Province de Tanger Travel Tips - Province de Tanger Travel Guide

The ferry leaves from Tarifa, Spain – the southernmost town on the Iberian Peninsula. It faces the Straits of Gibraltar, just 15 miles off the North African coast. We leave our car at a public parking place (Euro 10.00/day – US $ 13.00). Tarifa is known as one of the best European windsurfing places. There are many camp grounds, hostels and the young, alternative crowd enjoys the beautiful beaches in this charming seaside town.

Tarifa is named after a Berber General, Tarif ibn Malluk, who is said to have landed here in July 710 with 400 men. This is considered the first Moorish expedition to the Iberian Peninsula.

As our ferry leaves the port, we look upon the Castillo de Guzman el Bueno. The fortress construction began in 960 under the first Moorish Governor, Abd ar Rahmann III, who wanted to control the Gibraltar Straits. This governor adopted the title “Caliph” and captured the strongholds of Ceuta and Melilla from here.

Even though the Ferry is supposed to take only about 35 minutes for the crossing to Northern Africa, it’s more like 55 minutes. We watch as trucks, buses and cars packed with goods being loaded onto the ferry. It seems, just about every passenger is hauling large suitcases full of goods from Spain to Marocco. We see a tiny little car with a washing machine strapped to its roof.

At the port of Tangier, all passengers are asked to put their luggage through a metal detector, which surprises us. Why go through security after we come off the ferry? Taxi drivers are swirling around the arriving passengers, trying to find a fare. Euro 5.00 (US $ 6.50) seems to be the going price, but I settle for Euro 3.00 (US $ 4.50) and we get into a beaten up Mercedes-Benz 220 Diesel. It rumbles up the cobblestone streets to our hotel in the Kasbah.

La Tangerina, 19 Riad Sultan, Kasbah, Tanger, Tel: +212-(0) 53994 7731, www.latangerina.com is owned by a charming couple, Farida (Moroccan) and Juergen (German). Both speak excellent English. The price of Euro 70.00 (US $ 91.00) per night includes breakfast. The hotel has 10 rooms, some overlooking the ocean. To the left we see the Atlantic, to the right we the Mediterranean, quite an experience.

We climb the stairs (no elevator in the hotel) and end up on the rooftop terrace. Hot sweet mint tea (a glass filled with fresh mint leaves, sugar and hot water) is served to us, accompanied by Moroccan almond cookies that are absolutely delicious. We enjoy waiting for our room from this beautiful spot, overlooking the water and decorated in the typical Moroccan style with oversize sofas and colorful pillows.

Once our room is ready, we notice the lovely details on the decoration. Old suitcases/trunks as tables, 1950’s radio that actually works, tile work, it’s perfect and very clean. Later, we get to visit some of the other rooms. We recommend asking for Room 6. (Definitely ask for a room away from the street).

20 Euros (US $ 26.00) buys us an English speaking tour guide for the afternoon, and we begin our 3 hour walking tour through Tangier, founded in the early 5th century BC by the Carthaginians. The name possibly comes from the Berber goddess Tinjis. The original inhabitants were the Berbers, after that the Romans arrived. It became part of the Byzantine Empire before coming under Arab control in 702. The Portuguese started their extension into Morocco and occupied it until 1661, when it was given to Charles II of England as part of a dowry for marrying Catharina of Braganza.

Kasbah means “fortress” and was the seat of the ruling Sultan. As we walked the narrow passageways, we were introduced to the public bakery (where to this day the residents bring their bread to be baked in a wood burning underground oven). The old baker offers us a loaf of bread as a gift and we accept graciously. We pass by the water fountain (where women are washing clothes, as the old houses do not have running water), the Mosque and a Mausoleum.

As we walk downhill to the Medina, we are surrounded by vendors trying to sell anything from bracelets to knock-off Gucci Bags, Shoes, Carpets, bracelets, leather goods, you name it, it’s there for sales, we are easy targets, so it seems. For a while it’s fun, but then it becomes kind of annoying, so we ask our tour guide to take us to the Mercado, where food vendors offer their many products.

Spices, Vegetables, Beef, Chickens, Fruit and of course buckets full of different colored olives abound. We see the old Berber women in their colorful outfits sitting on the ground selling bunches of fresh mint and homemade goat cheeses. It is a bustling place full of people and very interesting.

Our tour guide mentions several times that Tangier considers itself an international city, where many cultures have lived together in harmony for centuries. Arabs, Jews, Christians, anyone is welcome he says. Moroccan women can wear traditional as well as western clothes, they choose for themselves. Even though he tells us there had been lots of progress, especially in recent years, his opinion was at least another 20 years had to go by to fully modernize the city.

