Just catching up?  Start HERE with part I.

Day Two

The second day in Tanger, I woke up ready to see and do everything that we didn’t see and do the first day.  Namely, see (and ride?) some camels, and figure out the bus situation for going to Chefchaouen the next day.

That shirt felt very Morocco appropriate.

The day started appropriately- with coffee!  Nice ‘n’ strong!  We started every morning at this cafe.  Of course I don’t know the name, but it’s in the main square of the Petit Socco, right next to Cafe Central.  The coffee is strong and only costs 1 Euro (or 10 dirham) each.  And the terrace is in the sun so you can work on yo’ tan while drinking your coffee.

After coffee (two each…) we headed straight for the beach!

We walked along the port until, in the distance, we spotted some furry friends!!

I was so happy.

I wanted to ride them, but….the camel dueno (owner) wanted 5 Euros for a couple minutes so…no.  I regret it now, but the camels don’t.

The ocean was absolutely beautiful, but that wind was insane!  We only spent a few minutes at the beach before heading into the city to try and find the bus station.

We didn’t find the bus station, but we found a “supermarket”, which worked nicely for fixing my hair after all that crazy wind!

Related notes about supermarkets.  There are none (in the center).  We did see a Carrefour during our taxi ride, but for buying things in the center, your options are limited to the alimentacion shops and…. the street markets.  Luis asked the hotel desk guy where the closest supermarket was and he was like, “…next door!” (referring to the market where there were chickens about to be sacrificed towards Mecca).  So, cultural awareness 101.

We headed back towards the center to walk around and have lunch.

Like I said in my last post, I’m pretty anti-touristy restaurant, but I had a very high recommendation for Le Saveur du Poisson (also known as Popeye’s).

It’s a pretty normal looking place from the outside, with just a guy peeling nuts and lots of herbs on a table.  

There were some people waiting, but we were seated in less than ten minutes.  The restaurant was full of tourists with nary a Moroccan person in sight, but for good reason.  They offer an incredible 5-6 course prix fixe menu (pretty much all fished-based, so you have to like fish).  It’s pricey by Spanish standards and definitely by Moroccan standards at 20 Euros per person.  Luis had to convince me it was worth it, but he was very, very right.  As for the decor, it was airy in the restaurant, but pretty basic.

The meal starts with appetizers of olives, spicy harissa, toasted nuts, and lots of bread.  The first course is a small bowl of fish soup, served with these (super touristy) wood-carved spoons.

After the soup, we were served some sort of white fish in a spiced-spinach sauce, that was still sizzling when it arrived.

For the third course, we had the lightest white fish.  It literally fell off the bone and was light in flavor and texture, but delicious and paired nicely with the bread.  There were also fish skewers on the side.  I told you-lots of fish!

Luis refused to eat the eye, despite my best convincing 😉

When I literally didn’t think I could eat another bite, I managed to find room for this incredible dessert.  We were served two desserts- one was fresh strawberries (the sweetest!) with toasted pine nuts and a sort of honey sauce.  The other (no photo) was a grain (maybe cous cous?), toasted nuts and a sweet sauce on top.  

I basically licked the bowls clean.

Oh, I should mention that all of this came with lots of fresh bread (of various varieties) and unlimited fruit juice (which I think was fresh…and sugary).  I could have been rolled out of there after all of that food!  But it was delicious and worth it.  We needed to walk it off, so we headed back through the markets in the Medina and Grand Socco.

I vowed to not do any shopping in Morocco for fear of being hustled, but once I saw this pottery, I couuuuldn’t fiiiight the urge!  I’m now the proud owner of a little vase and two little bowls and I am in love.

From the Medina, we headed back into the Kasbah (fortress) to walk around.  

The sun was setting and it was quite windy on the rooftop terrace we chose.

After a couple of mint teas, we headed back down to the Grand Socco and stopped for dinner (this was a few hours later, lest you think we were constantly eating).  I really wasn’t hungry, but when the food is there…who am I to say no?

We shared a big salad and this chicken and vegetable cous cous.  I loved the cinnamon flavor!  Now that I was double full, it was time for bed to get ready for a fun day in Chefchaouen!!  Coming soon 😉