Student reflections: Natalie, Tahsina, Brian, Bontu and Nora

Programs for this blog post

Arabic Language & Moroccan Culture

Authored By:

Andreina Santamaria

Hello Tangier! On Saturday, we visited the beautiful Moroccan coastal city of Tangier. First off, we visited the Hercules caves. Legend has it that the Greek hero originally named Heracles (later renamed Hercules) slept in these caves during his labors. For us, the caves were a nice, cool break from the bright, hot Moroccan sun that we are used to! Inside the caves, we were able to explore the dark tunnels and enjoyed a beautiful window view of the ocean. Above the caves, we spent some time looking over the ocean and watching others (Imami) explore the rocks leading into the ocean. Next, we traveled to the Cape Spartel, which is the furthest point of Morocco leading into the Strait of Gibraltar and Spain. The distance between Spain and Cape Spartel is about eight miles: it’s so close that people have tried to swim it before! We were barely able to see the very coast of Spain, but the amazing view of the open water made up for it! After a delicious lunch of salads, seafood and kabobs, we made our way to the Tangier Medina. We all explored the busy cobblestone streets and shops, as well as beautiful 

mosaic walls and amazing designs. The architecture throughout both the Médina and the rest of the city was amazing, the attention to detail and the colors were amazing and memorable. At the end of the trip we had an hour of free time where a lot of us went to the Médina, others went to see the ocean view. We encountered some delicious doughnuts, so delicious that Brian had to have three. In the picture above we could see how much of a wonderful time you could spend at Tangire. 

We learned a lot of things during this trip. One I know for sure that I will be taking with me. In Tangier I was given another perspective of how to be interested in history. With our own eyes we saw the Hercules cave, where legend says that he spent a night in the cave in Morocco. We found ourselves asking questions and engaging in the activity along this once and a lifetime experience. Tangier was unforgettable!