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All posts for the month November, 2015

A morning view of Tangier from the rooftop

A morning view of Tangier from the rooftop

What a difference a few miles can make. From Tarifa the ferry to Tangier takes an hour to go perhaps 14 miles. By any standards, that’s a short commute. Yet suddenly there we were in North Africa, Moorish country, with all the bustle and flavors and smells and sounds you might expect.

The Kasbah and medina are a warren of these little colorful streets

The Kasbah and medina are a warren of these little colorful streets

Street markets selling produce

Street markets selling produce

And pretty much anything else you might want

And pretty much anything else you might want

A couple quick impressions. Our hotel was in the Kasbah, the old royal enclave of the medina or old city. Narrow, winding lanes that, I assume, I would have figured out in just a year or two if I stayed there. Kids running around everywhere since, while to us it’s this atmospheric throwback to an ancient time, to them it’s home. Every few steps for the first couple of days young men would ask where we were going, trying to take us to their restaurant or shop or just to guide us for a small tip. Little sidewalk markets everywhere, piled one on top of another, selling everything you might want and even more that you don’t want. A lot poorer than what we’d seen just a few miles away in Spain and obviously a lot more Islamic.

I had the sense, though, that Tangier at least – we’ll see about Morocco more generally – was a notably optimistic place. You have the sense that people believe that there is a bright future for the city. There’s a huge new port under construction, an enormous investment with spaces for huge cruise ships along with all the freight that they expect. Across from the train station – itself looking quite new – is a big new mall going up with a huge Hilton as its anchor. The main street along the waterfront – Mohammed VI Avenue – is torn up and being rebuilt, while the city beach itself is being cleaned up. As we took a taxi out to the train station as we were moving on to Rabat, you could see more new construction, lots of glass buildings heralding a bright future.

We hope. This all begs the question of why Morocco seems so stable and optimistic and healthy while across the rest of North Africa, from Algeria and Libya to Egypt and into the Middle East, there is so much disruption. Obviously some of that is the result of the American decision to roll the dice on regime change in Iraq and the enormous problems that caused. But there’s got to be more to it than that. Why does Morocco seem to be immune to the radicalization and instead so optimistic about the future? Assuming that says something about the lack of alienation here relative to everything to the east, what are they doing right?

Questions, but certainly no answers just yet.

The streets here can be a riot of color

The streets here can be a riot of color

Meanwhile, we had a lovely little stop here. One of the differences compared to all the great cities we went to in Spain is that there’s typically just a lot less to do here. No great art museums, no spectacular parks to roam in, far fewer attractive restaurants to explore. So instead we spent time just wandering around the Kasbah and medina, fully expecting to – and fully succeeding in – getting lost. We found a couple very nice places to sample tagines.

The Kasbah Museum was closed for renovation so we were spared that obligation, but we did tour the old American Legation – essentially the embassy – from the time when Morocco was the first country to recognize the new United States and when that building was the first property outside the U.S. owned by the new country. Today it is the only National Historic Landmark outside the U.S. (how’s that for a trivia question some day?). The museum has a copy of a 1789 letter from George Washington thanking the Sultan for something or other, and explaining that it had taken so long to respond because the country had recently changed its form of government (the Constitutional Convention and all that) and it just took a while before he had authority as president to respond. Very cute, especially as I was just finishing a biography of Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s closest aide over decades.

I love this copy of a letter from George Washington to the Sultan. It reads in part, "The United States have thought proper [note the verb - they were united states, not the United States] to change their Government and to institute a new one… The time necessarily employed in this arduous task, and the arrangements occasioned by so great, though peaceable revolution …" explains why it took him so long to write. Very cool.

I love this copy of a letter from George Washington to the Sultan. It reads in part, “The United States have thought proper [note the verb – they were united states, not the United States] to change their Government and to institute a new one… The time necessarily employed in this arduous task, and the arrangements occasioned by so great, though peaceable revolution …” explains why it took him so long to write. Very cool.

