Road to Morocco or Tetouan via Ceuta to be precise

On our recent Spanish trip we decided to visit Morocco for a day. Having been advised by a friend against the Tangier trip we decided to try something called " Moroccan Phantasy' which was a visit to Tetouan and a Berber Souk market, then have lunch in an old palace turned into a restaurant in the main centre of the Medina. We had another early (6:15am) start and we did not get back until after 11pm (the ferry was very delayed for no apparent reason).

The ferry journey over to Morocco was quite rough and some people were sea sick (including our guide), luckily we managed to keep our breakfast down. When we arrived at the port of Ceuta we were rather concerned at having to give up our passports to be retained in the border control office until our return. Imagine getting lost and having no identification. Some American passengers intended to consult their embassy when they got back to Spain which I think was a sensible precaution.


The coach then followed the coastal route towards Tetouan. There was a brief stop to see camels very much for tourists but fun seeing some people have a 30 second ride. Then it was a quick detour to a village where they were holding a small market. The guide told us that country folk brought vegetables to sell and then they went into the town to buy consumables. The vegetables did not look particularly fresh and other stalls were selling old electrical goods, clothes and lots of old shoes and trainers. The goods are transported by donkey and it seemed to be the women doing the work. We were marched around the village so quickly there was no time to stop and take photos and my few attempts to get a quick shot are not good enough to publish.


Arriving in Tetoun we first visited the newer part where we were shown Hassan 11 Square.
Bab er-Rouah is the name of the main gate to the Royal Palace in the Hassan II square. It's a huge and impressive gate. No entry to the public, the gate is guarded by royal guards day and night.

The palace is close to the new parts of Tetouan and is a big contrast to the Medina. The medina was dirty, neglected and stinks in some places, as there were piles of rotting rubbish lying around and hygiene seemed a bit lacking. There were scraggy looking chickens in cages (bird flu) came to mind so I'm quite glad I didn't see this until after I had eaten, as chicken was on the menu. Vegetables were spread on dirty bits of cloth next to rubbish and children were playing close by. It was easy to see how one could get lost in the maze of allyways, although we felt the guides were actually taking us the long route just to confuse. I would not want to be finding my way around in the dark.
Entrances to the Medina.


One of the guides was rushing around taking photos of our coach party to sell at the end of the day. I bought a couple of them and this one shows me striding out followed by Anna.
The men are called to prayer. This building was a big contrast to some of the others as it was well cared for.




We visited a pharmacie where we had the opportunity to buy spices, musk, tea and other remedies. I won't go into details but this is where I got fleeced which made me mad as I am usually so careful. All I will say is they are very clever. Having said that some cream and oil I bought for my psoriasis is helping my skin.



We also visited a carpet shop which has some beautiful carpets, kaftans, leather and pottery but I did not get tempted to haggle for anything. My friend Tina did come away with a kaftan which we got at a reasonable price.

The best part of the lunch was what the waiter described as a Moroccan Pizza and it was delicious and fairly sweet, not sure of all the ingredients (probably better not to know as it had some chicken)

There was some entertainment put on. I could not get a clear picture of the belly dancer but this guy was quite a contortionist.

There was also some traditional music played.


We arrived back at our appartment, at the end of a very long day feeling very tired. Nevertheless it was an experience we all agreed we would not have missed. We saw a very different way of life and it certainly made us appreciate all the things we take for granted like clean running water, clean shops and regular employment.