Time for a new continent.

Time to say goodbye to Morocco & Africa. High speed train to Tangiers- ex ferry crossing/ should be in Tarifa Spain to watch kitesurfers by afternoon. HA! So much for plans. Mother Nature had other plans. High winds cancelled traditional ferry crossing & we had to adopt Plan B. Taxi 50km to a different port in Morocco & take a huge ship to a different port. We arrived in Algecerises around 9:30 & found a nice hotel-whew! A hot shower felt amazing. Ready to explore—Cádiz Spain here come.

Plan B ocean freighter gets us to Spain

Morocco Notes

Such an adventure on many fronts.

First time we have taken a tour. Loved meeting new friends from around the world. Loved Intrepid Travel small group(13) and their mild adventure format. Desert camel ride & overnight. Guest house stay. Hikes. Excellent local guides- Zaid. Layla, Jihad. And Hassan our leader.

Loved wandering Morocco- Todra Canyon, High Atlas, Essaouira, Tangiers, Marrakech, Chefchaouen.

Amazed by diversity. Mountains & snow to Sahara Desert dunes to Atlantic Ocean beach. Diversity of people, from very cosmopolitan to goat herders. From shiny Mercedes to mule carts. From lovely homes to modest clay mud abodes. Morocco as a country seems to be embracing ‘moving forward.’ High speed trains, lovely stations, education. And, yet get ready —really ready to bargain with your taxi driver! 😄 And the aspiring F1 taxi driver I described earlier -the swerve &screech were real. As was him letting us off .5 miles from our riad & then aggressive negotiations over taxi fare – after it had been agreed upon. We finally relented – as we don’t want retaliation 😄

The souks in Fez/crazy.

Road closed by snow in Atlas Mtns- unexpected.

Amazing people & food. Marvelous!

YES – I do suggest you experience it yourself!

Marrakech

The last stop on our tour. Bustling. Not-too-big. Fun. Vibrant.

Started with a city tour & saw a bit of the market. Please zoom in to the market to get an idea of the activity.

Bird’s eye view of market square
Tried all olives!

Then next day toured historical sites. Intricate ancient tile work – amazing.

Next, spice market

Dried flowers
Sunset at Marrakech

To the beach- Essaouira

A land of contrasts – last night in high Atlas Mountains – we froze – tonight at beach – we could have swam in Atlantic. Tho – we had dinner instead! 😄

Essaouira – we stayed in Medina(walled old city,) and the sun was shining & it was lovely. Had fabulous fresh fish for dinner & then toured city with Zaid the next morning.

Walking from Medina to fishing port
Fishing licenses 40,000dirham/year😳
Lots of fish & birds
Local shared his knowledge with us. Love him💜
Charming alleys – tho easy to navigate – NOT like Fez!
It is just gorgeous!
Old door / two knockers-one-women,second -men! Crazy!
Emblems above door indicate resident religion.
This doorway is about 4’tall
Symbol of WWII resistance
Random alley
Love kitty here!
Kitties are cared for & loved
Allison & staff