Blake and Deborah in Europe: Tangier, Morocco

Tuesday we placed our first steps onto the African continent in the city of Tangier, Morocco. A swift catamaran takes you across the strait of Gibraltar from Tarifa to Tangier in a bit more than the advertised 35 minutes, but still less than hour. Our guide Aziz met us at the dock where we joined a few other Americans for a combination minivan and walking tour that lasted all day. Aziz was a terrific guide, sharing with us many insights into Morocco's society and rich culture.

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy – one whose young, activist king is busy modernizing with improvements to infrastructure, increases in literacy, and expansion of women’s rights. The border town of Tangier, once the so-called armpit of Morocco, has received much of the improvement focus. It has the feel of a city on the rise.

Morocco is an Islamic country, but also a progressive one. You see many different manner of dress here. Some Muslim women are covered head-to-toe in their traditional kaftans. Others wear a head scarf but leave their faces exposed. Others leave their heads completely uncovered. Still others are in Western clothing. You also have native Berbers in their traditional clothing and men wearing long robes with pointy hoods. Arabic is the first language here, followed by French (it's a former colony, but independent since 1956), Spanish, and then English. Pot smoking, though technically still illegal, is tolerated – at least for locals. And growing marijuana is apparently a thriving industry out in the mountains. One member of our tour group bought a pipe and Deborah suggested she could probably get it filled here, but she wisely didn't try.

Shopping is an interesting experience here. There are no fixed prices, and of course the costs skyrocket for tourists. Haggling is a game and an art form, one which the merchants are expert at and you are a novice. And then there are the roving peddlers, who hover around you like mosquitoes with handfuls of leather goods or with jewelry hanging from their forearms. You can't help but laugh at how persistent they are if you show the least amount of interest in any item. They'll follow you down the street and if you duck into a cafe for a cup of coffee (and some second hand pot smoke) when you leave you will even find them waiting for you again outside to show you the items you already said “no” to several dozen times. But it's actually more entertaining than annoying. You have to remember that that extra euro means a lot more to them than it does to you. And Aziz did a good job of shooing away – at least temporarily – the aggressive beggars and the most relentless of the peddlers.

Deborah and Myra purchased huge piles of Moroccan spices, which have been scenting our luggage and hotel room ever since. They also bought two pair of colorful, bead-encrusted mule style leather slippers for 5 euros each ($7). I bought a wool hat for the same price. And Myra bought a rock for 3.50 euros ($5). Actually it was more than a rock as when you pull apart the two halves you see the beautiful array of purple crystals inside.

One of our favorite parts of the tour was the chance to see inside a dwelling that was being renovated to a very high standard inside the Kasbah, the former fortress and now residential area within the old city. We sort of lost count but it had something like eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms, plus a nice roof terrace. Seeing its simple front door from one of the many narrow lanes in the old town, you would have no idea what lay inside. Morocco is full of surprises.