Sherezade Riad, Tetouan, Morocco Sunday 18th October, 2026
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| Gibraltar October 2026 |
Good morning from Tetouan in Northern Morocco, just 30 km from Ceuta and which was a quite a challenge to reach. I will come to that later.
We have now been on the road for a week on a new mini road trip and our first since 2024, this time in our recently bought VWT-Roc. We set off last Sunday.
Our first destination was Gibraltar but we stopped for the night in a town called Andújar which, according to AI was the half way point. I have to say AI often gets it wrong as the route to Gibraltar from there was rather tortuous and we should have stayed the night in Córdoba instead. So some of the info I am gathering from AI for our trip I have to take with a pinch of salt.
We had nearly everything ready to pack and only then did I remember to take our passports! In the car later I began the process of getting a Green Card for driving in Morocco. AI said I would need 2 weeks to get it. Wrong, I got it online in minutes. It was a 4h drive to the sleepy town of Andújar in the province of Jaén, famous for its olive trees and the production of olive oil. I made a right choice of accommodation and we loved our apartment in the Palacio Sirventes de Mieres, a former 18th century nobleman's house in the centre of the old town. We did not love our late lunch at a seedy bar called La Oficina in the Town Hall Square but at least we filled our stomachs. We then settled into our apartment. Later we planned to explore Andújar but ended up at A&E at the local hospital. The reason was my UTI (urinary tract infection) which, after two bouts of different antibiotics had come back with a vengeance. I was worried I would be admitted to be given antibiotics intravenously which didn't happen. I was given a new antibiotic which I hope does the trick. The doctor who saw me thought these two infections I have suffered recently could well have been caused by lurking bacteria after my prolapse operation a year ago. Oh dear. The only photo taken in Andújar was this one my husband took of me by the ubiquitous town sign there.
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| In Andújar just after we arrived on Sunday |
Thankfully, I felt a bit better the next day. On Monday we went to have breakfast at a great little bar but I should not have chosen a large big "porra" which made me feel a little sick.
Monday was 12th October, Spain's National Day which also commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in America. It is also the day of the Patron Saint of El Pilar, much celebrated in Zaragoza. My sister-in-law, Pili, whose name's day it was, celebrated it in Montrondo where we had been so recently. Olivia was reporting from the main square in Madrid, La Puerta del Sol where the same motley group of housing protesters are still camping. I read something very funny about a woman whose property has squatters in it she cannot evict and who tried an experiment. She herself tried to squat in one of their tents. Remember these protesters are pro squatters. Well, they, who are also anti eviction protesters, evicted her. That just shows they have double standards. So do many members of the socialist government who own lots of apartments they rent out. When the latter have suffered squatting, they have fast tracked the law and had them evicted. Double standards again.
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| Olivia reporting from the Puerta del Sol on Monday, Spain's National Day. |
Meanwhile, in Andujar, we left at around 10 a.m for Gibraltar. Here is Eladio loading our stuff into the car; two suitcases (mine bigger of course), our PC case and two bags of food and kitchen utensils for our dinners in the evenings.
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| Leaving Andújar |
The trip should not have taken more than 3.5h but our Sat Nav sent us a very weird way, through minor roads surrounded by endless fields of olive trees.
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| Fields and fields of olive trees on our way from Andújar |
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| Entering Gibraltar |
It was quite a challenge driving to the iconic Rock Hotel on Europa Road as Gibraltar is so cramped and densely built up. At times it feels impossible to turn corners on some of the streets. At times too it reminded me of Shanghai or Hong Kong, but with different architecture. But it was well worth the drive as our hotel was THE place to stay in Gib. A bit like the Raffles in Singapore, it has a star studded list of guests, including Sir Winston Churchil, the then Prince Charles and Lady Diana and many more. The building is Art Deco and has a colonial feel about it, not to mention the wonderful location with a birds eye view of the Strait of Gibraltar, spanning two continents. For a better understanding, here is a map of the area.
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| Where Gibraltar and Ceuta are |
This was the view from our terrace at sunset.
