Like Webster''s Dictionary ........

  ...we're Morocco bound.  We decided to make a little diversion from Spain ....to Africa!

We took our first visitor back to the airport on Saturday morning and made the most of the enforced early start by getting on the road further south.  We saw the sunrise over the harbour in the expat haven of Duquesa and took advantage of a full English breakfast! Then we pressed on to Vejer de la Frontera but not without a stop on the beautiful and almost deserted Atlantic beach along the way.

Vejer is a an extra special white town, high above the River Barbate, designated as a Historical Artistic Monument of Natonal Importance no less   ....   and well worth the visit.

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Then down to Tarifa for the night in the best 1 star hotel I've ever seen. Famous for its fortress and its fish we sampled the local variations on tuna. Then another early start for the ferry over to Tangier in just 45 minutes.

What a culture shock!  Spain has already become familiar and 'home'.  We have been to Morocco before and loved Marrakech and Essaouira but Tangier was just crazy. Although our riad style hotel in the medina was charming and cheap as chips.

We liked to think we we were experienced enough travellers to make our own way around the kasbah but we should have known better.

 Having gone round in circles and seen the same kids playing 3 times we gave in and took up one of the many persistent offers of an unofficial guide, a local young student named Mohammed of course, who spoke 5 languages and really knew his stuff about his home town.

We also explored the newer side of the city where the King has decreed that a huge investment will be made in developing the marina.  Something along similar lines to Malaga we suppose, will transform the town and bring much needed employment.   But for now the whole long seafront is a building site.

By this time, in search of refreshment, we reached the main plaza back in the old town. We made the mistake of hesitating, which was the cue for waiters from at least 3 different kerbside cafes to descend and try and persuade us onto their precariously perched plastic chairs.  Ideal for people watching & enjoying not being part of the traffic chaos.

One promised coffee & cake rather than the inevitable cous cous or tagine. We waited.  Coffee was delivered, clearly from a take away somewhere else in the souk. We waited. Cake was described and discussed in 4 languages and drawn in the air. Finally it came..... a chicken mince puff pastry tart.... dusted with icing sugar.  Oh well you can't win them all!