Author: marionvermazen

I am a traveler, hiker, avid reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, Spanish and French language student, knitter and genealogist. I am retired after working for almost 30 years in the Computer Industry. I live in Reno, Nevada with my husband Duke.

Melilla to Almería

Our ferry was scheduled to leave Melilla today around 2:00 pm. So this morning we visited the fortress of Melilla and the museums inside the fortress. The museum about all the civilizations and cultures that have lived in the Melilla region was excellent. We learned about the Phoenicians, Mauritanians, Amazigh (Berber), Rushdie, Roman, and Roma (Gypsy).

In the museum
The view from the fortress

At noon we went back to the Parador, checked out and walked to the Ferry terminal. We waited a bit and the walked along a very long ramp to our boat

Walking to the ferry terminal
Waiting
The boarding ramp

We had a cabin for the 6 hour ride. It just had bunks, no seats, so we took turns resting in the cabin, and sitting in the lounge. We also played a lot of cards in the cafeteria.

Our cabin

When we got to Almeria we walked to our hotel then went to the restaurant, Las Botas, recommended by the front desk clerk. It was excellent.

Las Botas
Las Botas

Al Hoceima, Morocco to Melilla, Spain

On all the highways in Morocco you see frequent police check points. Usually at a checkpoint there are three speed limit signs (60, 40, 20) each 20 feet apart then a stop sign.

You might be able to see two of the speed limit signs here.

Up until today the police have waved us through every checkpoint. We have probably gone through 50 or 60 of them. Unfortunately today we got stopped. Duke pulled over and the officer asked us for our papers. Because he didn’t speak English he called up somebody on his cell phone who told us in English that we had been going 73 kph when we passed the 60 kph sign.

He said the fine would be 150 Moroccan Dirham ($15). Since we were on our way to the border crossing, we had already spent all our Dirham. So he said we could pay $15 U.S. It took the officers a while to write the ticket. When I took a picture he told me to stop and made me delete the picture. Eventually he gave us the ticket, we paid our $15 and we were on our way. It was interesting to see that all the police were wearing body cameras.

Here is our ticket

About 30 miles later we arrived at Nador airport where we turned in our rental car. From there we took a 50 minute taxi ride to the Moroccan border with the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Border control was easy and we got another cab to the Parador where we are tonight.

At the border

Later we went out for a walk and checked in for our ferry ride tomorrow.

The Melilla fortress

We had a fabulous dinner at a restaurant called La Travis’s.

Grilled vegetables
Octopus
Pork
Cheesecake

Chefchaouen to Al Hoceima

We had a long almost five hour drive today east along the coast. The road was good, there was hardly any traffic and the scenery was beautiful.

From Chefchaouen we drove through the Rift mountains to the coast.
There was no liquid in the world shield washer reservoir so along the way we stopped to fill it.
The coast is sparsely populated. The road was along the cliff edge.
We stopped in n a small market to buy oranges.

When we got to our hotel in Al Hoceima we played cards and went for a walk.

Playing cards
The park in front of the hotel. That’s where we walked.

We ate dinner in the restaurant across from the hotel

Salad
Duke’s fish
Jo Ann’s fish

Ceuta to Chefchaouen

This morning from window of our room in Ceuta, Spain there was a beautiful view of the Rock of Gibraltar across the straight.

The Rock of Gibraltar in the distance

After breakfast we walked around the square outside the Parador. Then we caught a taxi to the border.

The square in front of the Parador

We walked across the border into Morocco and got a second taxi to take us back to our rental car.

Crossing the border

The town on the other side of the border is Fnideq. From there we drove south about an hour to the town of Chefchaouen where we are staying at Puerta Azul Hotel

We had tea while we were being checked in
Our room at Puerta Azul

Later we hiked up through the Medina to a viewpoint overlooking the town.

Shops in the Medina
Hiking up the trail
View of the town from the trail
At the top

On our way back to the hotel we stopped and had dinner on the roof of a restaurant called Bab Ssour

Salad
Chicken tagine

After dinner Duke got a $5 haircut.

Duke in the barber shop before the haircut
Duke after the haircut playing cards in Brian and Jo Ann’s room.

Tangier to Ceuta

This morning when we left Tangier we took a beautiful drive along The coast south and west of Tangier.

This is the lighthouse at Cape Spartel. It was built in the 1860s
Near the entry to Hercules Cave where part of the Hercules legend was set

Then we headed east to Ceuta. Although Ceuta is on the Moroccan coast of Africa it is a part of Spain.

As we approached Ceuta we saw an absolutely enormous Container port. The biggest I have ever seen. There were at least 40 big container loading cranes.

There were probably 8 or 10 groups of cranes like this
Ceuta from above.

We couldn’t take our rental car out of Morocco so we parked it and took a cab to the border crossing.

Looking for a place in Fnideq , Morocco to park the car

After walking through the border control check points we caught a Spanish cab to the Parador of Ceuta.

Waiting at the Spanish entry window
Checking in at the Parador of Ceuta
The Rock of Gibraltar from our room

Later we walked through Ceuta. Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising but Ceuta is strikingly European as compared to just across the border.

The Ceuta Cathedral, the first church we have seen in a week.
Out for a walk

We had dinner at the Parador

This fish is biting its own tail
Dukes cake with Carmel sauce