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| Sunset from our room at The Rock Hotel in Gibraltar with a bird's eye view of the Strait of Gibraltar between Algeciras and Morocco. |
Before checking in, we had lunch in the Ghazi bar next to the beautiful Wisteria Terrace where men were sitting smoking and wearing panama hats. It was like a scene from a Graham Greene book. That's how I described it to Amanda in our weekly Facetime call that afternoon from our room on the 4th floor where we happily installed ourselves for 3 nights of luxury. Lunch was divine. I had humus followed by chicken Pastilla, both Moroccan dishes while Eladio went for the Steak and Ale pie. If I had had room, I would have ordered Eton Mess for dessert. A lady on the next table was having Afternoon Tea which I vowed to have before I left but never managed.
We had arrived to far warmer weather than the forecast on my phone and I only wished I had brought our swimming suits to enjoy the beautiful hotel pool. It was not to be.
Next on the agenda was taking a local bus to what is called Europa Point, the southern most point of Gibraltar and where the Med meets the Atlantic. However, it is not the most southern point of Europe that being Tarifa (see the map above). To get there we caught the bus from Market Square for a paltry pound and a half each. The ride through the narrow streets was quite harrowing but fun too.
It was a glorious sunny day and we loved the area with breathtaking views of both seas and of Morocco and Spain. Here are some pictures I want to share with you of our time there. 
And here is a photo at a rather tacky sign post where we posed while kissing, hahaha.
We then took the bus back to the centre of town and went in search of somewhere to eat. This time AI got it right when I searched for the best place to have fish and chips. We found it at The Clipper in Irish Town, the road parallel to Main Street. We loved the place and the food, including the sticky toffee pudding I couldn't resist for dessert.
Of course I was not hungry for dinner but my husband enjoyed some of the dinner provisions we brought with us so as not to eat out for all our meals everyday which is heavy on the stomach and expensive when on a road trip.
I didn't sleep that well as the pillows were so hard even with my soft feather pillow on top, the one I always take with me on all my trips. That was my only complaint about the hotel.
Tuesday dawned and I was up early. I enjoyed my coffee on the terrace, thanks to the little French press cafetiere I always travel with plus my own large mug and milk. While on the terrace, I was astounded to hear a voice on a loudspeaker to be heard everywhere that there was to be a trial nuclear alarm system but that no action was to be taken!! What funny times we live in. I honestly hope they never have to use it for real.
I was starving by the time Eladio was ready and we both looked forward to breakfast at the Alfredo Restaurant adjacent to the Wisteria Terrace. My husband went for the "full English" while I was more attracted to the pastry and toast section.
Main Street ends at Casemates Square from where we walked to the very posh waterfront full of expensive yachts. Gibraltar seemed to us to be a wealthy place. We met a man born in London who has lived there for 30 years and who told us he lived so well in Gib he had nothing to go back to in the UK!
We then had the whole day, or rather the whole morning to explore Gibraltar. If you read last week's post you will know we were there in 1980 when the border was closed and again in 2008 with my father. It is such a melting pot of people, local and non local and I am not sure I heard more Spanish or more English spoken. All Gibraltarians I guess, speak both languages perfectly. I read the census records 92 nationalities living here and that doesn't surprise me. There are also a lot of Moroccans, perfectly integrated. It is such a mixture of cultures which is why I rather like it. The population is an historic mix of British, Spanish, Italian/Genoese, Portuguese, Maltese, Moroccan, and Indian roots. There is also quite a large Jewish community of Sephardic origin. Just walking the streets it is a sort of melting pot of different ethnic origins, nationalities and religions. Many of the hospitality workers are also of Romanian origin who speak perfect Spanish and English.
It's funny to think that this tiny part of southern Spain belongs to the UK. Do you know why? I don't want to give you a long history but here it is briefly. It has a long history, its prehistoric inhabitants being Phoenicians, Moorish and Roman rulers. In the Spanish War of Succession it was taken by Anglo Dutch forces and in the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 to end the war, Spain ceded Gibraltar to the British forever. Basically Britain wanted to control Gibraltar because of its important geographical location. In that same treaty, Spain also ceded Menorca but recaptured it. So why didn't Spain recapture Gibraltar? It did try during The Great Siege. However, it has to do with the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht. In the case of Gibraltar, Spain ceded sovereignty and in the case of Menorca it ceded its dominion, enabling it to recapture the Balearic Island. So there you have it in a nutshell although it is a lot more complicated than that. As to Ceuta (and Melilla), the Spanish enclave in North Africa, that is a different story although those not in the know wrongly compare it to Britain owning Gibraltar. Again, in a nutshell, Spain owns both territories because it acquired them centuries before the modern state of Morocco existed, both being conquered by Spain in 1580 and 1497. Morocco continues to claim both autonomous cities because they are in North Africa in the same way Spain wants to see a return of Gibraltar but from a historical point of view, neither can happen.
