Port of Tangier, Morocco

Tangier, named after tangerines that were first grown here, is a delightful city. It is 12 miles south of Gibralta--you can see it across the sea. Notably it has a high speed railway that connects it to Casablanca and a new major port. Its population is over a million and growing rapidly.

I chose to go to Asilah, a community of 135,000 about 40 miles north. It is another old Portuguese fortress, built in 1471, with an old town behind the fortress walls. Actually the Phoenicians first settled the area in 1500 BC. The town was in decline until 1978 when community resurrected itself into a minor visual and musical arts center with 2 major festivals a year. The old houses in the Medina have been refurbished into nice homes or vacation rentals.Read more