Tangier, the capital of the Tétouan Region has a rich history due to the historical presence of many civilizations and cultures that conquered this area from the 5th century BC. Tangier sits at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. This beautiful city, only 35 minutes from Spain by modern hydrofoil or two hours by normal ferry boat service, has a hugely multicultural society, predominantly Muslim, but with small Christian, and Jewish communities who express tolerance for one another. Moroccan travelers who wish to visit Tangier from Spain can take a one day private excursion to Tangier’s Cap Spartel and the Cave of Hercules along with Tangier’s sites, museums and cafes. This makes for the perfect private Tangier tour whether you are coming by ferry from Spain to Tangier or from Casablanca to Tangier.
Month: May 2010
Restaurant menus and wine shops in Morocco present travelers with an astounding array of choice in excellent Moroccan wines. But where should the person unfamiliar with Moroccan wines begin? This article will provide a starting point and serve as a Moroccan Wine Guide by recommending some inexpensive good-value Moroccan wines. Morocco has been a leading wine producer and its bold red and white grapes have become popular among the French, Americans and within Modern Moroccan households. When the French colonized Morocco, like the Romans centuries before them, they realized Morocco’s possibility of being a wine country. The French developed Meknès, a Moroccan Imperial City, into a wine region. Today 30,000 acres of land in Morocco contribute to wine production and Morocco sells over 40 million bottles within Morocco and abroad. Moroccan wine is in a state of revival and wine producers are taking advantage of the country’s sunny, mild temperate climate, and high altitudes.
Step into the world of the Arabian Nights with New Line Cinema’s Sex in the City 2, a fabulous wish-fulfillment movie for women, filmed in Morocco, and opening in theaters on May 28, 2010. Indeed Sex in the City has left New York for majestic Morocco. Spectacular photographs from its North African set will leave an impression on viewers of this sequel film. Filmed in the Souks of Marrakech, actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon were spotted pounding their heals through Marrakesh’s Djemaa El Fna Square, according to the UK Daily Mail Online
Exploring the Souks of Morocco is a great way to connect with the local people and to experience first hand the tradition of Moroccan buying and selling of a wide range of goods. Moroccan Souks are typically held once a week in each city and region with the “day of the souk” being the best time to purchase fresh vegetables, fruits, preserved lemons, olives, spices, household items, Moroccanjewelry, Music, Toys, Glass ware, Silver, Gold, Clothing, Moroccan carpets and other exciting finds that are carried across the Maghreb from souk to souk.
Djemaa El Fna Square is in the heart of Marrakesh, Morocco is like no where else on earth, and an adventure not to be missed after dusk. Courageous travelers in Morocco will definitely want to eat in the Djemaa El Fna Square. Tourists can avoid any chance of illness simply by sticking to foods that are actually cooked in front of them, and passed over to be eaten off of a clean paper. The Moroccan family in the photo above is waiting for their main course to come out of the cooking pot in front of them.Whether you choose to eat or not, just a stroll through the Djemaa El Fna Square in the evening can provide some very unique photo opportunities.
If you are an olive olive lover, you will find Morocco to be a paradise! All the different colors and varieties of olives are cured with different methods. The lemony greens, the succulent reds, and the pungent blacks are all done in several different ways, and each style has separate uses in the Moroccan cuisine. Once the olives are cut off the trees in mid-November, they are usually cut in Morocco with a razor blade, using a long, diagonal slash. During the hand-cutting, they are sorted by color into green, red, and black, all going into different vats.
Preserved lemons are a staple in Moroccan cuisine and are added to slow cooking tagines, stews, and soups for a wonderful tangy lemon flavor that can not be duplicated with fresh lemons. In Morocco, these lemons can be bought individually at a souk, or marketplace, and are very easy to find given their importance in Moroccan dishes. Outside of Morocco these lemons may be found in Middle Eastern or international markets but are so easy to make many cooks decide to prepare their own preserved lemons at home.
Saltworks in Morocco are interesting places to visit. They can be found along the Atlantic Coast of Morocco, in the Moroccan Sahara Desert. This one was south of Merlift, between Sidi Ifni and Tarfaya. Others can be found south of Tan-Tan Plage and Laayoune, all the way to Dakhla. To reach these locations, one must drive considerably south of Agadir.
Why not make next year’s Marrakech Grand Prix part of your Moroccan travel experience?Featuring three days of non-stop action in Marrakech, and attended by nearly ten thousand visitors for the second year in a row, the race is packed with both adults and children. The entire course is well-protected by barriers and grandstands are set up in specified areas. Portable restrooms are conveniently located in all areas.
Tickets are available in all price ranges, starting as low as 2 Euros, with VIP packages running as high as 1500 Euros. Most categories of tickets sell out. The most exciting package for 400 Euros, allows attendees to take a ride in the cars, seated behind the driver, where they can experience the thrill of acceleration to 200 miles per hour in 5 seconds.