Tangier Travels

But everyone loves a sea journey and we’re happy to catch an old rust bucket of a ferry which is a bit like the proverbial ‘Slow boat to China.’ We gain two hours and it’s invigorating to enjoy the sea air out on the top deck with the coasts of two continents continually in view (I’m not absolutely certain about this but I reckon this is the only place in the world where you can actually do this).

On the return journey the super fast ferry will be more convenient when we will have to pay back those two hours that we’ve gained.

Many tourists come to Tangier on a day trip from Spain and discover that they would like to return for a longer visit and taste more of what Moroccan life and culture has to offer.

We’re spending three nights at the Hotel Rembrandt in the centre of Tangier. After this we’ll take a taxi to Tamuda Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco where I own a vacation home. It is rented at the moment - hence our stopover in Tangier.

The hotel is adequate, if not a little dated and the pool and gardens are quite delightful. You can take breakfast in the restaurant over looking the pool and admire the view over towards the port and the beach. Swaying palms offer peace and seclusion to our hotel grounds and we feel we have made a wise choice. The price we paid for accommodation was ridiculously low by both American and European standards and I’d be more than happy to stay here again.

I’m no mere newcomer to Tangier, having travelled here more than anywhere else, but I still manage to lose myself in the labyrinthine alleyways of the Medina whenever I visit. This time, accompanied by my friend who has never previously visited Morocco, I’m determined to impress her with my knowledge of the place and not to lose my way. I arrived in Tangier well prepared with a reputable map which I soon I discovered was no use at all - because I’d left my reading glasses at home.

The Hotel Rembrandt is situated on the main road through the town; Boulevard Mohammed V, so it’s relatively

easy to locate although losing your way is all part of the fun when discovering foreign destinations. You can always hail a taxi to take you back to your hotel if all else fails, but becoming lost in the dark alleys of the Medina can be a little more daunting. This is the only place where relentless summer sunlight cannot penetrate; this is the real Morocco which has survived a thousand years before tourists arrived to tread its ancient cobbles.

I’d intended to find the location with the best vantage point to take a panoramic photo of the port and beach area and knew by dead reckoning that it was ‘Over that way somewhere.’ My friend follows me unquestioningly as if I had been a regular tour guide all my life.

We step out of our hotel and follow the main road. It’s a great time to explore Tangier during the month of Ramadan when the main areas are relatively quiet in daylight hours and the shady narrow streets of the Kasbah offer welcome protection from the heat of the day.

Soon we find we are in need of some refreshment and cool freshly squeezed, purer than pure, Moroccan orange juice will do very nicely.

We discover a friendly little cafe but when we come out we head off in entirely the wrong direction and it isn’t long before I have to admit to my friend that I’m lost. This causes her to panic momentarily until we learn we’ve stumbled onto a film set. The name of Leonardo De Caprio is overheard and my friend suddenly starts snapping away frantically with her disposable camera. The elusive Leonardo is probably on tea break (if he is there at all) so for lack of a glimpse of him we wander even further into the Kasbah to do some shopping before making any attempt to retrace our steps to the hotel.

The Medina children follow you relentlessly in the hope of a few Dirhams; their wide, appealing brown eyes speak volumes more than any language. ‘Mi Amiga! Mi Amiga!’ one of them calls after me in Spanish (remember Spain is only a short ferry trip across the Straits) he pulls at my cardigan as I move away and turns out his pockets to demonstrate how empty they are. So I concede defeat knowing that if I give in to him, in a few moments his sister and his brother and half a dozen friends will appear from nowhere and request the same. It’s the nearest you’ll come to being The Pied Piper.

The roads are always busy in Tangier but the pavements are wide and there are many places of interest


with pleasant gardens that allow the visitor a welcome sanctuary from the throng of the busy centre. The Grand Socco is one of these open spaces that we discover quite by accident as we wend our way out of the narrow alleyways behind it.

Adjacent to this are The Mendoubia Gardens which afford some respite from the heat of the day. As a change from orange juice, a glass of hot mint tea can be just as effective in cooling you down and there are many pavement cafes in this area that will serve mint tea in the traditional way in ornate silver teapots on silver platters.

Tangier is fairly compact and several of the main attractions can be viewed on foot in the space of a short time. It is an amazing mishmash of contrast – of old and new side by side. With a rich history dating back to the Phoenicians there are plenty of museums of antiquity and The Museum of Morrocan Art to discover. There is also a site of antiquity facing over towards The Straits of Gibraltar which can easily be approached from the city centre.

The Caves of Hercules are located a few miles outside of the city and are one of the best known attractions. It is said that this is where the mythological Greek hero of the same name spent time in quiet contemplation before one of his twelve famous labours.

Also near the Caves is Cape Spartel which commands a wonderful view of the sun sinking low into the west and indeed this is the most westerly point in the region. Morocco is often referred to in Arabic as Al-Maghrib – the land of the setting sun.

Americans will no doubt be pleased to discover that there is a McDonalds in the very heart of Tangier and it is highly probable that it is the one with the best view in the world. At the Hotel Dawlitz complex you will be able to see over the port, the old town and the beach. In the early morning glow of the sunrise it is perhaps at its best but at night you can sit on the balcony and munch a burger while admiring the illuminated coastal scenery.

Night life in Tangier is subdued and is more centred on cafes and restaurants such as the Cafe de Paris. The visitor would find it difficult to fill in the days with enough activities for a full two week holiday but the place is an ideal place for a few days stopover en route to the beaches of northern Morocco as we shall be doing.

After three days we are ready to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind as we travel by taxi along the coastal route taking in some breathtaking scenery along the way.

When our travels from Tangier are over we arrive at the area known as ‘The Golden Mile,’ between Marina Smir and Kabilah Marina.

Here you will find sands to rival that of the Caribbean and two opulent marinas that are worthy of berthing any millionaire's yacht.

The salubrious Sofitel adjacent to Marina Smir basks in sub-tropical gardens and enjoys a prime front line position overlooking the beach. There is every opportunity at Tamuda Bay for an enjoying a beach-based holiday and that’s why I have an apartment here.

My two sons are disappointed to find that the aqua park is closed during the month of Ramadan, but for the next ten days before the end of August we know that because of this we are guaranteed to have a quiet holiday. Such peace and tranquillity would be hard to find any where else nowadays in the height of the tourist season and in contrast I can imagine how busy it must be just a few miles distant on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

Here on Morocco’s golden Costa Vista with Cabo Negro and the Rif Mountains as a backdrop, I know where I would rather be.


Sella Kaye

Helium