When travelling, just getting out of the hotel and walking around on foot has to be one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences being able to take in as much of local scenery and peoples as possible.
Nowhere is this more true than in Morocco.
We had started walking along the deserted Tangier corniche (it was winter) when we came across a gentleman who initially tried to sell us ferry tickets.
Once he learnt we had just come over from Spain the previous night, he quickly switched tack and offered a guided tour of the city. The price was reasonable (I didn’t haggle – to my son’s surprise) and a deal was struck.
I did warn him that I was a bit of a dawdler and was interested in meeting the locals and going off the normal tourist track. He didn’t disappoint.
We meandered through the narrow streets, through the markets, in and out of bakeries and dark and dusty buildings in which tradespeople produced their wares with delicate artistry.
We visited mosques, churches, synagogues, and an electronics shop run by a second generation Indian before driving off to Asilah, a small town down the Atlantic coast, where we had a late seafood lunch walked through the streets and pathways surrounded by the most vivid and colourful artwork.
Asilah was recommended to us by the daughter of a Moroccan diplomat in Canberra – she was right and we were fortunate to have made the journey.
By nightfall we had returned to Tangier and had kebab and chicken tagine at a local coffee house near the sea.
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- Tangier – St Andrews Anglican Church built in the authentic Moorish style
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- Asilah – sunset on the Atlantic Ocean – something new to an Eastern Australian
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- Tangier – the Tomb of Ibn Batuta
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- Tangier – rich in fruits from the mountains
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- Textiles in Tangiers
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- Tangier – Weaving the djellaba
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- Tangier – home of the sweetest, most delicious mandarins I have ever tasted
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- Tangier – Fresh fish!
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- Tangier – where the Berber women come to sell the produce
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- Tangier – example of the mosaic tile work in the many buildings
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- Grand Mosque of Tangier
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- Asilah – At dusk
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- Asilah – Green within the walls
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- Asilah – Walls of artwork
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- Asilah – I have a feeling they like blue.
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