Gibraltar played an important role in WW2. My dear father, Charles Courtenay Lloyd was stationed there during the war with the Royal Navy. It must have been very different then indeed.
Our tour began on foot when we walked down the steep Europa Road towards the centre of town. We walked to Main Street where all the important government buildings are. It is a unique blend of Genoese, Portuguese (yes it once belonged to Portugal too), Andalusian, Moorish and British Regency architecture which makes for a very picturesque street. It is also the main artery of the place and is full of duty free shops except that after the Brexit agreement, Gibraltar is no longer a tax haven and cigarettes cost more than they do in Spain. It is teeming with tourists and locals, many of whom are quite a sight in themselves, people with cockatoos on their shoulders, women in Moroccan dress, some Brits dressed in Union Jack t-shirts, old fashioned looking monks and then of course the very obvious tourists, both Spanish and from all over the world.
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| Main Street Gibraltar |
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| By the waterfront in Gibraltar |
We arrived at this rather unique place which reminded us of Cape Point in South Africa. The first thing we saw was a rather attractive Mosque.
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| The Mosque at Europa Point |
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| Europa Point Gibraltar where the Med meets the Atlantic |
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| Kissing point at Europa Point |
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| Glorious fish and chips at The Clipper on Tuesday |
After lunch, I wanted to hit the local Marks and Spencer's but was very disappointed at how badly stocked it is, especially the Food Hall which has no perishable goods so I walked out empty handed. We then went in search of fruit for our dinner after which we walked back to the hotel. All in all we had walked over 14.000 steps and were exhausted and much in need of a rest. We had a lazy afternoon until it was time for a bite on the terrace.
From what I understood, this first stop to the nature reserve, the Pillars of Hercules represent Gibraltar's ties to Greek mythology, namely the 12 labours of Hercules. Legend has it Hercules passed through here to take the cattle of Geryon and opened the strait. But I think that is just a legend.
That night we watched the news on the TV in our room where you get Spanish, Moroccan, Gibraltarian, French, American and British channels. We were eager to see how the King of Spain's visit to Ceuta had gone that day, over 2 months after the invasion of 70.000 immigrants into the city. I was envious to see the King and Queen were staying at the Parador. It was an historic Royal visit and the first to the enclave in two decades. The main aim was to show solidarity with the locals and to reinforce Spain's sovereignty there. The people of Ceuta received the King and Queen with gratitude and great enthusiasm. The next day they would visit Melilla.
The next day was Wednesday, our last day in Gibraltar. We decided on a tour of the Nature Reserve which goes right up to the top of the Rock. You can't drive there if you are not a resident. The only options are a shuttle bus or special taxis. IA's advice was the former but the latter, although more expensive, was the best option. We were lucky to have a superb guide. Mustafa, originally from Tangiers but living in Gibraltar was our driver and guide. He had lived in Manchester for 18 years and is married to a nurse from Catalonia. He was quite a character and a superb guide who added a lot of fun to our tour. In the car too were a gay couple from Coventry and a man and his kids from the USA.
Our first stop was at The Pillars of Hercules that flank the Eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar which marks the point where the Atlantic and Mediterranean ocean and sea meets. We had already seen the views of the strait of Gibraltar but were happy to see it again although visibility wasn't great.
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| Monument to the Pillars of Hercules |
Much more interesting was our next stop, St. Michael's Cave which really wowed us. It is like a natural cathedral. The Rock of Gibraltar is a massive limestone monolithic rock or promontory which holds deep caves. St. Michael's is the most spectacular cave I have ever seen and made even more fantastic by its high tech sound and light "Awakening" show. I hate the word awesome but this was awesome as the adjective is supposed to mean; something special and extraordinary. As I can't explain it, here are some photos from a pack we bought on site.
