9/19 – Drive to Tangier and Explore

The livestock market near Tetouan

We headed out toward Tangier, starting on the same road we had taken yesterday, so I dozed off. When we got to Tetouan for a rest stop, we discovered a sheep/goat/cattle market in an open space so we stopped the bus to explore it. Driss had raised sheep at one time, so we walked up to some of the small herds, and he explained what to look for when buying a sheep. A major feast, Eid, is coming on October 5, so this was a market for the early shoppers hoping to get a better deal. There were several varieties of animals there and we walked through much of the area with Driss conversing with the herders and sharing with us what was going on. One Berber man had light blue eyes, which Driss asked him about. Because of the proximity to Spain, it is not that unusual for northern Moroccans to have more European coloring, but the man’s fellows used this as an opportunity to josh with him.

Driss tells us how to identify a worthy prospect

One worthy prospect loaded up for the ride to his new home.

Goats at the market that looked like dinky yaks

Berber herder with blue eyes

Cape Spartel with Portugal in the background.

Once we were in Tangier, we headed to Cap(e) Spartel, where the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea meet. We could also see Spain in the distance. It was a very touristy spot, and we had to drive past very fancy mansions, including the Moroccan king’s, to get there. We stopped for lunch at a seaside place in town, then walked around the medina for a while. Because it was Friday afternoon, the most holy time of the Muslim week, many of the shops in the medina were closed. We stopped to try the fruit of prickly pears, which tasted like a large lychee with lots of dinky seeds. Several folks liked them better than I did. I also asked about a lovely flower stand, which I hadn’t seen before, and after a discussion with the owner, he gave a rose to one of the ladies in our group. As we walked away, Mike, one of our fellow travelers, bought roses for the rest of the ladies. When the florist gave him an extra one for himself, he handed it off to a young woman who had watched the whole exchange while staffing a neighboring fruit stand .

Entrance to the medina from a square where the Moroccan
fight for independence from France began.

Prickly pear fruit - Pam liked them a lot.

The first florist we have seen.

Narrow streets are pretty much standard in the medina

Outside of the medina, facing the ocean

 A ferry headed north to Europe.

The vendors here were somewhat more aggressive than we have seen elsewhere in the markets, probably because they are dealing with a lot of day visitors and there is little chance they will walk past the same place twice. Driss advised against trying to do much shopping here because of the same issue and that nothing for sale in the market is likely to be made in the area.

We ended the day at the Golden Tulip Hotel, in a lovely room with a view of the pool and a small park next door. Tonight, Driss heads back to Casablanca to meet the rest of our group as the main trip starts tomorrow.