Beautiful Morocco

I can’t say “the best day” again because it’s getting embarrassing but today really, really was a special day. Especially because we almost didn’t do it. I had read some Moroccan articles with warnings of …too chaotic, too easy to get lost, too many harassers in the market etc etc. Morocco felt a little bit out of my comfort zone. But I also know, as we get older sometimes it’s good to step a wee bit out of that zone. Not enough to be foolhardy – we did the necessary homework. So glad we did.

Tangiers is a beautiful city, surrounded by beauty. With the guidance of the best tour guide ever – Majid – we left the hotel early this morning and toured – not touristy but real Tangiers- of course we saw the port and the Kasbah and the beautiful parks but we also saw a school and visited a mosque- we couldn’t go in but we walked around and learned much about the faith. We walked on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea and of the Atlantic Ocean. We visited a bakery where women bring the bread they have made at home to be baked. We bought and ate oranges and pastries and stopped for sweet mint tea when we got tired. We rode camels on a beach (more to show our grandkids, than for the desire to ride a camel) but it was fun. We wondered down tiny streets where people lived and learned about ‘the hand of Fatima’ and we saw homes with mezuzahs on the door and learned the meaning. We heard the call of prayer three times (so far today) and saw the Hammams where the Muslim people go to bathe and ensure cleanliness for prayer. We learned about Ramadan and fasting. We saw hundreds of cats wandering the streets and sleeping on the sidewalks. They are feral but the people care for them and feed them. We saw a lady put out a box for a momma cat to keep her babies and people stop with food. We saw Mosques, Cathedrals, Synagogues and Churches and people respecting others rights to worship as they wish. We were hugged many times and were made to feel so welcome here. Yes, there are people trying to sell – trying to put food on the table for their family, but if we said La Shakrun (no thank you) – they smiled and backed away. We were never harassed.

Just before we came home we went to visit a pharmacy, naturopath, lab?? I’m not sure what you would call it – a shop in the Medina owned by a very knowledgeable man about herbs and oils and the Argan oil that is so famous here. I wanted him to look at my skin – I have a few psoriasis lesions on my hands and ankles and see what he had to say. He mixed me up a concoction of nigella oil and herbs and told me to stop using steroids immediately and use this. I bought it for 2400 Dirham which is about 24 dollars and we will see. Whether it works or not, the experience was great.

I’m not a shopper but if I didn’t have a full backpack, this is where I would have shopped. There are beautiful ceramics, leather slippers and gorgeous caftans and scarves. It’s probably good that I knew going in – no buying – because it would have been hard to stop. In summary. I love Tangiers- even with the chaos and the hustlers!!