We usually head to a beach around this time of year and, when we do, we use it a true vacation and not as travel. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting on a beach and watching the waves roll onto the shore. Perhaps we will find a beach to visit in the upcoming week’s, but for now we will have to think back on some previous visits. The Daily Post Photo Challenge this week is Relax and we chose these photos from Cabo San Lucas to help put ourselves in a beach state of mind.
One of our favorite travel memories was when we went to Tangiers for a day while staying in southern Spain. We remember being a little nervous about going because we weren’t sure about the cultural differences. Having spent time in India helped calm some of the nerves and the more that we read about it, the more we knew it would be a highlight of our trip. Tangiers is truly a melting pot as it is the crossroad between Europe and Africa. Centuries of people travelling through Tangiers to bring goods for sale has made it one of the most tolerant cities in all of northern Africa.
Walking through the streets of the medina (old city) is definitely an amazing experience. The varied architecture was extremely interesting to see and at the highest point was the Kasbah (fortress) with beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike some of the other medina that we’ve read about, we were not accosted by beggars or people trying to sell us trinkets. We definitely enjoyed the markets and came home with some wonderful saffron. We came close to buying a hand-made rug from one of the shopkeepers, but ended up deciding not to. After eating an incredible meal in a tiny family owned restaurant, we purchased a tagine from one of the nearby shops.
We did stop to watch a snake charmer at one point, which a little touristy, but still created a wonderful memory. Tangiers is more than just the old city, the heart of the city is quite modern and is home to a lot of ex-pats. There are also plenty of hotels to choose from if you want to spend several days there, but we were there for just one day. Hopefully we’ll return one day to see more of Morocco as the people were extremely friendly and we thoroughly enjoyed what time we did have there.
It was the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last. Two weeks after our youngest daughter moved off to college, we boarded a plane and flew to Cabo. It wasn’t that we didn’t miss her, it was just that we were ready to start the next chapter of our life as a couple. From the moment that we arrived in Cabo, we fell in love with the town. We went during the off-season, so there weren’t a ton of people, but even during the busy season, it isn’t over-crowded. Within the city limits, there is a height restriction of seven stories, so there aren’t the enormous resorts with thousands of rooms like there are in places like Cancun. Since our first trip, we’ve been back a couple more times and our passion for Cabo has only grown. It is our go-to location when we want a vacation, not travel, but a “sit on the beach with a drink in your hand, complete relaxation get-away”.
This is our entry for this week’s Discover Challenge: Opening Line. Not only do we like to go back to Cabo, but we like to revisit our photos from Cabo as well, they are soothing and calming. All of these were taken during our very first visit to Cabo, which actually ended with a hurricane coming into town on the day that we left. We have shared other pictures from this trip in the past, so these are all photos that we haven’t previously shared.
