25 Feb 2019: Blowing in the Wind -Tangier
- vagranttwitcher
- Feb 25, 2019
- 1 min read
A storm wind, similar to the Cape’s southeaster at its worst, threatened to blow me off my feet as I tried, unsuccessfully, to add new species to my list. By mid-morning I had found hundreds of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a lone Peregrine Falcon and some Chaffinches hiding from the wind. Mohammed had returned home to Sous Massa the previous afternoon and I was doing some solo birding for a change. In the end the wind blew some sense into me and I decided to visit Cape Spartel, a lighthouse situated at the point where the Atlantic meets the Strait of Gibraltar. It felt rather strange to stand in Africa and being able to look at Europe
Also fascinating were the activities at the local farmer’s market in which all kinds of fresh produce is sold, from fragrant and colourful herbs to plucked chickens and sheep’s heads, all mingling with the rancid smells of the many slaughterhouses and fish stores. I bought a kilo of dates and some heavy, frisbee-like bread that would serve as my dinner for the next few days.
At the highest point of the old city of Tangier lies the Kasbah, a fortress enclosing narrow alleys and numerous pavement shops and tea houses. Exploring the Kasbah entailed a lot of climbing, people-watching, drinking expressos and wondering where the hell I was. Getting hopelessly lost in the process I had to skirt the fortress walls to find my way out and back to my car.
Commentaires