We finally made it to Morocco! We took a very small gap in the wind to make the crossing over from Gibraltar. Consequently, it was a short but rough crossing, with 25-32 knots wind over tide. The Straights are extremely busy with cargo ships and we were outside there is no Traffic Separation Scheme so the ships could, and did, go in any direction. We were that last boat allowed into Smir before they closed the harbour again for the next blow which was already on its way.
We met up with our contact here who is lovely, extremely generous with her time and good company. She has taken us on two tourist days visiting Chefchaouen and Tangier. Both have been amazing.
Chefchaouen is called the Blue City and is way up in the mountains. The drive there was stunning with the cloud over the mountain tops which are high enough to have snow at times. We ate a traditional Tagine lunch right next to a river and watched the small waterfalls whilst we ate. The city itself is a network of small cobbled alleyways and every house is painted blue. It is a remarkable thing to see. You think that it will just be one small area of the town that's blue, but no, every house on the ground floor is painted blue. No idea why it's this way but they have created something very special.
Tangier is a much bigger city than I had imagined. We had a traditional lunch in the old town. The food was amazing and just keep coming. We had no idea that it was four courses and consequently tucked into the starters and second course with far too much gusto. When a plate full of three whole grilled fish arrived after that we had to admit defeat and have it wrapped to bring home. This didn't stop me munching my way through the desert, however. We walked our lunch off through the allies of the old medina and made our way up to the Kasbah, taking in a museum on the way. Then back to the car to go to the Caves of Hercules. These were nice but nothing on St Michael's cave in Gibraltar, which have totally spoilt me for caves for ever more.
We returned to Tangier to visit friends on Wednesday. However, the other tourist outings I had planned, like Marrakesh, Fez and Rabat, will have to wait for a return visit as we have a weather window to make the large hop over towards Greece at the end of the week. The first hop will be to Tunisia for a week and then on to Greece. The wind has shifted around to the west, after nearly three weeks of easterlies. It is a bit early for us really, but if we don't take the window and the wind shifts again we could be waiting a long time. This means we will be celebrating our 30 year anniversary and my 50th birthday at sea. The only down side of this is that we don't drink on passage so they will both be dry events, which is almost criminal in my book!
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