Our hotel, La Maison Blanche, is a beautifully restored 18th century building in the Kasbah that had a couple great spaces for reading (I finished the huge Hamilton biography and started Alex Haley’s Roots in anticipation of going to The Gambia in a couple of weeks). Certainly one of the highlights was breakfast on the building’s roof deck with stunning views across Tangier and the port. The first morning they brought us a beautiful and practically sinful collection of pastries, crepes, Moroccan pancakes, breads, and jams, probably more carbs than I’ve had in one meal in five years. After that we convinced them to tone it down a notch or two so we could enjoy the meal without paying for it for weeks afterwards.

Did we mention the kitties? They were everywhere and, contrary to Spanish kitties, very friendly.

Did we mention the kitties? They were everywhere and, contrary to Spanish kitties, very friendly.

So that was our first stop in Morocco. The mid-November weather was wonderful, typically in the low-70s which is just about perfect for wandering around. From here we’re heading to Rabat where we’re headed strait to the Ghana embassy to try to get a visa. If we’re successful we’ll go to Ghana before heading to Senegal and The Gambia. If they say it takes a week or something to get the visa, well, we’ll do something else with our time. The luxury of time and the ability to be flexible.

One of my reading spaces, this one up on the roof deck

One of my reading spaces, this one up on the roof deck

Another morning view of Tangier

Another morning view of Tangier

The breakfast spread, showing but a fraction of the carbs they would normally serve. We shared lots of time in Tangier with Henry, an engineer from Winnipeg taking a year off to travel, so he's getting the juice and pastries on the table. Oddly, though we spent lots of time with him, we didn't get any pictures. Just his plate there.

The breakfast spread, showing but a fraction of the carbs they would normally serve. We shared lots of time in Tangier with Henry, an engineer from Winnipeg taking a year off to travel, so he’s getting the juice and pastries on the table. Oddly, though we spent lots of time with him, we didn’t get any pictures. Just his plate there.

Lunch one day. Pretty damned good!

Lunch one day. Pretty damned good!

The new port under construction. The cruise ship docks also under construction are further off to the right. It's an enormous investment; I just can't think of anywhere I've seen a city building an entire new port.

The new port under construction. The cruise ship docks also under construction are further off to the right. It’s an enormous investment; I just can’t think of anywhere I’ve seen a city building an entire new port.

More market scenes

More market scenes

Random beauty on the walls of the medina

Random beauty on the walls of the medina

Part of the cemetery at the Anglican Church of St. Andrew. It's a quirky place, with the Lord's Prayer written in Arabic, quotes from the Quran, Stars of David - just a real mishmash of faiths, with a young guy who's apparently there all the time ready to let you in and poke around.

Part of the cemetery at the Anglican Church of St. Andrew. It’s a quirky place, with the Lord’s Prayer written in Arabic, quotes from the Quran, Stars of David – just a real mishmash of faiths, with a young guy who’s apparently there all the time ready to let you in and poke around.

We loved a little coastal hike along the Mediterranean where we could mingle with the local wildlife. You can see Morocco in the distance and one of the ferries that make the trip across the Strait of Gibraltar every hour.

We loved a little coastal hike along the Mediterranean where we could mingle with the local wildlife. You can see Morocco in the distance and one of the ferries that make the trip across the Strait of Gibraltar every hour.

Our ninth and last stop in Spain (for now, that is) was Tarifa, right on the southern tip of the peninsula where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. How far south, you ask? Tarifa, it turns out, is further south than when we were in Tunis a year-and-a-half ago. Seems strange, but yes, part of Spain is further south than some African cities.

The big, broad beach of Tarifa. There were a few dozen intrepid surfers out there but in the summer the place is apparently packed.

The big, broad beach of Tarifa. There were a few dozen intrepid surfers out there but in the summer the place is apparently packed.

Most people come here for the world-class wind sports like surfing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing, and even in mid-November there were plenty of people out enjoying the strong winds in the region. For us, though, ultimately there were four standouts: food, a coastal hike, Gibraltar, and the ferry to Morocco.

For a relatively small city we were impressed with the quality of food. There was one tiny tapas bar that was usually way too crowded to get into but we did manage to have lunch there once and we understood why it was so popular and crowded. For dinner we would head to La Burla, a slightly larger tapas bar run by the cutest Italian couple who made some great food and finish the meal off with a little bottle of Grappa (our first clue that they were, in fact, Italian).