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| St. Michael's Cave in the Nature Reserve of the Rock of Gibraltar |
One of the reasons it is called after St. Michael is the similarity of the stalactite formations to the image of the angel with its outspread wings. Part of the cave is a natural auditorium where concerts and ballets are hosted. What a place. It was known to humans over 2000 years ago but was accidentally discovered in 1942 by Royal Engineers during their tunneling operations. Legend has it the cave is bottomless and connected to Africa via a 15 mile subterranean tunnel through which the famous Barbary monkeys (macaques) arrived. Actually we learned they were brought from Africa by sailors who had them as pets and they reproduced naturally in Gibraltar.
We did the touristy thing and bought the photos taken with some great settings. Here are some of the others. I chose one of them as this week's feature photo and here is the other.
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| One of the touristy photos we bought at St. Michael's cave |
Our next stop was to the Skywalk, a glass bottomed view point close to the top of the rock. As we approached it, monkeys began to appear, some literally entering taxis when the guides fed them peanuts. They were quite a sight and very daring and cheeky. There are 240 of them living in about 5 groups or troops, each respecting their own territory. They are well kept, well fed, vaccinated and some of them sterilised. I was happy to hear they are not culled. Some can be aggressive so we were warned not to carry any food. They seemed tame to me, so long as you didn't touch them or their young. It was obvious how intelligent they are. One is called Blondie and is famous for being able to open a car door. I read later that their intelligence equivalent in human terms is from 2 to 3 years old! Each group or troop is led by an alpha male who, when getting old, is replaced by another often in a ferocious fight. I love animals and find these macaques fascinating but was wary because they are, after all, wild animals
They were everywhere so it was easy to take photos of them, like this one of Eladio posing for me.
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| Eladio posing for me with one of the Barbary monkeys at the top of the rock in Gibraltar |
It was cold and windy up there but we got to see the Eastern side of the rock close up as you can see in the photo below.
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| Up at the top of the rock on the Eastern side by the glass bottomed Skywalk |
From the skywalk we went up what is called Douglas Path which leads to more WWII fortress edifices. It was tough going up but I was helped by a lovely man, older than me, from California and by Eladio. If going up was difficult, coming down was even tougher.
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| Being helped by an American gentlemen up Douglas Path on the Gibraltar Nature Reserve. |
I thanked him profusely and told him that his help had made my estimation for Americans go up that day. I think that made him laugh.
The village was originally populated by Genoese fishing folk during the 17th century. However, there is a theory that 350 Catalan soldiers settled there to assist the Anglo Dutch forces in capturing Gibraltar in the War of Succession. Whatever its history, Catalan Bay, also called "La Caleta", is quite picturesque nestled near the Rock with its coloured houses dotted everywhere.
We could have remained in the Nature Reserve as there is a lot more to see but we were tired by then and it was nearly time for lunch. Thus we decided to remain in the taxi and be driven back to the city. We thanked Mustafa for a most wonderful morning. From him we learned there is more to Gibraltar than meets the eye.
We had decided to visit a place called Catalan Bay which is actually a tiny fishing village again on the Eastern side of Gibraltar. It was supposed to be picturesque with good fish on offer. The bus system is so good, it is the easiest way to travel and is actually free for residents. And here is Eladio waiting for the Number 6 bus talking to a local who said he used to be a Real Madrid fan.
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| Eladio at the bus stop |
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| Catalan Bay,also called La Caleta on the Eastern side of Gibraltar and where we had lunch on Wednesday at the Seawave restaurant. |
Here is Eladio about to enjoy our lunch which was some local fish and in my case, prawns with a simple salad.
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| Lunch at Seawave restaurant in Catalan Bay on our last day in Gibraltar |
We caught the number 6 bus back which was an eye opener on how local young school girls can be outrageously badly behaved. We also met a young woman from Salamanca who teaches Spanish at a local school. When I commented that everyone speaks both Spanish and English here, she told me that was not quite the case anymore, especially for young people. The bus ride seemed endless until we finally arrived at the stop opposite our hotel, a haven of peace and the good life.
