Our ship docked in Tangier. Our Viator tour was cancelled at the last minute, so we used one of the Holland America tours to visit Tetouan, about an hour bus ride away from Tangier. The walled part of town is a World Heritage site. We spent plenty of time walking on very narrow streets. Our guide said it is impossible for cars to drive downtown. Everything must be brough in by horse or donkey. Our guide should know since he lives there, however … I didn’t see any evidence of horse or donkey effluent, but I did see a few of these.

I was surprised by how square the buildings are in Tangier. It’s typical to see two cubes, one stacked above the other. Often the upper level is somewhat larger than the ground floor. I dub it the “small and tall” look. There are few buildings with curved surfaces. Flat roofs accentuate the look. We saw plenty of mosques. In the west, if there is a tall tower or chimney it will usually be circular. All the mosques I saw had tall towers that were square (with four sides). I was also surprised by how vibrant the city is. Often walled cities end up being turned into endless tourist trap stores. Tetouan is filled with micro businesses selling food, building supplies, toys, restaurants, and anything else the people living in the area might need. You would have to look closely to find a tourist coffee cup or refrigerator magnet.

Tomorrow is a sea day. Hopefully it will be completely inconsequential. I hope this finds everyone doing well.