Tangiers, Morocco - Part 1 of 2

We are traveling with our friends, Clarke and Brenda.  To read their version of this trip click here.

Dear Family and Friends,

We arrived in Morocco yesterday and our eyes have been popping ever since.  Since trying to do everything as a foursome is difficult, we do our own sightseeing and Clarke and Brenda do theirs.  We meet up later and share our adventures. 

We are meeting up with Clarke and Brenda tonight at 6:00pm and we are so anxious to hear their adventure tales. 

Once again, I have too many pictures to share.  I am doing two consecutive postings about Tangiers.

First, I will share market pictures.  Today, Thursday, is the big market day. 

I've never seen so many different types of olives before.

 

Some bread for sale.

A big bag of sea snails.  They sure looked yummy!

Did you know that tangerines get their name from Tangiers?  Well, they do!

Our Cuenca friends will appreciate this.  These women with the funny hats are from the campo (countryside).  They dress in their traditional dress which includes these hats.

We had dinner out last night...these are typical starters.

Anchovies, these were not too salty.  I think they may have been fresh.  They were delicious.  This picture is for you Rich.

Bread with a light dusting of cornmeal on the crust.

and a delicious assortment of olives.

We even had entertainment.

While I am on food, this is a typical tea served here in Tangiers.  It is a hot green tea, very sweet with a massive amount of mint.  It is very good.

The Kasbah

The Kasbah is the old town center.  It is where the Sultan lived.  It is a strongly fortified with tall walls and now it is the home of many rich foreigners.

Chuck and I met this wonderful man on the street.  He spoke good English.  He was very nice and offered to tour us through the Kasbah.  This is Maalem Domnati.  His telephone number here in Tangiers is 00 212 06 66 90 29 80.  Although he is a musician, he said he would be happy to be a tour guide for our friends.  So if you come to Tangiers, give him a call.  

Here is Chuck coming through one of the four gates that open into the Kasbah.

This is one of many places that the residence come to get water.  Many still do not have water plumbed to their houses.

The Kasbah is surrounded by high walls.  It is probably the number one tourist site in Tangiers. Many Hollywood movies have been filmed here.

Many of the streets are so narrow that cars cannot get through.  So when work is being done, material has to be delivered on carts, pushed with manpower or pulled by a donkey.  These guys are moving bags of cement in the picture below.

The Kasbah is a small self contained city.  Here is a bakery we were lucky enough to get to visit.  Many people who live in the Kasbah make their own bread at home but bring it to a bakery, such as this, to have it baked.

This is a typical tourist shopping store.

This is the 9th of April plaza.

And here my friends is a STOP sign in Arabic.  Glad we are not driving here.

Tangiers, is an Arabic city with a lot of European influence.  Tomorrow we will go deeper into Morocco by train. Our next destination is Fez.  

In my next post I will share about our snake adventure.


In the words of my friend, "Life is Good."

Love,
Nancy