Morocco

The next morning Greg tried to get us some breakfast but he had credit card problems, probably due to turning them all off yesterday so we all loaded up and found a Lidl grocery store - Lidl for the win!  Everyone was thrilled with their donuts, croissants, pastries and juice. And we headed for Tarifa where again parking was a challenge.  The spot we got was quite far from the dock and the area was a little sketchy.  We crossed our fingers that we wouldn't get robbed and started hustling to the boat.  It took forever to get through all the lines but eventually we were on our way to Morocco.  

"Andrew and I caught a glimpse of a pod of dolphins but that only frustrated the kids as they missed them. There was free wireless on the boat which led to further disappointment when I got a Whatsapp message that our private boat tour in the Straits of Gibraltar had been cancelled for that evening due to inclement wind conditions. I sent a desperate response but was not optimistic.  Maybe it was just as well as orcas have attacked more than 20 boats in the strait in the last 2 months! The clouds shrouded the Rock of Gibraltar, but we were able to see Morocco across the strait. Coming into the harbor we were clearly entering an Arabic city as we scanned the skyline. When we met our guide and group to board a bus we learned that we would be taking a 6:00 ferry back to Tarifa. Our reservation had said we would arrive back in Tarifa at 5:00 hence our 6:00 private whale watching trip.  In hindsight the windy conditions saved us $900 which I’m sure would not have been refunded (Somehow I’m still struggling to get the money back due to some wiring issues)."

"A local guide gave us a bit of history and perspective but it was hard to follow in our large group and he was repeating everything in 3 languages. Tangiers has been home to a diverse international community for hundreds of years and played an important role during several wars. Our guide led us into the Souk or market area and then sent us on our way with instructions to meet up again in 4 hours. Or we could keep following him around. We took a deep breath and wandered off as a family. We ended up down at the port in front of the Hotel Continental which has witnessed much drama over the last couple of centuries. We explored the public areas of the hotel then walked around the old fort walls and ramparts. The white-washed walls were picturesque but didn’t help you get oriented when so many buildings appeared the same."

Hotel Continental

In side the hotel

"We picked a fancy hotel restaurant for an authentic Moroccan lunch and ordered numerous dishes to share—the ingredients and combinations were a bit outside of our comfort zones but the food was a hit and everyone was filled and contented." 

Everyone enjoyed a chance to sit down out of the sun and out of the crush of people.  The free internet didn't hurt either.

While walking around we had seen stacks of unique breads so we asked our waiter if we could have some bread.  He said, "You no worry about bread in Morocco."  That is my kind of place.

Our bread plate came with olives, butter and toothpicks.  No one but Kate and I ate the olives but Emmy made use of the toothpicks by using them to spread butter on her bread - making things work without a knife.

The kids were really skeptical about this menu but in the end I think this was one of their favorite meals from the entire trip.  This entree below was the hands down favorite.  Some sort of chicken wrapped in phyllo, toped with honey and almonds.  Most dishes had raisins but the kids still gave it a thumbs up.

After our fill of the yummy meal we got to wander the hotel before exited into the wild streets again.

Such a cool place.

"From the hotel roof we enjoyed a panoramic view of the harbor and old city."

"To the kids delight, cats were a common sight throughout the city. In one park there were dozens of kittens but on closer inspection they might not all have been breathing. The kids gained a new perspective on a new corner of the map and different culture but we were all ready to head back at the appointed hour. "

This place was dubbed Kitten Park.  The kids loved all the cats but they gave me the heeby jeebies.  I can't count how many times I said, "Do not touch that cat."

While walking Mack narrowly dodged a rapid fire bird poop brigade.  We heard the sound and looked back in time to see how close he had come to trouble.

Emmy playing model in front of the beautiful door ways.

Natali was feeling this sign.

After our lunch we wandered around and decided to try some little treats and here we ran into a problem. No one accepted credit cards, not street vendors, or nice shops.  They only accepted cash and we didn't have any.  We were just killing time at this point so we stepped into some restaurants thinking we could get out of the sun and eat some dessert - they didn't accept cards either.  Somehow we found the only place in Tangier that took credit cards on our first try for lunch - what luck.  

At this point we just found a place in the square to watch people and rest our tired feet.  Mack was appalled by all the knock of products being sold - Nike, Birkenstock, Croc, and all the soccer gear.  I was grateful the girls didn't have any money.

More cats 😧

By the time the group all gathered we were well past ready to leave Morocco.  It was interesting and I was glad to let the kids experience a place so unlike anywhere they had been before.  The crowded, narrow, old streets full of people trying to sell you stuff, carcasses hanging in door ways, unique spicy smells, and cats everywhere reminded me of the Middle East but it was all eye opening for the kids.  

"The wind had picked up significantly on the return trip and my eyes were dry and face chapped by the time we reached Spain. Our effort to stay outside was rewarded was Emily, Andrew and I saw a couple dozen dolphins. With the ferry’s pace the dolphins speed, and the height of the boat it wasn’t easy to distinguish which of the 3 species we were seeing but I snapped pictures and got feedback later from iNaturalist that we saw Striped and Common Dolphins. The dolphins made Emily’s day." 

Sadly the wind was a bit much for me and I went inside and missed the dolphins but Emily saw them - that is all that mattered to me.

On our walk back to the car we stopped for dinner at an open air Italian place.  Somehow in the confusion of trying to be moderate in how much we ordered Lily didn't get to order at all (we were planning to have her share a pizza with someone else).  The waiter noticed and brought her a special breadstick.  After Greg finished eating he walked to the van while the rest of us finished up.  After he left a street singer began singing a variety of songs outside the restaurant.  His English was good and we were enjoying the familiar tunes - "Another One Bites the Dust".  We were also greeted by a random poet walking around giving out one page samples of his love poems - it was weird but got even weirder when he came back later asking for money if we wanted to keep the poem.  We gave them back, met up with dad, and made the trek back to our hotel.