TANGIER, MOROCCO

“Come with me 

to the Kasbah…

Tuesday, April 28, 2025, 6 AM, Temperature 64 Degrees, 85% Humidity, W – SE @ 27 mph

… and we’ll make beautiful music together”. I’ve been waiting to use that line the whole cruise! Most people think (if they’ve given it any thought at all) Charles Boyer said it to Hedy Lamar in the 1938 movie “Algiers”, but that line was never in the movie (although it was in the original late 30’s French film “Pepe le Moko” on which “Algiers” is based). It was used by imitators of Boyer, even though it wasn’t accurate, like “Play it Again Sam” for Humphrey Bogart and “Judy, Judy, Judy!” for Cary Grant – all misquotes! Tangier is also considered to be the inspiration for the city in the movie “Casablanca”. Tangier became an International Zone managed by France, Spain & the United Kingdom in 1923, and during World War II, it was where various nationalities converged. It was a crucial transit point for refugees attempting to escape Nazi-occupied Europe. There was even a Rick’s Place, Dean’s Bar, whose owner apparently had no “politics” but was rumored to work for British Intelligence. John says he would like a time machine to travel back to Rick’s Place and have a drink with Humphrey Bogart/Rick.

Tangier is a Moroccan port on the Strait of Gibraltar. It has been influenced by many cultures, starting as a Phoenician town and trading center in the 10th century BCE. It was captured many times and was used as a base for piracy. It was finally occupied by the Portuguese in 1471. They converted the chief mosque into a cathedral and built European-style houses, as well as Franciscan and Dominican chapels. In the 17th century, it passed into Spanish control but maintained a Portuguese garrison. In 1661, it was given to England’s King Charles II as part of the dowry of the Portuguese Infanta Catherine of Braganza. Tangier received a charter that made it equal to other English towns, but after years of defending the town from external attacks and attacks from locals who considered they were fighting a “holy war”, Parliament abandoned the effort in 1670.

Tangier has served as Morocco’s diplomatic headquarters since the 18th century. The US dedicated its first consulate in Tangier while George Washington was President. The Legation Building was the first foreign property acquired by the United States and was a gift from Sultan Moulay Sulman. The Tangier International Zone was created under the joint administration of France, Spain, and the United Kingdom in 1923. Tangier was intended to become a place where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived together with respect and tolerance—a place where men and women of many different ideologies and political views found refuge. In 1952, it was agreed to abolish the International Zone, and in 1956, it joined the sovereign country of Morocco.

We shouldn’t have been surprised by all the high-rises we saw when we came into port, but we were. I guess we expect places to look like they did in old movies. The division of the Old Town and the modern part of Tangier is obvious! Beautiful beaches were all along the shoreline, in the city, and in the open park areas. Because of our delay in departing from Lisbon yesterday, we are late arriving at Tangier, not until noon, with an on-board time of 5:30 PM (pushed back from our original 3:30 PM on board time). All but one excursion was cancelled, so we had to settle for the ride into town (and back) on the free cruise terminal shuttle bus! It gave us a chance to get the “flavor” of the country and for John to know he would never want to drive in the traffic and narrow streets, no matter which side of the road they drive. We passed a Mosque near the pier and heard the call to Prayer. We passed busy shopping areas and vendors selling spices.

We had a very “upscale” neighbor in port (no, not the Volendam) – the Ritz-Carlton Yacht, Ilma (owned by Marriott International, Inc.). We could tell she was special when we first walked by on our way to the shuttle. She was new, shiny, sleek, and beautiful, turns out she was only six months “old”. Even her lifeboats/tenders were elegant! We passed two port officials using the opportunity to take their picture on the gangplank. One of the ship's officers offered us a ride into the center of Tangiers on their shuttle. We declined because we planned to do a loop and return to our ship. Nice of him to offer, but incidents like this make us realize we must look older than we think – people often offer us assistance. Their shuttles were like the ship – sleek and elegant. Our shuttles were standard buses; theirs were shiny black and gold. Ilam means water in Maltese. She’s all suites (224 cabins, the largest, more than 1,000 sq. ft.); all have balconies. She has a capacity of 448 with a crew of 374. She’s currently on a cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona; prices start at $10,100 per person, but the Owner’s Suite can reach $51,200 per person! Our “walk by” is probably as close as we’ll come to sailing on her.

We have been blessed with great weather this whole cruise, but our luck may be running out! The Captain (and John on the website Windy.com) have identified a low-pressure area in the Atlantic, and he’s leaving Tangiers after only five hours to try to get around the storm. We thought they might cancel Tangiers altogether.