He speaks very highly of their young king Mohammed, who loves Tangier and is helping the city to upgrade their infrastructure. The king’s father, who ruled Morocco for over 30 years with an iron fist, apparently did not like Tangier, so it fell into disrepair over the decades.

Moroccans speak many languages. Arabic and French are taught in school, but we find that many also speak Spanish, English and German. This multicultural environment attracted foreigners and artists like William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote, Malcolm Forbes, Jean Genet, Henri Matisse, Paul Bowles, Yves Saint Laurent, Tennessee Williams and the Rolling Stones, all of whom lived or visited here.

We walk by the house of American heiress Barbara Hutton of Woolworth fortune, who resided here for over 20 years. Her last one of 7 husbands was Moroccan. We are going to rent “Poor little rich girl” when we come back to the States.

Tired from all the walking we take a taxi back to the hotel (150 Dirham = Euro 1.50 = US $ 1.65). That seems to be the going price anywhere in town when taking a taxi (except to the port). And don’t forget to bring comfortable walking shoes for this city, it’s an absolute must.

Farida and Juergen recommend a visit to a Moroccan restaurant: Hammadi, Rue Alkazaba 2, Tel: 039 93 45 14. We order Tajin, a local speciality, Chicken, Lamb or Beef, cooked in onion, anise and olives. We agree on the chicken version and it is perfect and tender. It was accompanied by Moroccan Salad (delicious, but more like a dip with finely chopped tomatoes, green peppers and gentle spices) and Beef Kebab (not so good). A group of 5 older men play traditional music during dinner and we are very comfortable.

The next morning we wake up to light rain and fog. It almost feels like back home in San Francisco, CA. After breakfast, we leave to discover more of Tangier. We visit the showroom of a carpet dealer and learn all about Moroccan carpets. He certainly must be disappointed that we aren’t buying, but he is very charming, courteous and polite. He shows us a variety of beautiful carpets in all colors. I show some interest in a 2x3 meter rug which is priced at Euro 900 when he first offers it to us. When we finally leave, the price had dropped to Euro 300 including shipping. There are some incredible deals to be had on beautiful carpets, especially if you are good at bargaining.

After a little lunch at the Grand Café (a perfect place in the Merida to watch the local vendors “attack the group tourists” as they emerge from their buses or cruise ships), we walk over to the US Legation Building, 8, Rue de Amerique, the first piece of foreign property acquired by the US government in 1821 during the administration of George Washington. It housed the United States Legation and Consulate for 140 years, the longest period a building abroad has been used as a US diplomatic post. During World War II it was the headquarters for US intelligence agents. In 1956, the US consulate was moved to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. The building housed the Peace Corps for a while but became neglected over time.

In 1976, a group of American citizens in Tangier formed a non-profit organization to save the Old American Legation and rented the building from the US government. The museum is well worth the visit. (Free) It also serves as a cultural center for American and Moroccan relations and has a public library.

With some time left, we visit a Pharmacy and get an introduction to herbs and potions used by Moroccans over the centuries. It’s very interesting and we highly recommend it. Of course, all the herbs are for sale also.

After a full day of sightseeing and walking, we are ready for a rest on the roof terrace of our hotel, before going out for dinner that evening.

A new and elegant restaurant, El Pescadero, 5 Avenue Allal Ben Abdellah, Centre Ville, 9000 Tanger, Tel: 039-94 56 25, in the newer part of town was the destination that evening. It just opened a couple of months ago and the Chef introduces himself to us. He is French and also co-owns a restaurant in Los Angeles, CA where he lived for many years. He is originally from Nimes, France. Our 2 waitpersons, a lovely young lady from Morocco and a beautiful young woman from Senegal are very attentive.

We order a salad with goat cheese, sautéed chicken livers wrapped in eggplant slices, two very tender filet steaks topped with Bordeaux sauce, a bottle of mineral water and a bottle of Rosado from France. It’s our last night in Tangier and we are glad we are here for an exquisite dining experience. The bill sets us back Euro 60.00 (US $ 78.00) but well worth it.

The next morning we take the ferry back to Tarifa, Spain and take with us fond memories of our short visit to Tangier, Morocco.

VividTurtle

Staying at the lovely Hotel/Guest House "La Tangerina"

Province de Tanger General Tips

Province de Tanger General Tips

Visiting Province de Tanger?

Visiting Province de Tanger?