I spent part of my free time that afternoon contacting Ikram. If you remember from one of my recent blog posts, Olivia my TVE journalist daughter, met her when covering the immigration crisis in Ceuta. Her story became viral after an interview with RTVE which you can see here and I urge you to watch. Ikram is a nurse from Fez who swam from Morocco to Ceuta on 30th July out of desperation. She came in search of a better life and in order to find work to pay for an operation her mother needs. Olivia and her TV crew found her after she had spent 45 dangerous nights on a football pitch, prey to all sorts of awful men on the prowl. They took her under their wings and housed her at their own hotel, paying for her food and shelter. Eventually they found a job for her as a nurse and translator for Médicos del Mundo, a well known NGO, Doctors of the World, but it is only temporary. She cannot remain in Ceuta unless given asylum and as you probably know, it is impossible for illegal immigrants to reach mainland Spain. Olivia has remained in touch with her ever since and I was determined to meet her and see how I could help although I could probably only give her moral support. Oli gave me her mobile number and I wrote to her in my very faltering French. She replied immediately and we arranged to meet on Friday.
I also spent time writing part of this blog post after which we decided to order room service as it was our last night. I could not resist the Coronation chicken sandwich nor the Eton Mess but never got to have Afternoon Tea.
Thursday 15th October came, the day we were leaving Gibraltar for Ceuta, that Spanish enclave in North Africa. For us it would be a trip down memory lane as when we met and fell in love in the summer of 1980, we went on a more humble road trip which included camping in Portugal, seeing Gibraltar from the closed frontier, visiting Ceuta and Tetouan, as well as Cadiz. We were up early and enjoyed our last breakfast at The Rock.
The ferry company had sent us a message to say we should be at the port 3h before our ship sailed at 13h which I thought was far too early. Driving from the hotel to Spain was a challenge as the streets of the British Colony are such a challenge. Once on the other side, we stopped to take a photo by the Rock to complete my trio of photos, except that these days there is no border.
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| Another photo by the Rock to add to my collection |
It was a 45 minute drive to the Port of Algeciras, the largest in Spain. We were the first to arrive and had a couple of hours to kill before sailing. We spent part of it planning where to stay in Morocco. We decided on Tetouan first and found a wonderful Riad or at least it looked wonderful. It is where we are staying here and is called Sherezade.
Finally we boarded the Baleria ferry, a Catamaran which would take an hour to reach Ceuta. Here are some pics taken on board.
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| On board the ferry to Ceuta |
We went past Gibraltar and saw a view of it that we had never seen before. It looks much larger from the ferry and we recognised some of the landmarks.
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| Gibraltar as I had never seen it before |
We disembarked at around 2 pm, our car being one of the first to leave. We had a short distance to drive to the Yachting club, where, if you remember, I had booked 2 nights on a moored "floating home". By then Eladio was feeling seasick as he is not a good sailor. He took one look at the boat and said he would prefer to sleep in the car. That was a dilemma as accommodation in Ceuta is difficult to find with everything going on there. Very luckily we got a room at the Parador, the best hotel in town and where the King and Queen stayed this week. It was expensive but worth it.
We were given room 225 and I loved the view from our terrace.
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| The view from our room at the Parador in Ceuta |
We were starving by then and were lucky the kitchen stays open all day. We ate outside and were served by one of the young waitresses. She told us about the King's visit and that she had actually served him his dinner. She also said the Queen stayed inside and had room service but the King came down for dinner, just where we had our lunch. She also told us about what she called the "invasion" of 70.000 illegal immigrants. I wanted to talk to locals to get their opinion and their opinion I got.
The Parador is bang in the middle of the city. It is located in the main square, Plaza de Africa and surrounded by the city walls and the sea. After our splendid lunch we unpacked and settled in. This Parador is not one of the best but still a Parador is synonymous with good quality. On our way up to our room we saw a very famous Spanish journalist and Editor of the newspaper, El Español, Pedro J. Ramírez. I heard him saying he was setting up a correspondent's press office here and would get to the bottom of the whole crisis. That is his forte and I don't doubt the man.
After settling in and resting, we ventured out into the city which, even if we had been here 46 years ago, we had no memory of. Actually it is rather beautiful with some stunning buildings. We had our photo taken by a local woman by the main statue in commemoration of those who lost their lives in wars.