Next up for having fun was a great coastal hike that runs maybe seven miles up the coast along the Mediterranean coast. We didn’t hike the whole way but the part we did was beautiful.

Hiking here made me think I'd finally made it to Ireland - green, windy, isolated, and beautiful

Hiking here made me think I’d finally made it to Ireland – green, windy, isolated, and beautiful

And then there was Gibraltar. Except for having seen the Rock when I sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar in 1974 (and in numerous old Prudential commercials) I really didn’t know much about it. To my surprise it’s more than just a rock: there’s a community of over 30,000 people packed into the relatively flat area at the base of the rock. The really strange thing about the city, of course, is that it’s a British possession. So we took a bus from Tarifa to the last stop in Spain and then walked across a border, with passport control and all that, before then walking into a city populated with fish & chip restaurants and red telephone booths and people with British accents. Very strange. We got there too late to go to the parks up on the Rock – we keep having to relearn that we don’t really like day trips – but it was still a fun little excursion to go to the UK for lunch. Next time we’re in Spain we’ll stay a couple days in Gibraltar itself, though trading Spanish tapas for British “food” is a real loss.

The Rock of Gibraltar. After you pass through British passport control you actually walk across the airport runway - that's the big flat paved area - to get into the city.

The Rock of Gibraltar. After you pass through British passport control you actually walk across the airport runway – that’s the big flat paved area – to get into the city.

Finally, then, we were in Tarifa to catch the ferry to Tangier. So farewell to Europe for a few months and Hello Africa!

Michele & Giuseppe, the Italian couple who ran the great tapas bar we ate at three nights in a row

Michele & Giuseppe, the Italian couple who ran the great tapas bar we ate at three nights in a row

An incredible cheese and eggplant dish at Bar el Frances, the tiny, crowded tapas bar we could only get into for lunch

An incredible cheese and eggplant dish at Bar el Frances, the tiny, crowded tapas bar we could only get into for lunch

The narrow, white streets of old town Tarifa

The narrow, white streets of old town Tarifa

A pedestrian shopping street in Gibraltar

A pedestrian shopping street in Gibraltar

Up at the Alhambra with fall colors and the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas in the background

Up at the Alhambra with fall colors and the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas in the background

The main draw in Granada, a city tucked into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, is the Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex built in the 13th and 14th century by the Moors. But we discovered another great reason to go there: free tapas! It’s not entirely unusual in Spain to go to a tapas bar and get a little something free with your first glass of wine. In Granada, though, you can pretty much count on getting something with every glass of wine you order. I mean, you can’t afford not to drink a lot.

Mark was in heaven - anchovies over artichoke, though this one wasn't free

Mark was in heaven – anchovies over artichoke, though this one wasn’t free

These sausages were freebies, though, with very healthy glasses of red wine to go with them

These sausages were freebies, though, with very healthy glasses of red wine to go with them

And the free tapas aren’t just something cheap; they’re typically an item on the menu that you would otherwise order. Nor is the wine expensive; often glasses were in the $2.50 range and with pretty decent pours. So you go in, order wine, eat. Repeat. To be sure, we did buy some food, too, since I just can’t drink enough wine to satisfy my evening hunger. Even then, though, it’s practically free, often no more than $2.50 for a little plate of food. We’d end up spending maybe $35 or $40 for a really good meal. You wonder how they can make a living charging low prices for what they don’t give you for free. We weren’t complaining, though.

Oh yeah, back to the Alhambra. Fortunately – very fortunately – we’d learned from Mark’s parents that you pretty much have to get your tickets weeks in advance as it is a very popular tourist destination. So two weeks before our arrival in Granada we went online and even that far in advance, in mid-November, there was practically nothing available. We did get late afternoon tickets, though, and it was pretty spectacular.

