When in Morocco...

After the camel rides, we stopped by the Cave of Hercules that has an opening in the shape of the continent of Africa, which was supposedly carved before maps. Then it was time to get out of the van and start walking through the Kasbah, the residential district in the old city center. Here we had a few prearranged stops with some dancers (sorry, no belly dancers on this visit) and a snake charmer (who wasn’t very charming). The viper made a very quick appearance, then the kids each got to pose with a snake around their neck. Sally was especially excited as she’d never touched a snake before.

The Kasbah...

We thought that the Kasbah was the shopping area, but our tour guide said that the old residential area is actually the Kasbah. The alleys were very narrow and we were glad to have a guide along to navigate. While he said that some areas have no power or running water, it was clear that others had electricity based on the high number of satellite dishes.

Time for the Camel Rides...

No tour of Tangier is complete without a camel ride. The kids sure were surprised. The girls were especially excited when they learned they got to ride the mother of the 4-month-old, who happily tagged along.
James and I had to wait for the next round, which gave us plenty of time to take photos and shoot some video. We were especially happy not to have to wait for a bus load full of tourists to each take their turn.

The Tricky Part...

No doubt, the trickiest part of riding on a camel is the mount and dismount. When they bend their knees, you’re really thrown forward so far that you think you’re going to fall off just before you’re jerked back upright.
It’s definitely not the most comfortable way to ride (or ladylike when wearing a skirt), but it was fun.

Hugs and Kisses...

Africa--Here We Come...

Since there was eight of us, it made sense to book a private tour to Tangier, Morocco rather than be part of a big bus tour. We met the tour organizer Said at the ferry from Tarifa, Spain (which just happens to be the most southern point of continental Europe) to Tangier, Morocco. In just 45 minutes, we were stepping off the windblown ferry and stepping on African soil for the first time.
One of Said’s “brothers” was our tour guide for the day. For the first part of the day we were driven around in a very nice mini-bus. We drove past the area called California and to the coast for several view stops, which were lovely.

A Lovely Day in a Lovely Town...

Although none of us have any desire to ever watch a bullfight, we were happy that Ronda’s bullring is open for visitors when there’s no event. It was built in 1785 as Spain’s first purpose-built bullring. While Sally and I wandered through the museum, the kids filmed another scene for their movie. We ate dinner back at the house, then jumped a fence onto the golf course to play light-up Frisbee in a space between the greens--the kid’s Ultimate Frisbee coach would have been proud.