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| In Ceuta in Plaza de Africa in front of the Parador |
Everywhere we went we saw the Police, the Army and the Spanish flag as well as posters with headlines such as: "Ceuta no se vende, Ceuta se defende".
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| Spanish flags everywhere |
We also saw lots of roaming immigrants and sympathised with the locals, often called "caballas" - a word meaning mackeral which must be the local fish.
The vibes were amazing and I realised that to really understand what is happening in this Spanish enclave, you have to be an eye witness. After following the news from 30th July I was glad to see what was really going on. Of course we wanted to visit Ceuta as tourists but my first priority was to see it as a journalist. That should have been my profession.
We walked up the main commercial street which was bustling and saw the usual Zara, Mango, etc and a beautiful house with dragons on the top. We reached a square where the Representative of the Madrid government, La Delegación del Gobierno is located. It was crowded and we saw a loud, colourful but peaceful demonstration which I was thrilled to be part of. People chanted "We are Spanish" and People from Ceuta never give in. I was on their side.
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| A demonstration we saw on our first day in Ceuta |
Walking back I took more and more photos, such as this one of a group of police talking to illegal immigrants.
The big problem is how to process the up to 20.000 remaining, many of whom are hiding. They don't want to go back but Ceuta cannot house them all. We mostly saw young men, the majority of them Moroccan but many from Sub Saharan Africa too. The large majority are either in camps or hiding but on the outskirts where my husband wasn't keen on going. He is right as it could be dangerous. Many people told us how happy they were with the visit of the King and Queen but furious at the PM's lack of action. He came at the beginning of August and then promptly went on holiday. Talking to a taxi driver, Juan Carlos, he says no one understands why the government did not control the border before the invasion when they knew it was going to happen. Many say it was the Moroccan government who encouraged the mass crossing into Spain but don't understand the politics behind it all. Some say it is because of tapes the Moroccans have of Pedro Sánchez' phone. I am not sure we will ever know. The people from Ceuti fear that Morocco will invade the city and they will be forced to move to the Peninsula. This is a real fear I felt everywhere. I also feel that enough is not being done. As you will gather we heard both sides of the story.
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| Police and immigrants everywhere in the streets of Ceuta |
With these thoughts in my head, we ambled back to our luxurious hotel while thousands of immigrants slept in camps or on the streets. Makes you think doesn't it?
Friday dawned and we enjoyed the Parador buffet breakfast. We did a bit of tourism that morning and visited the Royal Walls of Ceuta, a medieval fort first built in the 10th century by the Moors. Right outside I took yet another photo of members of the Army who are everywhere in Ceuta. This was a scene I could not get used to in Ceuta.
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| I could not get used to seeing the Army on the streets of Ceuta |
It was further fortified by the Portuguese and Spanish in the 15th century. It features the Royal Moat, a rather unique saltwater canal in a narrow isthmus that small boats can sail through.
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| The royal moat in Ceuta between the fortified walls of the city built in the 10th century |
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| Visiting and walking round the Royal Walls of Ceuta on Friday |
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| Pepi's story |
From the walls we walked to the centre again. I needed more summery type tops as I hadn't brought enough so I went into Zara while Eladio waited outside. Later he got talking to some of the illegal immigrants and heard their story too.
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| Eladio sitting next to illegal immigrants while I went into Zara |
For lunch that day we went to a Moroccan restaurant recommended to us by Olivia. Called Oasis it is
located on a hill called Mount Hacho with amazing views of both Ceuta and Morocco and on the other side the Strait of Gibraltar.
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| Views of Ceuta and Morocco from Mount Hacho |
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| At Oasis restaurant on Friday |
Juan Carlos, our taxi driver, who also gave us his opinion on the crisis in Ceuta, drove us back. Eladio left his phone in the taxi and we are very grateful that he brought it back after he had had his lunch.
I spent part of the afternoon surfing the web about how to cross the border into Morocco and it is complicated. One thing I learned is that we would have to leave behind two packets of Ibérico ham (boohoo). I also learned we had to go to some funny area where our car has to be registered before driving to the Spanish check point. We had all the papers we needed: passsports, driving licence, green card, our DNIs as well as the car documents. We were warned the process could take anything from half an hour up to more than 3 hours. We hoped it would be the former.