Unlike most historic buildings we’ve been touring over these weeks in Spain, the Alhambra is unusual in that there are almost no signs telling you what anything is and there is no audio guide, either. So instead you wander around, just pretty much stunned at the Moorish design, the tiles, the ceilings, the elegant plasterwork with Islamic writing and all that. It really is the most stunning piece of architecture we’ve seen in a long time.

A closeup of a tiny bit of the tile and plasterwork in the Alhambra

A closeup of a tiny bit of the tile and plasterwork in the Alhambra

The other great part of the complex is the Generalife. At first I thought some big insurance company had bought naming rights to the gardens, but in fact its name comes from the Arabic jinan al-‘arif, or the overseer’s garden. Really beautiful gardens over an enormous area with fountains and pools and patios and pathways, just the sort of space I love. All that on a gorgeous fall day is about as good as it gets.

One day we had lunch on the patio outside a Lebanese restaurant. A guy came out of his building with his scooter and a very excited dog. As he went back to lock things up the dog climbed up on the scooter, confident - correctly, it turns out - that he was going on a ride with his master. Too cute.

One day we had lunch on the patio outside a Lebanese restaurant. A guy came out of his building with his scooter and a very excited dog. As he went back to lock things up the dog climbed up on the scooter, confident – correctly, it turns out – that he was going on a ride with his master. Too cute.

Of course, there’s more to Granada than just free tapas and the Alhambra. The city was the capital of the last caliphate in Spain after the Spanish had pushed the Moors down to the southeast corner of the peninsula. Even that ended, though, when in January 1492 (a big year) Ferdinand and Isabella finally dislodged them and marched into the city, ending any major Islamic presence in Europe. The Catholic Monarchs, as they are known, are buried in Granada’s royal chapel. As cameras weren’t allowed into the chapel, though, we have no pictures but trust me, their tombs are there.

Finally, the other big thing we focused on while in Granada was finalizing some travel planning. From Spain we’re crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to spend a couple weeks in Morocco. Then we’re going to hop down to Western Africa to go to Senegal and the Gambia and – if we can get a visa while in Morocco – Ghana. Just after Christmas, then, we’re going to make a very quick trip to Boston for a friend’s wedding before flying down to Mexico and then working our way through Guatemala and into South America. You might be surprised how much work is involved putting something like that together, but we have that much pretty much settled. In other words, there’s no slowing down for us yet!

Granada's cathedral is wedged in between all sorts of buildings so you really can't see the building except in small pieces

Granada’s cathedral is wedged in between all sorts of buildings so you really can’t see the building except in small pieces

While touring Granada's Cathedral we encountered this Jesus on His Cell Phone statue

While touring Granada’s Cathedral we encountered this Jesus on His Cell Phone statue

Generalife color

Generalife color

More fall beauty from the Generalife

More fall beauty from the Generalife

A trail in the Generalife

A trail in the Generalife

Mark loves cats, so here he is taking a selfie in front of the lion's fountain in the Alhambra

Mark loves cats, so here he is taking a selfie in front of the lion’s fountain in the Alhambra

In 1832 Washington Irving published "Tales of the Alhambra" after spending some months in Granada. Today this statue and a number of plaques around the buildings came as a bit of a surprise to us.

In 1832 Washington Irving published “Tales of the Alhambra” after spending some months in Granada. Today this statue and a number of plaques around the buildings came as a bit of a surprise to us.

This tapas bar was more elegant than our usual haunt. I took this picture, though, because I loved the ladies behind Mark. There they were, in their elegant suits, having a lunch of free tapas and beer. Beautiful!

This tapas bar was more elegant than our usual haunt. I took this picture, though, because I loved the ladies behind Mark. There they were, in their elegant suits, having a lunch of free tapas and beer. Beautiful!

Enjoying Granada's tapas. That glass of orange stuff beside him isn't a drink, it's some of the best gazpacho we've ever had. It's served in a glass with ice and is out of this world.

Enjoying Granada’s tapas. That glass of orange stuff beside him isn’t a drink, it’s some of the best gazpacho we’ve ever had. It’s served in a glass with ice and is out of this world.

Here we are up in the Alhambra with the foothills of the Sierra Nevada as background

Here we are up in the Alhambra with the foothills of the Sierra Nevada as background