Journaling:

It was exciting to look out from the ship Wednesday morning and realize we were off the coast of Africa! We had an early excursion: we would explore the medina and visit some of the markets, then learn how to make tagine at the Blue Door cooking school. We were given into the care of our guide, who's name was hard to remember, so he told us to call him Ali Baba. We loaded up in a van for a quick tour of the coastal area of Tangier, then we were dropped off at the top of the medina, saving us the effort of walking uphill.

Ali taught us the Arabian word "Yela!" which means "Let's go!" and we heard it often. We walked through a large arch, part of the old fortress walls, and entered a magical world of narrow streets, hidden plazas, colorful flowers, and arches. There is a small mosque in every neighborhood in the medina; the ones we saw were colorful and well-kept. Many walls were decorated with beautiful tiles or painted designs.

At a high point overlooking the ocean, you pass through the casbah wall and look across to Gibraltar. On a clear day you can see Europe, 14 miles away, but we had a hazy view.

The medina is a combination of homes and shops. Some of the merchants were sewing beautiful dresses, epecially prized for weddings. Others were selling meats and vegetables, baked goods, and all sorts of items for the home, not to mention a plethora of souvenirs. Farmers from outside the city set up on cloths laid along the streets to sell their produce.