Spain 2012: Tarifa

After our whirlwind day trip to Morocco we relaxed for the evening back in Spain in Tarifa. There aren't a lot of sights in Tarifa besides a cathedral and the remainder of the old walls and fort, but that was fine by us.  

St. Matthew's

The ceiling in the church

An interesting tidbit from Rick Steves:  

A visit to St. Matthew, the town's main church, offers a glimpse into Tarifa's history. A tiny square of an ancient Christian tombstone embedded in one of the church walls (dated March 30, 674) proves there was a functioning church here during Visigothic times, before the Moorish conquest. Some years later came the church's "door of pardons," dating back to the late 15th century, when Tarifa was on the edge of the Reconquista. During the period when the Spain's Catholic Kings were driving the Moors back to Africa, Tarifa was a dangerous place. To encourage people to live here, the Church offered a huge amount of forgiveness to anyone who stuck it out for a year. One year and one day after moving to Tarifa, they would have the privilege of passing through this special "door of pardons," and a Mass of thanksgiving would be held in that person's honor.

We finally settled in for a dinner of marinated dogfish (much better than it sounds!) and paella

The next morning we strolled through the streets and local markets, snuck into the old fort, and watched a few ships squeeze between Europe and Africa before heading to the beach and the bus station (for Seville!). 

{That's Africa!}

{We were pressed for time so that we didn't miss our bus, but dad insisted on sticking his hand in the water}

Next stop: Seville!

Spain 2012: DETOUR--Tangier, Morocco

When I was planning my parents' trip to Spain I joked in front of my dad that I was thinking of taking them to Morocco for the day. I said it, like many things I say to him, to get a reaction. To my surprise all he said was, That might be ok. 

So there we had it! A trip to Tangier was added to the itinerary. We spent the evening before and after in Tarifa, Spain and took a fast ferry over to Morocco. It's a pretty easy deal, honestly. In an hour you have changed language, religion, currency and continent. The shock wasn't as jarring as when I first went to Moroccow--getting off a plane from Madrid to Casa Blanca--but it was still a fun change. 

I got to dig up a few words I still remembered in French and Arabic, eat a tagine, and got my dad to ride a camel. I'd call that a win. 

{A look at the North African coast}

{Foggy hillsides}

{The lighthouse marking the spot on the coast where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean meet}

{And what's a trip to Morocco without a camel ride?}

{Caves of Hercules--The opening of the cave is in the shape of Africa!} 

{One of the old gates to the city}

{The neighborhood's communal oven}

{At another one of the old gates}

{Mosque}

{Port}

By late afternoon we made our way back to the port. We got a couple stamps in our passports, got back on the ferry, and headed back to Europe.