After being woken up at 0450 by the first call to prayer (in any other circumstances this might, perhaps, be described as an ungodly hour), we were sure to make our 0800 ferry back to Tarifa, Spain. First though, the ferry had to run the naval blockade:
Coffee on the ferry constituted breakfast, plus our leftover pastries from Tangier (what better way to use up your remaining dirham!). Then a lot of boardwalks and beach walking. Tarifa is a huge magnet for kite surfing (having just left Morocco I figure it best not to describe it as a mecca). There were literally hundreds of sails either in the air or waiting to launch, and with a strong wind warning in effect, these folks were having a blast.
After a suitably delicious lunch at an always reliable surfer beach bar, we laboured our way up the edge of the giant sand dune you can see in the above photo. Fortunately there is a paved road which they keep clear with a snow plow, otherwise we might still be labouring up said sand dune.
The last section of the day was supposed to be a horrendous struggle on a sandy path under the pines. But there was a trail closed sign, so we walked around the barricades and found ourselves on a brand new concrete cycle path. Eventually we came upon the construction crews, and smiled and thanked the profusely in our best Spanish for building such a great trail, thus avoiding any awkward conversations about being somewhere that was officially closed 😁.
Tonight we are in El Lentiscal, a dusty, semi abandoned town that looks like it has been transplanted from Baja, Mexico. It’s perhaps best known for its beach and the ruins of the Roman town of Baelo Claudia. Once we wash all the sand out we will for sure sleep well 😄
2saunter 