#Place Michouar

[greenbagjosh]

30 May 2002 - day visit to Tetuan and Tangier, Morocco - two hour time change - tea, tadjines and carpets

Buenos Dias!  Sabah alkhayri! (صباح الخير!)  صباح الخير!

Today would be 20 years since we went from Ceuta to Tetuan, Tangier and back through Fniedq in Morocco.  It was an interesting bus ride and the journey reminded me of times in the 1970s that I went to Morocco.

We woke up about 7 or 7:30 AM and went down for breakfast about 8:30 AM.  Unlike the breakfasts in Sevilla, the ones at the hotel in Ceuta were included as was dinner.  There must have been at least ten choices of sliced meats, some including actual pork, fresh fruit, bread rolls, cheese and even cereal including "~Nampa Zampa" - Spain's answer to Kellogg's Cocoa Puffs, which we somehow called "Nampy Wampy".  We enjoyed the hotel breakfast and by 9:30 AM we were ready to board the tour bus to Tetuan.  All of us had our passports ready.  The bus arrived and it was early, the rest of the tour group had not yet arrived.  The bus had a driver who was a resident of Ceuta, and the tour guide spoke Spanish, Arabic and also English.  We drove to the east part of Ceuta, on Avenida Martinez Cadena, past the Torreon de San Jeronimo, then on the loop of Monte Hacho and past the Punta Almina lighthouse, Isla de Santa Catalina, Parque de San Amaro, past the Maritime Park of the Mediterranean Sea, and the Ceuta ferry port, where the rest of the group would join the bus.  The group came from Algeciras and most of them spoke Spanish.  I think my family was the only part that spoke mainly English.  

All the people from the ferry that joined the bus in Ceuta, had their passports with them.  The bus drove to route N-352 and followed along to the customs at Beb Sebta, first it was inspected by the Spanish Guardia Civil before going through the border.  The tour guide told everyone that photography and videotaping of the border crossing was prohibited, and until we passed Fniedq in Morocco, no photography would be allowed.  The crossing took about fifteen minutes.  I had my Aiwa HS-JS 479 radio with me, and could record off the AM and FM frequencies, though the sound levels were not very strong as they are in Europe and the USA.

Somehow after we crossed from Ceuta into Morocco, we entered a GMT time zone, where instead of being two hours ahead of GMT, we were exactly at GMT, as Morocco had not started its daylight saving time for the year.  Years later when I visited in 2017, Morocco was using daylight saving time and the time change was only one hour from Ceuta.  At the border crossing, our passports were taken in a large plastic bag, and were held in the border crossing office.  Along the way, the bus stopped at Fniedq to make a drop off.  No one except the bus driver and tour guide had any idea what was in the bag, but it was not our passports.  

The bus drove mostly along the east coast following N-16.  We passed by the statue of Aladdin.  It was at a resort close to M'diq.  Road signs were in Arabic and French.  The stop signs were in Arabic.  The bus stopped at Bab al Okla, where the big gate to the pedestrian zone was located.  Everyone exited the bus except the driver.  For the next two hours, we would walk through the old part of Tetuan.  Most of the buildings had stores selling vegetables, meats, grains, spices, paint powder, plastic products, fabric, even clothing.  Some of the streets were narrow.  The tour guide told us to not wander away since the streets can be confusing to navigate.  Later on we would be approached by locals trying to sell their products, speaking to the tour group members in Spanish and English, and the tour guide told them in Arabic to leave us alone.  

We had seen much of the Christian and Jewish quarters of Tetuan when we were led to Michouar Square.  That was the location of the Royal Palace, which had many Moroccan flags hanging.  Another building had a metalwork that was made into the coat of arms of Morocco.   We were led farther to a shopping complex, where we were separated according to English and Spanish speakers.  We were led to a carpet sales room.  One person was telling us about each carpet, and the other handled the carpets, rolling them out onto the floor.  If we wanted to buy a carpet, we had to say "Waha".  To say no, we had to say "lah" ( لا ).  I think we went through fifty carpets, and we did not see one single carpet that we wanted to buy.  My second visit to Morocco, in August 2017, I bought a rug and a few tablecloths.  If you bought a carpet at the shopping center, they would include the shipping price as well as the cost of tarpaulin.  Shipping time would be within a month or so as it would be sent to the USA by ship.  

We finished our shopping but had to go downstairs to another shop where they were selling clothing and tadjines.  Tadjines were conical earthware pots that consisted of a plate and a cone which was meant to steam couscous and whatever else would be served with it.  We would get our own tadjine later on.  After shopping, everyone was led to a restaurant with large group tables.  I think it was about 12:30 PM GMT+0.  Our lunch was chicken couscous with seasonal vegetables.  It tasted excellent.  We also were offered mint tea, and could additionally buy 7Up at additional cost.  

After lunch, we were led to Bab al Okla where the bus was waiting.  The bus would drive to Tangier.  The bus drove out of Tetuan by the N-13 to the western branch of the N-12.  Most of the time the N-2 was two-lane and the speed limit was 50 mph or 80 km/h.  The A-4 and A-6 had not been built yet.  We drove as far as the N-2 would go.  The bus drove past the Grand Socco and dropped us off somewhere along Rue d'Italie.  Then the tour guide led us into the Medina.  The streets were wider than those in Tetuan.  There were more sellers that came up to the tour group and the tour guide had to tell them to go away.  We were led to a place that sold Moroccan clothing, tadjines and other typical Moroccan souvenirs.  I was able to buy postcards and send them.  Everyone had finished about 5 PM before we had to go back.    

The bus back was parked just off Avenue Mohammed VI.  We boarded the bus back.  It drove mainly on the N-2 to N-13 and N-16.  About 6 PM the bus had stopped for one last opportunity to buy a tadjine.  My father had picked one and I think paid $250 for it.  The bus was at the border with Ceuta about 6:15 PM.  We crossed into Ceuta about 8:30 PM which was 6:30 PM GMT+0.  The bus dropped off the ferry passengers and then went back to the hotel to drop us off.  We were pretty much almost worn out, so we went to our rooms and rested a little bit.  I was ready for some more Cruzcampo.

At 9:15 PM we went down to the restaurant to have some drinks before supper.  It came with the usual gazpacho and set price menu.  I ordered the “tocino de cielo” which is similar to flan but made with egg yolks and the byproducts of sherry production and is available only in southern Spain as well as Ceuta.  It was really good.  We did not do much that night.  

The next day we would return to Europe and spend just one night in Gibraltar.  Although Gibraltar belongs to the United Kingdom, it is not as one would expect, in spite of its apparent similarities to England.  I hope you will join me then.

Buenas noches!  Tab masawuk! (طاب مساؤك!)