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Caves of Hercules

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midtownmjd
midtownmjd
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A Tourist Trap Worth Your Time

  • October 11, 2009
  • Rated 3 of 5 by midtownmjd from New York, New York
A Tourist Trap Worth Your Time

As tourist traps go, the Caves of Hercules, or Grottes d’Hercule, are pretty cool. Whether or not Hercules rested here between performing his 12 labors, as the legend goes, the mirror image of Africa through which the caves’ open into the sea is impressive, particularly when the colors of sunset stream through. Apparently this reverse map was created by a mixture of ocean waves and early Bedouins who mined the caves for olive-press millstones.

It won’t take you long to see the entire cave, and then you can head upstairs to a café where you can watch the rest of the sunset over the beach.

The caves also provide a great excuse to get out of the city and see surrounding areas: On the way to the caves, we stopped at the Cap Spartel Lighthouse to see where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, and drove through some of Tangier’s ritziest neighborhoods—the hillside mansions of the California St. district are reminiscent of, well, California. According to our guide, Dandy, it’s an idyllic place where the rich picnic on weekends, kings own vacation homes, and eucalyptus grows in the forest. (I thought that last one was a weird fact, too.)

It’s also worth nothing that the Caves of Hercules are where I saw my first camel in Morocco. (In the parking lot. Giving rides to children. I told you it was a tourist trap!)

From journal Morocco: Medinas and Mezze

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