April 26, 2024 Tangier, Morocco, 9 days left of 138 days

 Nine days left, Nine days. I can't even remember how we got here. It sounded like such a long time back when we were planning this world cruise of a lifetime. Now we are winding down in the Viking way, which really means we are winding up. These last 9 days only has one day at sea. Otherwise we are on the beat with an excursion every day. Whew, we will need to get home just to rest, but that is not what we have planned. Already our calendar is filling up once we arrive home.

Above is the rock of Gibraltar. I remember hearing stories from my Dad of his ship sailing past this during WWII. Here I am so close, and yet so far. We will not get any closer than this on this cruise, but there is always another cruise.

Here is a Catholic Church. This was all the closer we got to it, but our guide is very proud that in Morocco they are able to have a Mosque, Catholic Church, and Synagogue all with in a few blocks, and everyone is able to get along. We could all learn from this.

This is the elected Mayors house. It and the grounds around it take up a full city block, and is well guarded.

This is an area outside of the city, and is called the red tiled villas. He said a villa with their Ocean views would cost $400,000. Below is their view, and another cluster of homes and hotels. This area is known as Cape Spartel

Our first stop was to this lighthouse. The view and day are picture perfect as you can see. Where there is a tourist site there are venders. We it appears trying to improve the lives of the people who live here one trinket at a time. We are all coming home with more than we left with.

We saw these Camels ready for a ride. I was particularly drawn to the babies. We were told it cost about $3,000 to buy an adult Camel, and a baby would bring $400. Feeding them is quite expensive also about $15. per day. We were told to make sure we knew the cost of a ride before we got on. One of the tourist at a different stop determined the  cost, got on the camel, and was looking for someone to take her picture. The man with her camel took her camera and took her picture, he then wanted to be paid double for the ride. Such is life of a world traveler.

This is not a sign you see every day. This means don't feed the wild pigs. We did not see any, but we would not offer them food.

Above you can see the two men fishing. This is a big Tuna fishing area, but I don't think you can catch them from the shore.

The coastline varies from rocky to lovely white sand beaches.

Second stop was to Hercules Cave. According to legend, the mythological demigod recuperated here after completing his 12 labors.

We were told to touch the wall and make a wish. We will let you know later if the wishes comes true.

This is the entrance to the cave.

Below is the gate, and to the right is the guards at the Presidential home. Walls do work to keep people out.

Even though this is a big city, the traffic is not bad. They drive on the right side, the motorcycles still will drive between lanes and dodge in and out of traffic, no one pays much attention to traffic lanes. The pedestrians will walk through the traffic anywhere, with no thought to crosswalks. There are roundabouts everywhere. But...they seem to make it work.

These are shared taxis. People who live outside the city can choose to ride a bus into town, but for the same cost 6 people can share a cab. 

This is St. Andrew's Anglican Church, was built in the Moorish style, including its minaret-inspired bell tower. We waited outside for the caregiver to unlock the gate. We were expected, and the man you see walking in kept ringing the bell. He said he thought the caregiver was sleeping on the job. LOL We finely got in. The area leading up to the church was a cemetery. The church its self was a peaceful respite.

Below is a Catholic Church in the city.

This is one of the entrance to the Medina of Tangier.

This area is for walking, motor scooters, and some streets allow cars. It is all built on hills, and we were walking up and down as we wound through the streets. This is an active market place, hotels, and people live here. You step up to get into most shops. All this walking and steps keep you on your toes, and what doesn't kill makes us stronger.

There is tile work everywhere. There use of color adds to the interest.

I love the old doors. We were told they are made of Cedar, and help to keep the home cooler in the summer and warm in the winter. Notice the door handle. Its placement is high, allowing only adults to open and closed the door.

This is a door way to a hotel. I believe the flags represent what languages are spoken by the hotel staff.

Inside the medina we entered a hotel, and climbed 3 - 4 flights of stairs to reach this area. They were expecting us for a drink and snack. This is our waiter who is making their special Mint Tea. He is pouring the hot tea from above into all the glasses on his tray. Not a drop was spilled. He did this three times with each tray he served. The tea was hot, sweet, and delicious. We were told that if this was offered it was to be tasted. I had no problem enjoying the full cup.

Above is the group we are traveling with. There are about 36 on our excursion, so us 6 gathered to enjoy our snack and the view.

On the right is what was offered. The cookie was hard but light and nutty. It hit the spot.

There was one more level up to the roof to see the view. Again you can see the Rock of Gibraltar in the distance. I tried to give you a sense of the expanse of this city.

Mike took this picture looking down from above of the ground floor. Note the tile use around the second floor and on the floor below. 

A Catholic Church in the Medina, just around the corner is the Jewish section you will see later.

A typical shop in this area. The shops are filled with many items to buy, and the owner is standing in the front to assist you or invite you in to see what he has to offer.

This is the entrance to the Jewish section. This tiled area looks to have been a fountain where they could wash up before entering. Behind this area is where the Jewish residents live and have their shops. Today nothing was open.

This shop is everything Olives. I never knew that there were so many different olives. Nor have I ever seen them sold this way. No canned Olives like we see in the States.

Below you will see the fruit and produce display. They take such pride in how it is hung and placed. It was a beautiful display.

The bread was being packaged. This was the most active area. I saw bread being placed in bags and the rider taking it off to deliver as it looked like he had several orders.

We also saw the fish market which was much smaller, due to this being Friday which is a Muslim sabbath.

This is a building just outside of the Medina. It was a lovely spot with outside areas for dining and enjoying the day and view.

This was a 11,760 steps day. Tangier has been a pleasant surprise. The city is clean and organized. We felt safe walking around, and were treated well by the citizens. Mike and I agree this is another place we would like to visit again in the future.