Trip to Morocco Part Five

 Redouan and his Mother

Tangiers Bay from Near the Medina

The Center of the Tangiers Medina

Part Four:  Tetouan-Tangiers-Home

Our two-week stay came to a delightful conclusion.

Sunday early afternoon, we went to enjoy a spectacular meal--Berger-style salad; beef couscous; a large fish; watermelon--at Redouan's mother's house.  

The walled  house (upper right) is beautiful, a former German embassy Redouan's father eventually purchased for the large--twelve children--family.  

Redouan gifted me with traditional Berber

clothing I look forward to wearing.  Redouan's wife (on right) also gave Linda a beautiful Berber dress.  And prepared delightful mind tea and pastries when we visited the house after our more-than-filling meal with Redouan's mother.

Linda and I are most appreciative of all the acts of kindness and generosity shown us during our two weeks.  We feel wonderfully in debt especially to Redouan.

That late afternoon, Hashim drove us to Tangiers.  Telling the

receptionists at the elegant Hotel Husa Solazur on the Tangiers Bay that he was our bodyguard, Hashim arranged for our two-night stay.  Consequently, our entering and departing elicited lots of whispering and pointing, a fun way to conclude our stay.  Redouan called to remind us that one of Muammar Gaddafi's sons had owned the place.

And the hotel provided excellent views of the harbor--and one can see Gibraltar looming in the distance, the British enclave that ferries from Tangiers visit numerous times a day.

We spent the day before we left (Tuesday) walking to and back from Tangiers famous Medina.  The souk for the fish, as always, impressed me.  

The area is huge and rather a goat trail--

prepare to walk up and down impressive flights of stairs, especially if you manage to get lost, which we did, on the way to the Medina.  

On our return trip next spring, we will spend more time in Tangiers, to be sure.

Over the course of the two weeks, Linda and I came to love the country and the people and look forward to sharing Tetouan and other places in this remarkable country with others, including students.