3 days in Tangier

As I have traveled a bit around southern Spain, I decided to take the ferry from Tarifa to Tangier and watch a little there. Otherwise, it's a little hard to get there when I mostly staying around southern Morocco.

It was during Ramadan so there were not so many tourists and ferry was quite or almost empty. So it was nice actually. Even in Tangier there were only locals and very few tourists. We have skip probably even to have hassle with fake guides etc.

Already when we were in Spain I booked the room on booking.com and it showed it was one very good and simple accommodation, not in Medina but not so far from there and neither from the promenade around the sea. Only what was a little difficult was steep streets both from the sea up to hotel or from hotel up to center.

Because we arrived a little later to Tarifa and before we found parking place where we would have our car while we ware in Tangier, we missed the boat so we got to wait for next one. And therefore we came to Tangier first on the afternoon. So we non did much that day, were going up to Avenue Mohamed V via Place de France until Place du 9 Avril 1947 which was really chaotic can I say. So many cars, so many people. Much more that day we didn't. We gone back to the hotel and at evening took dinner.

Terrasse des Paresseux

Next day, even if it was not so far from Medina, we took taxi up to Kasbah and then gone down through the not crowded Medina, so it was perfect. We admired the view from there over the sea.

It was really easy to go in Medina, if we followed streets down we couldn't go lost. Moreover there near Bab Haha, funny name it is and every time I think at that I have to laugh, there was one big map over Medina so I studied it a little. And then it was only go down as said.

What was nice also was that so few people were there, it was Ramadan and they stayed mostly at home. First late afternoon it was more lively, because it was time to go and shop food so they could have harira and food. We also met one man, Moroccan who lived earlier in Sweden but now he moved back home to Tangier, so we talked a little Swedish of course. He was happy to could talk Swedish again a bit ☺

And we met also many, many cats LOL.

 

it is not me, she only obscured the view for me ☺

This on the picture up actually I not know what was that, I tried to ask but what only I got to hear was that I not get take a picture there, so sorry that I did it before they said to me to not do it. And never got know what it was for the building.
We came to Petit Socco so we decided to take a pause and take coffee there. It was open and a few people was sitting there and drunk coffee or tea, tourists and maybe those, but not Moroccan, who lived in Tangier.

And the cat hiding there under the table from the sun, because it was July and quite hot.

 

As we sat there and relaxed I suddenly heard strange sounds as hohohohoho and wondered what it was. And soon came the people slowly running and carrying a funerary casket on the shoulders, so I knew what it was. That, unfortunately, has somebody dead and they carried him to the cemetery. Just during Ramadan. RIP.

 This cannon is from England, it is printed there Newcastle on Tyne and it was 

Sir W.G.Armstrong & Co. who manufactured it as No. 706.
 How it ended up in Tangier, who uses it and why?

We gone also past the Grand Mosque and outside where it was chock-full of men who sat there and maybe waiting for the next prayer. But of course I took never pictures there.

We finished our walk down near this famous hotel Continental, but we not stayed there without continued then along the sea and up to our hotel to relax after this long day. It was really interesting day and we saw and experienced much on the way through the Medina. Were going also to look into souk and there were it crowded actually of the Moroccans going and shopping for the dinner.

Next day we would go to Cap Spartel and Hercules Cave so we took taxi there again. The driver not could English but spoke a little Spanish, I a little Italian so we could communicate anyway. He took us through Tangier and showed us many places around like where is living the richest man or where is any embassy etc. But at finish we arrived to Cap Spartel where we stopped for to go and look at this the most North Western point of Africa. Often it says that it is northernmost point of Africa, but it is not true, Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia is the northernmost point in Africa.

And so came we to Hercules cave and I have been disappointed. Thought it will be outside the village or what was that, not as a part of many houses or rather restaurants and cafes there around. They really managed to destroy it.

Hercules self would be really sad and never more would like to sleep there as then. Or, actually apart from the souvenir shop in entrance, the self cave was very nice, so probably Hercules would never like to come out and see what is surrounded his cave. And we would find him, or rather his skeleton, sleeping there yet. LOL

It was Ramadan and I could then never take advantage of those many cafes there and take a little coffee of course. So we only sat there on the wall and looked over the sea. Down there was one beach with so many houses and our taxi driver told us, that it is Spanish people who built theirs holiday colony. When he told about that we saw that he was not so much happy over the fact. But ...

Then it was time to leave not only Hercules cave but next day even Tangier and go back to Spain. I was really glad that we took this "detour", I enjoyed much those three days. And I thought, before I saw this town, that Tangier is not much to look over. Strange, often we have such prejudices without reason, without to see, and anyway we are so.

to left is Europa, to right is Africa ☺