On our last night in Ceuta we had invited Ikram for dinner and were to meet in the square opposite our hotel, Plaza de Africa. What we didn't know was that she was coming from far from a migrant centre for women immigrants which sounds very grim. We waited for her for more than an hour and meanwhile got talking to another young Moroccan girl, Jadilla, who we had mistaken for Ikram. Jadilla's story is another horror story. She swam twice to Ceuta, being turned back the first time and came because she is a single mother. Being a single mother in Morocco is a crime and her father's family shunned her. Jadilla, aged 28, who is being sheltered by Spanish friends, told us that as soon as her daughter was born 6 years ago, two policemen appeared by her bedside and she had to go to the police station in Tetuan to be registered. She could have been sent to prison. Life as a single mother is impossible in this sexist country and even her daughter is shunned by society. Her aim is to claim asylum in Spain because of this situation and I only hope she gets it.
Finally Akrim appeared all worried she was late but it wasn't a problem. We had booked a table for dinner at the Parador and we treated her to a splendid meal. She showed us photos of the food given at the immigration centre and my heart sank. We spent the time talking about her story and also how Olivia's TV crew helped her when they interviewed her and her story went viral. Many people have reached out to help but, unlike Jadilla, she will not be able to claim asylum. She told us of the terrible time she had getting here and surviving. Previously she tried the Melilla route where you have to climb a barbed wire wall but was turned back. Once in Ceuta, she slept rough, first on the beach where she was hit by a policeman with a baton and she showed us the photos. Eventually the TVE crew found her and you know the rest of her story which I described earlier. In Fez, Ikram earned 103 euros per month as a nurse; a pittance and not enough to pay for her mother's treatment. She was so grateful to us for inviting her to dinner which was the least we could do. I only wish I could help her further. When she showed us the interview that went viral Eladio watched it and kissed her hand to show his sympathy. She cried while showing it to us and so did I. Ikram is a courageous girl for her age; just 24 and I honestly think that if she follows her dreams, however much suffering is needed, she will make it. I hope I am right. Before we parted we took photos. Here is Ikram whose story is dire.
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| With Ikram on our last night in Ceuta |
She went back to her immigration centre while we went upstairs to our room at the Parador - two different worlds. It makes you think. The next morning Olivia sent me a video of Ikram at work, bless her. This is it.
Ikram at work yesterday morning.
We left Ceuta on Saturday morning for the next step of our road trip. First we stopped at Mercadona to get some provisions and by 11 am (9 am in Morocco) we were at the border. Leaving Spain was easy; entering Morocco was difficult and took 3 hours. We were entering another world.
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| At the border waiting to enter Morocco, another world |
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| Eladio exchanging Euros for Dirhams |
Riads are usually three stories high with a central patio where light comes in. They are extremely ornate and rather gaudy and this one would not look out of place in Saudi Arabia. The place looks like something out of the famous Arabic fairy tale; One Thousand and One Nights. Here are some pictures we took to share here. Eladio was gawping at the opulence of it all and the detail.
It is amazing but has its drawbacks. The rooms are tiny with no windows and the stairs are so steep, to get to the sun terrace and kitchen I have to go up on all fours.
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| One of the bedrooms! |
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| On the outside sun terrace |
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| The second floor of our Riad |
We were wowed but starving. Abdul was keen to give us a tour of the famous Medina but we insisted on lunch first, then a rest and the tour could wait until today. He took us to a restaurant called Dar Al Medina right next to the Grand Mosque and our Riad. The Grand Mosque would be our reference point from then on. We had no idea how to navigate round the Medina or get back to the entrance at Queen's Gate. This is like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul but even bigger.
We loved the restaurant and had a splendid meal; another Tajine.
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| Lunch yesterday at Dar La Medina |
We had a light dinner on the sun terrace and went to bed early for Morocco but late for Spain. I did not sleep well and was up at 5.45 this morning (7.45h in Spain). And here I am now finishing this blog post while I can hear the cockerels and looking forward to my breakfast. This is my office from where I am writing to give you an idea and a feel of the place.
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| Where I am writing from today |
This morning we will explore the Medina which you will hear all about next Sunday. Who knows where we will be by then.
Cheers for now,
Masha
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