a small amount to the baker for the service. Some families have a stamp that they press onto the bread before they deliver it to the baker for cooking. For those that don't have a stamp, the baker will make a symbol or poke so many holes to identify the different families.

We saw the Tangier American Legation which was the US Embassy from 1821 to 1961 and is still American property. It seems that Morocco was one of the first countries to recognize the newly formed United States as an independent country in 1777.

We also went to the Kasbah for a drink (Moroccan tea and water). We did not a drink and a smoke as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards did many many times.

There was so much that we saw, I know I'm forgetting a lot of it. We did go for lunch where the locals go. In fact we were the only tourists there. We had a traditional starter of stewed white beans and also hummus. Interestingly enough, their hummus is not like what we are used to. It was Garbonza beans cooked with herbs and served whole with this amazing bread. This was followed by two different tangines and more tea. There was a gentleman that came in and sat at a table near us. He didn't speak English but he managed to let Ernie know how impressed he was with his moustache. Several times he smiled at Ernie and make gestures on his own face about a moustache. After a little while he offered one of his kebabs to Ernie. We had already finished eating so Ernie graciously declined. While Ernie was paying the bill, I asked him if I could take his picture. He couldn't believe I wanted his picture and was really pleased and excited about it. Check out his picture below and notice that he posed and looked away from the camera. A lot of Muslims don't like to have their picture taken. I just loved this little guy!

Here's a photo of Aziz and Ernie standing by an 800 year old rubber tree.

That is one big tree!

As I said earlier, Morocco is really lush and green and the beaches are beautiful!

 

 

 

I think one of the most amazing things about Tangier is the lighting and angles for photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that's my story on Tangier! We were so impressed by it (and overwhelmed at times) that we have already decided that this city and Morocco deserves a visit of a few months to take it all in. We would also have to hire a cooking teacher to learn all about their spices and how to cook Moroccon. We just love the food and the people!

I also love this new app - Blogsy! Thank you Heather for telling me about it.

Nite all! We are on to the Nazare area of Portugal - on the coast and all that wonderful seafood - including barnacles!

I'll complete my post on Evoria tomorrow!

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