Saturday morning was an early start as we were on our way to Morocco again. Joining friend Chris and his sister Heidi, we were making the trip to pick up some spices and local handicraft for Christmas, as well as providing Heidi with the opportunity of doing some sightseeing whilst she was visiting. The ferry left Tarifa and headed for Tangiers at about 9am Spanish time.
The day started with some sight seeing along the coast including Hercules Cave. Local legend has it that Tangiers as developed by Hercules, and the cave opening looks a little like the map of Africa. The cave has been used for centuries including as a quarry which provided the stone the locals used to produce grinding wheels. The picture of Ian in the cave shows the ridges left in the cave walls by stone cutters in past centuries.
After completing the coastal views it was back to the old city. The market reminds me a little of the markets in Asia. Fresh fish, meat, vegetables and fruits, olives of all varieties and mixes - all wrapped up with the wonderful smell of the fresh spices and herbs. The stall holders go to a lot of trouble to ensure that all produce is displayed to advantage (it must take hours to set up some of the vegetable stalls). The mix of customers in western, Islamic, and the colorful Bedouin dress all yell and barter in a mixture of french, Arabic, English and various other dialects resulting in a colorful, noisy atmosphere.
After purchasing the various curries, paprikas, cumin, Cinnamon and nutmegs we were off to one of the many handicraft shops. These amazing places a crammed full of local bowls, serving tagines, urns wooden boxes and the inevitable rugs. You do need to barter, which is a bit difficult without some idea of the "fair" price. Our efforts of the day started with a price of 175 Euros with a final settled price of 50 Euros (less that 1/3 of the original asking). For that we were able to get a lovely little urn covered with silver filigree work, a serving tangine and two medium sized serving bowls.
Still in the old town, we then ventured through to the weavers and tailors area. The weaving is taken on by men, who use various natural threads to develop a variety of cloths - from heavy duty woollen and linens to the fine and colorful silk weaves used for expensive interior soft furnishings.
It was fascinating to see the guys at work - though I would not swap jobs with them on a hot day. Often there were two to three people to a loom with another man sitting on a bicycle wheel contraption spinning the finer threads into the ply required for the item being developed.
Once again Morocco provided us with an interesting day. Next trip we will try to take an extra day or so and see a little more of the place.
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