Tangier, Morocco

Dear Grace,

I still can't believe that we traveled to Africa with you while on our vacation in Spain.  The decision was very spontaneous, but we are so glad that we did it.  Don't worry family and friends, I researched the tour thoroughly before we bought tickets.  Our travels took us over the Straits of Gibraltar and into Tangier, Morocco.  Enjoy the great photos from an international port in Africa.


Love, 
Daddy


When we arrived in Tangier, we immediately boarded our tour bus and started driving past some of the local building in the harbor.  This section of the city is filled with shops and stores, which face out towards the beach.

Once again, must be nice to live the tycoon lifestyle! This beautiful mansion overlooked the Straits of Gibraltar and had an amazing stone balcony in the back.  It used to belong to Mr. Forbes, the businessman.

The Kasbah of Tangier is the highest part of the city, of course it was created as a defensive fortress facing the Straits. Though small, there are quite a number of sights within the Kasbah, but the roads inside are really a maze....luckily we had our tour guide Hassan and his trusty sidekick Mohammed, who was fantastic and stuck by us the entire time through the somewhat hectic streets.

Beautiful doors like this were located all throughout the Kasbah.  

I thought this was a cool shot of switching over to Casablanca time, which is Morocco's largest city and chief port.  Maybe one day we'll be able to go back and visit.

This was a famous building that has been photographed and used in paintings over and over again.  The green flag and color of the door symbolize fertility and life, which is sometimes a hard thing to find in the desert.

This was our view from the north side of the Kasbah.  A stunning view of the Straits of Gibraltar.

Another first for all of us......watching a snake charmer play with a black king cobra.  Pretty cool.  

Your mummy was debating of getting a picture with the snake around her head while holding you, BUT I put a quick end to that and took one for the team in order to get a cool picture.  Grace, you owe me one!

Since we had been doing a bit of hiking up and down steps and all throughout the streets, it was now time for lunch at a typical Morocco restaurant.  The food was great, service excellent, and the music was entertaining.

Time to visit the local markets and do some shopping if you were able to strike a deal.  Your mummy and I would have loved to spend more time there in order to purchase something, but they're type of high pressure, always talking sales mentality did not mesh well with our purchasing style.  Oh well, at least we were able to get some spices from the next shop we visited.

On our way up to Cape Spartel and the Cave of Hercules, we passed a massive gate and yard.....it belongs to the King Mohammed VI, who doesn't reside there, but has a gigantic house in case he wants to visit.  

A view of the beach that faces Atlantic Morocco.  It was so nice outside and very pretty.

That's right....they even had camels around Morocco for us to take rides on.  Only 1 euro per ride.....silly tourists.  I'm sure they make a mint off of people like us, but what a cool thing to say we've experienced.

So.....where do I even begin with the picture below.  Kate thought this photo opportunity could be a great Christmas card to send everyone over the holidays.  We had another member of the tour start taking multiple pictures of us and we were sure that we had a great shot because I actually set the zoom up perfectly for him prior to handing the camera over.  Apparently, he felt that this should remain a family picture and adjusted the zoom accordingly.  We were pretty annoyed, but easily laughed it off.

The highlight of Cap Spartel, Grottes d'Hercule.  See the monkey on Hercules' shoulder?

This place is believed to be the mystical dwellling place of Hercules. The caves here have been quarried in the past for millstones, and is a venue used by the rich celebrities from Tangier to host private parties. 

Grace had to try her best Hercules impression.  I don't know what it is, but when I think of the word Hercules, the Nutty Professor comes to mind and the Klump family at the dinner table.  Hercules, Hercules, Hercules!!!

We went further up Cap Spartel to the lighthouse where the Atlantic Ocean starts to mix with the Mediterranean Sea.  The tour provided warm mint green tea, which was a fantastic way to end the tour as we watched a storm front come in off the Atlantic Ocean.  

We were so happy to have had the opportunity to visit this wonderful city in Africa. Stay tuned for more adventures in the coming weeks.