Tangier before the calamity

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Basically we have had a day and a half to enjoy what we can of Tangier. We leave the riad early tomorrow morning to go to Tangier Med port for our ferry to Algeciras.
Several booths here on the seafront promenade are selling ferry tickets to various ports, but they weren't available on line when I was searching. Now instead of leaving from Tangier Ville where we are located, we have a 40 minute drive to Tangier Med which is the main harbour. That's where our on line tickets are for.

Riad Hostel Tangier our accommodation is in the heart of the Old Medina. Suddenly the taxi unceremoniously deposited us in the cobblestone street on a crazy narrow corner quarreling that he couldn't go any nearer to our street ... with our bags. Then this geyser appeared and claimed he knew the way. Off we trundled carrying our luggage, trusting and following him.. Up slopes, squeezing past bicycles, round bends on a journey that seemed would never end. It did. Down a darkened alley with no street sign or hotel sign. I confess to a bit of suspicion.

But Omar (our foot taxi driver ?) was right. In fact he lives three doors away! Our two rooms are on the ground floor across the courtyard from each other, with 4 flights of stairs up to the rooftop terrace for breakfast.

We decided to let Omar show us around the neighbourhood right away. And discovered that Tangier has steeper slopes than Marrakech or even Fes. Omar kept going, we kept following gamely, I had no clue as to where we were... Later though we realised we'd been rambling around not far from our neighbourhood. After two hours climbing and rambling we got back to Riad and I collapsed in a tired heap. Woke up an hour later feeling the limbs!

With OMAR in charge we explored the Kasbah, looking out over the port of Tangier to Spain from the ramparts of a 13th century Portuguese fortress. We went to the top of the hill (being bought over by wealthy developers, turning the ancient dwellings into unaffordable fashionable million dollar homes) where Jagger and the Rolling Stones and other personalities holed up in the 70s.

There are parts of the Kasbah with walls beautifully painted in bright blues with scenes of gardens and trees, there is the tombstone of the famous explorer Ibn Battuta up a non decript alleyway, at the very top of the hill sits the Medina's oldest home the oldest mosque and views across to the Rock of Gibraltar. One wall painting marks the exact point where the Mediterranean waters meet the Atlantic ocean. Ancient wooden doors and louvred shutters remain in use today. Dates are inscribed above doors (Dar) and motifs for the Star of David show the ancient Jewish Quarter.

The massive stone walls remain standing with 7 entrance gates (Bab) and cobbled streets still in existence. The modern sea front promenade and yachting Harbour are dominated by the 13th century Portuguese fortifications also displaying more recent rusty British cannon. Piled up in the hills behind them are the homes and lives of people who live and work in the old Medina. They give the city its character, in little shop fronts - old men cut and stitch leather shoes and bags, or weave cloths and scarves or knead dough to make bread and sweets for baking in the community oven. And the children play in the streets spinning tops and pitching marbles or kicking a stone for a football.

The lanes are far too narrow for motorised vehicles... too steep even for motor scooters but some crazy bicycles zip downhill at great speed. But mostly people walk the very steep slopes. Agility is required. And there are no fat people. As in Fes there are cats in the street. I don't remember seeing dogs. The cats of Fes are long and thin. Tangier has fat cats!

People here as everywhere else were friendly, greeting us or returning our greetings "Bon jour" inevitably following with "where are you from" then a bit later a sales pitch! Too persistent sometimes... Sometimes we gave in other times we walked away. Bartering is standard and we offered a price of 60 to 70%. We made some really good deals with leather goods.



Food staples at the small shops and roadside stalls continued to be a variety of breads and sweet pastries, with fruit and olives. The thriving bustle and variety of the souks of Marrakesch and Fes isn't evident in Tangier. It has its own personality at the mouth of the Mediterranean with many races flowing across its borders. We even found a bar down on the waterfront where we could have a beer! So we had the local brew and it's very good. Everywhere sells coffee and mint tea, water and juices. No alcohol.

There are 55 photos with this blog post, so be sure to scroll down please and I hope you enjoy them.

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Photos

Our map location where cars won't drive
We were dumped into the street at some point somewhere along the red route... To be rescued by Omar

Omar
Triumphant with our foot taxi in the Old Medina at Tangier

Riad Hostel Tangier
At the end of a dark dusty alley in the old Medina, welcome to our Riad

the communal water supply
within the walls of ancient cities, life is organised to provide community facilities like water for all to have access.