The drive from Gibraltar to Tarifa is about 41 kilometers, which should take about 40 minutes. Unfortunately, as we left Gibraltar and the Spanish town of La Linea, it got dark, and started to rain. Plus, the road goes right up a mountain and is full of double s curves. As you can imagine, the drive was a bit tense. Plus, we were hungry and there are no restaurants once you get on the highway. We made it to Tarifa about 7pm, only to discover our hotel was seven miles back the way we came. Ugh.
So we turned around, drove partially back up the mountain in heavy fog, and finally found our hotel. We walked in the door and immediately saw a sign that the restaurant was closed. Now we are tired and grumpy and just want to get to our room. We hope it’s clean.
Ya’ll, this place is a true hidden jewel! Meson de Sancho is a boutique hotel that gives the feel of an elegant hacienda. The people were wonderfully friendly, and we were relieved to learn they have a private dining room for hotel guests with a full menu and dinner was just beginning. Wow!
We stowed our bags, in a beautifully appointed room complete with a private balcony overlooking a river, and hurried out to the dining room, where we had a wonderful meal and lovely wine.
After dinner, we spent a relaxing hour on the balcony before turning in for our trip to Tangiers the next day.
We left early the next morning to arrive at the Tarifa ferry dock in time for our 9 am ferry to Tangiers. Adjacent to the ferry terminal is a castle. It was too early to tour it, but we did learn that the castle, known as Torre de Guzman El Bueno, was built by the Moors in 960 and has played a significant role in defending Spain over the centuries.
As we queued up to board the ferry, we went through a passport check, then a bag scanner, then another passport check as we were getting on the vessel.
After boarding, we then had to stand in line for a big part of the hour-long journey for yet another passport check, this one by the Moroccan customs agents who have an office on the ferry.
We finally docked, exited the ferry and stopped at the conveniently-located money exchange kiosk in the ferry terminal to exchange some euros for dirhams. Then we were off.
Something to know about landing in Tangiers, there are A LOT of locals milling around trying to get you to hire them to tour you around. And they don’t take no for an answer. They follow you and try to scare you into giving them money. We ran the gauntlet and finally got away from the terminal, without a guide.
Our goal was the Medina, which is a maze of homes, markets, shops, and restaurants in the heart of the city. We started up a very steep street, dodged more “tour guides”, wandered around through the downtown area, past an enormous mosque, and finally saw the keyhole opening in the ancient Portuguese wall that surrounds the medina.
Ready to shop, we headed in. It’s hard to describe the sights and smells – the predominant being spices. So many spices, which the shopkeepers grind for you while you wait.
We made the mistake of wandering too far into the food market and were rewarded with the sight of large slabs of meat, dead chickens, and things we preferred not to think about too much. Since all these offerings were unrefrigerated and covered with flies, we opted for vegetarian fare for lunch!
While the sights and people were fascinating, there were definitely parts of the trip that were saddening.
One of those was the sad fact that we literally watched people stepping over dead dogs on the sidewalk. I am not sure why they were just left there, but it was disturbing to say the least.
I think the most heartbreaking part of the trip was the evidence of extreme poverty. The city is bustling, yet there is a pall of poverty that covers the entire place like fog. The people depend on tourism to make a living, yet it is obvious that those dollars are not enough to support the well-being of the population. For instance, when we finished our lunch, a young man who was hovering nearby asked if he could finish our leftovers. Of course, we said yes, but I can’t imagine how hard it would be to ask strangers for their table scraps.
In addition to the beggars, there are also people who try to lead you to their nonexistent “store” somewhere deep in the mazes of alleys in an attempt to rob you. You truly have to be aware at all times when visiting the area.
I don’t want to sound like Tangiers is all bad. It is definitely worth a visit. We met some interesting and talented artists who run a co-op, saw beautiful scenery, and scored some great fresh spices, beautiful silver pieces, and other fun souvenirs.
Back in Tarifa, we hopped in the car and started our journey back to Malaga, this time taking the scenic route that runs along the sea. It was a beautiful drive and we made it back to our hotel around 8 pm, just in time to catch an early (by Spain standards) dinner reservation.
After dinner we wandered back to the beach to sink our toes in the Mediterranean sand once more before we headed out the next morning.