After Granada, we drove to Algeciras - an ugly Spanish port town near the Strait of Gibralter - and then took a ferry to Tangiers, Morocco.
Our first night ever in Morocco. We ate street food (some sort of kebab-type sandwich with minced lamb) and drank mint tea.
Tangiers was like no other city we had ever seen. I can best describe Tangiers as similar to the Star Wars town of Mos Eisley (which Obi-Wan Kenobi described as a "wretched hive of scum and villainy"). Okay, it wasn't that bad, it was just crazy. We were there less than 12 hours and saw at least 3 fights.
Our hotel in Tangiers was a living museum.
We then took a train from Tangiers to Fez.
Fez is described as a living example of what the Middle Ages were like. If that is true, then I would never want to live in the Middle Ages. Walking through the Medina (Old Town) of Fez was an amazing experience by itself. It was full of narrow alleys, colorful bazaars, and other hidden treasures. Every few minutes you had to jump out of the way of a donkey pulling a cart of goods. This could have been one of our favorite cities ever.
Unfortunately, the people of Fez constantly harassed us, lied to us, and stalked us (waiting for us to get lost so that they could demand some money from us). We didn't even feel that we could trust the people in our hotel. It was too bad that this ruined part of the experience for us. We did meet some nice people, particularly in some out-of-the-way mom-and-pop restaurants that we used to escape the mobs of the city.
View from our Riad (a Moroccan guesthouse) in Fez
The Gate to the Fez Medina
The tannery - you can smell it from half a mile away
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