28 May 2023, Tanger Med
Apartment Ksar Sghir R763 [DH406]
One more sleep before Spain...
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We spent much of today on a bus, taking through carelessness a longer route between Chefchaouen and the Tanger Med ferry port than strictly necessary, but thoroughly enjoying the journey.
From Chefchaouen north through sophisticated Tetouan and northwest to Tanger (Tangier). Then east via Tetouan (again) and north via the interestingly-named M'diq to Fnideq. Then northwest and west to the Tanger Med port.
We are spending the night in an apartment above the Homemade Restaurant which has a superb view of the port from which we sail tomorrow, and from which we can also see the Spanish coast.
The scenery through which we travelled was lovely. With patchwork hills and dams and green pine forests and barren mountain tops and a long stretch of beach. After our second pass through Tetouan, all manicured lawns and modern architecture and suburbs clustered on slopes, we crested a hill and saw the Mediterranean, travelling beside its two-tone blue for many kms through a world that little resembles the Morocco we have come to love. White and blue hotels and amusement parks and wheeling seagulls.
Our detour brought us within sight of the tiny Spanish exclave that sits on the north coast of Morocco and is named Ceuta*.
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We confirmed today that helmets must be worn in Spain or cyclists face a €150 fine. During a bus break in Fnideq, we took a stroll through the Sunday street market and managed to buy two old helmets, one a cycle helmet, the other the kind of helmet worn by scooter drivers in developing countries, or by old-school Harley-Davidson riders! Let's hope they both pass the Spanish test. We are going to find it challenging in the more rule-based EU where numerous rules for cyclists include a speed limit!
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*ChatGPT: Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish exclaves in North Africa, are remnants of colonialism and cultural bridges between Europe and Africa. They face ongoing border disputes with Morocco and blend Spanish, Moroccan, and Berber influences. These autonomous cities serve as economic hubs and attract migrants seeking access to the European Union.