Tangier Deux

Night, Tangier

When night falls, Tangier comes alive. Don't misunderstand. While the city vibrates like a live wire during the daytime, night brings everyone into the streets. Maybe the cramped apartments become too claustrophobic, or maybe the old Moroccan matriarchs just want a bit of peace. Whatever the reason, the nightime streets of Tangier become positively electric. It is time to walk, to find a cafe' table, to sip tea, eat, watch the night-world unfold. 

The cafes are primarily the province of men. Some cafes look as if they have never been graced with a woman's presence. Perhaps the Moroccan men feel that the sacred cafe would be profaned. As it is in Southern India, so it is here. Most of the folks one deals with are men. Store clerks, waiters, cooks, and market stall owners; in this Musilm country, they are men. There are exceptions of course, just as there are modern women who eschew the headscarf or veil. Still, a traveler will notice quickly that this is, at least in public, a male society.

The best dinner crew in Tangier

Find a tiny shoebox of a restaurant, check out the fresh fish in the display case, and belly up to a wee table. The waiter will throw down two big sheets of rough, white paper. The menu is in Arabic, so try your best Spanish or French. One of the two will probably work. Spanish is the second language here in northern Morocco.

Baguettes will appear. If the friendly cooks offer you Harira, jump at it. A staple soup of this region, Harira is a thick chicken and tomato based soup, hearty and delicious. There will be chickpeas in the bottom, egg white floating in the spices, lots of herbs. Tear that baguette apart and start dunking.

A plate of paella and a plate of grilled sardines will make a nice second course. Eat what you want, make a big mess, it does not matter. The paper will catch all the bread crumbs and fish bones. The same paper, torn into squares, serves as a napkin. The total cost for this feast? Forty-five dirhams. That comes to about $5.50 in US dollars, dinner for two. 

Night, Pool, Tangier

It is hard to peel oneself off of the streets, but a good traveler has to sleep sometime. The end of the night was spent sitting on the terrace with Te' Normale (strong, sweet tea with gobs of mint leaves) and a good cigar. Many folks take the ferry to Tangier, spend one night, and journey on to one of the more well-known tourist destinations. Fez, Rabat, Casablanca, these all lie to the south. Grimy, electric, noisy Tangier is passed by. The poor sods don't know what they are missing.

Modern Tangier, Waterfront

Stand in just the right spot on the beachfront promenade, and one can see the distinctive outline of Gibralter. From a distance, the modern skyline along the water shines white. At closer range, the age of the city becomes visible. There are empty facade between modern buildings, cracked stairways leading to twisting streets. But Tangier is getting a facelift. There is the new Tangier Port Med, ready to receive ferries and cargo ships. The shiny new city marina is just about to open. The kilometers-long promenade has gotten a facelift. Walk up the hill, however, behind the wall of white hotels, and the city changes quickly.

Jewish Cemetery, Outside the Kasbah

Above the ferry harbor, close onto the walls of the Kasbah, lies the old Jewish cemetery. Push open the gate and enter a different world. The admission is free, but the Moroccan woman who tends the place will hit you up for a few dirham. It is worth it. Historic Tangier had a large Jewish community. The tightly packed graves attest to that history. 

This is special place, a lonely place, and one that is seldom visited. It is just off the eastern entrance to the Kasbah, opposite the stone stairs. It is easily missed, but well worth the effort to find.

Spanish and Hebrew tell us of the dead.

The east entrance to the Kasbah. Dating from the 1500's, the Kasbah defies maps. This is where you get lost, immerse yourself in the state of being lost. Wander, follow whichever passageway looks best, and mind your head. There are archways that are lower than you are tall. 

From the east gate, one will find the American Legation Museum. The Sultanate of Tangier was the first foreign power to recognize the revolutionary United States of America. By the early 1800's, this building was the American presence in Tangier. While it is an interesting museum, it is also a rare chance to gain access to hidden interior courtyards of the Kasbah.

The American Legation Museum

Looking down on one of the Kasbah passageways, a rare view.

I love Tangier, but let me paint a realistic picture. This is not going to be everyones favorite city. Tangier is many things. It is gritty, sometimes dirty, and noisy. Tangier is crowded with folks on foot. The sidewalks, lanes, and passageways are teaming with people getting on with their daily lives. Pushcarts, Tuk-Tuks, and scooters will squeeze up impossibly narrow lanes. A traveler in Tangier will get in touch with his or her olfactory senses, as wonderful and not-so-wonderful aromas mix and mingle. Communication is accomplished with an ever-changing patois of Moroccan Arabic, Berber, Spanish, and French. Traffic in Tangier is a disaster, but drivers on an incredibly busy street will routinely stop for pedestrians. There are beggars here. Remember that a generous hand is well-thought of in Islam. School kids will call "Hola!" They are hoping for a reply, and smiling. Throw a sing-song "Hola" back at them and they will giggle. Food, color, noise, light, crumbling stone, polished tile, honking horns, lonely passageways, sea-side promenades, all of this is Tangier. 

Orderly, Tangier is not. Fascinating, yes. Beware, this is a place that will suck you in and ruin your itinerary. Go with it, there are serious rewards. We bought ourselves another day here. There is simply too much walking to do, too much exploring, and too many great cafes from which to watch the world go by.

From one of my new favorite cities, remember to travel well and often. I wil have one more view of Tangier because it deserves one more post. Until then, "Ciao for Now!"